COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Watching the Olympics on TV can be inspiring. But meeting Olympians in person can take that inspiration to a whole new level.
That’s the idea behind a program at the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs. Former Olympians mentor young people who are in 4th to 12th grade – to teach them life lessons. The main message is simple: in sports or in life - It’s all about resiliency.
Hunter Kemper is one of the athletes featured in the program, which is called “Becoming Your Own Personal Best.” He was in 4 Olympics – and is the most decorated U.S. Triathlete ever.
Recently Kemper talked to more than one hundred young students who visited the museum. He told them how proud he was to represent the U.S. as an Olympian. He talked about how he trained for tens of thousands of hours for Triathlon - which consists of swimming, biking, and running.
He spoke about being a top U.S. athlete – despite challenges like crashing a bike – or getting injured and doing poorly in a race. And his most important message – he didn’t win a medal in 4 Olympic games – but was still happy because he did his personal best.
He said he owes a lot to his family, friends and coaches who kept him going when times were tough. It was something that related to many of the students.
“Nothing comes without hard work”, one student said. “But also the hard work that you put in is part of the fun and journey, just as much as the destination is.”
Another student said, “even though he probably had a lot more downs than he shared with us, that he still found a way to overcome those and even though he didn’t get what he originally intended – he still found love and he still felt proud at the end of the day”.
One of the teachers said that Kemper’s message of resilience is so important, because many students have been struggling since COVID.
“They struggle with connecting with one another, they struggle with wanting to connect with one another.”
And that’s why the “Becoming Your Own Personal Best” program is so important. In addition to hearing from the former Olympians and Paralympians, the program offers tools for teachers in class.