Nick Symmonds: Olympian
(Elite Athlete Blog - Entry 16)
Posted July 8th, 2008 at 5:15 PM by Nick Symmonds
Section: Track & Field, Olympics, Elite Athlete Blogs, Nick Symmonds, College
Welcome to the official blog of middle-distance track star and 2008 U.S. Olympian Nick Symmonds. Be sure to check every other Monday at http://nicksymmonds.thefinalsprint.com for Nick’s latest entry! For more information about Nick, also please visit: nicksymmonds.com
I can hardly believe it myself. After dreaming about this for most of my life and specifically devoting two years towards this goal, I can finally call myself an Olympic athlete. The last 48 hours have been unreal and I would very much like to share with you what has been going on, but first I need to talk about how I arrived at this point in my career.
Growing up in Boise I was blessed with an amazing family that made me want for nothing. I had love from my sister and parents and they supported me in any goal I set for myself, but more importantly made me believe I could accomplish these goals. When I told them that I would one day like to be an Olympian they just smiled and said, “then do it.” When other people laughed or doubted they just kept smiling, almost as if they knew it was destined to be. They have made this possible and of the 20,000 people at Hayward Monday night I don’t think any were as happy and proud as they were. Mom, Dad, Lauren: I LOVE YOU!!!
But, there were others there who had a lot to do with my success and took much pride in my performance. Without these people I could not have stepped on that track physically or mentally ready to compete with the best in the USA. There are so many people who have helped me realize my Olympic Dream and I would specifically like to thank my coaches over the years who have made me into the athlete I am today:
Tom Shanahan who coached me in high school and gave me a love for the sport and taught me my sit and kick strategy.
Matt McGuirk who coached me in college and taught me to race smart and run with patience.
Jimmy Bean who was like a brother to me at Willamette and will always be part of my family.
Sam Lapray who’s love and support has seen me through the good times and the bad over the last six years. If it wasn’t for Sam I would not still be running today. He has taught me as much about life as my own parents and is the guy I turn to right before I step onto the track.
Kelly Sullivan who has kept me mentally fresh all year. Without Kelly’s wisdom I would have been a complete ball of nerves going into the Trials. Thanks to his confidence and love I was able to believe in myself and let me body do what it does naturally each day of the Trials.
Jimmy Radcliff who has turned me into a true elite runner. Coming out of college I had talent but lacked many of the necessary skills to race like a world class runner. Through a lot of hard work Coach Rad has completely transformed my body and made me more efficient than I ever thought possible.
And of course Coach Gags who is like a second father to me and is truly a genius when it comes to coaching young elites. Coach Gags has been around this sport for over 50 years and I am so blessed to be one of his athletes. He helped me make the transition from collegiate to world class athlete and aside from being my Coach, is one of my best friends. I can talk with Gags about anything and he gives all his athletes his advice, attention, and love.
Of course there are hundreds of other people who have meant a great deal to me over the years and have helped to keep me motivated, or sometimes just allowed me to be myself and accepted and loved me for who that is. I’m talking about all my great friends from Boise and from Willamette, my entire extended family (many of which made it to the trials to watch!) my amazing teammates on OTC, and all the fans who make this experience so special.
With that being said I would like to talk about the race itself a bit. Going through the rounds I felt incredible and was frustrated that I had to hold back my kick to save energy through the prelims and semis. My speed has come along so well and I was very excited to see what I was capable of doing in the last 100 meters. As I warmed up on the night of the finals I was nervous, or course, but smiled as I thought about how exciting it would be to kick down the homestretch and really feel the burn in my legs. The pain associated with training and racing is something that I have really come to appreciate over the last couple years and I have learned to embrace it. It is not something to fear, but rather something to love as it lets you know you are alive and doing something that takes hard work and determination. Though I felt the lactic acid burn as it coursed through my veins during those final steps of the race all pain left my body when I crossed the line and knew I had won. The euphoria, sense of accomplishment, and total relief that came with stepping across that line are still with me and will probably stay for a very long time.
As I turned back to find Andrew Wheating telling me he took second I was overjoyed and thought it couldn’t get any better until I looked at the video board and saw that my good friend and training partner Christian Smith had made the team as well. It was a Eugene sweep and something that I almost couldn’t have dreamed to be a possibility. We pulled it off and the crowd rewarded us for out efforts. The victory lap we took was so sweet and as I looked up into the stands I saw the faces of all the people who have helped me along the way. That performance was as much for them as it was for myself and I look forward to making them all proud when I take on the rest of the world out in Beijing.
-Nick
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Tags: 800m, andrew wheating, Beijing, beijing olympics, boise, Christian Smith, coacg gags, coach gagliano, frank gagliano, nicholas symmonds, nicholas symmonds blog, Nick Symmonds, nick symmonds blog, nike oregon track club, olympic team, oregon, oregon track club, otc, Team USA, u.s. olympic track & field trials, usa olympic team u.s. olympic team, willamette
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