The 7 steps to success
Overcoming self doubt and accomplishing dreams was the message Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner shared with Utah State University employees and students Monday at the annual USU Wellness Fair.
Irene Whittier, a senior human resources specialist, said the main purpose of the Wellness Fair is to promote physical, emotional and financial wellness for USU employees. She said by having Gardner speak at the fair, it shows employees that through hard work and determination, they are in charge of their destiny. Whittier said each individual needs to take their own steps to personal wellness.
Gardner said defeating the defending three-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Aleksandr Karelin, at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games “was an image I never thought I would accomplish.”
“Due to his longevity,” Gardner said, “I would have to say Karelin is the best.”
Some of Karelin’s opponents in the past would roll over and allow themselves to be pinned, to avoid being hurt by Karelin, Gardner said, and some of his fellow Olympic teammates told him that it would be impossible to beat him.
Gardner, the most accomplished American Greco-Roman wrestler, said there are seven principles that he uses to guide him when dealing with any obstacle that helped him as he faced the Russian superstar.
First, remember the basic characteristics that define who you are as a person; second, turn a negative into a positive; third, aim high; fourth, enlist other people to help; fifth, train hard everyday; sixth, take care of business and; seventh don’t rest on your laurels and continue the dream.
Gardner said when he was young, he was diagnosed with a learning disability and was told by his high school counselor college was not a realistic goal.
“I can honestly say, I never listened to anyone who was negative,” Gardner said, “I told them, ‘Put me in a class and I will graduate.”
Gardner originally signed a letter of intent to wrestle for USU in 1989, but USU discontinued its program, so Gardner chose to attend the former Rick’s College (now Brigham Young University-Idaho), followed by a short stint at USU in the spring of 1990, and then wrestled at the University of Nebraska. Gardner graduated in 1996 from Nebraska with a degree in physical education and health.
Education is very important to Gardner because of the struggles he had growing up with a learning disability, said his wife, Lisa Gardner, who also spoke on Monday.
“We meet kids and he’s just drawn,” she said. “He’s so sincerely interested, he’s always telling kids to stay in school and get an education.”
USU is a great campus, Rulon said, and students have a great chance to learn more about themselves and there are a lot of good resources to gain the knowledge that will help them be successful in life.
Dealing with the stress of competing in the Olympics is the same as dealing with stress for a test, Rulon said. A student has to put things in the right perspective and use the knowledge they have gained to help them feel confident, he said.
“If you let stress destroy you mentally, you’re done,” he said.
When he was given a chance, Rulon said, he took care of business and did the best he could with his opportunity. After he scored the point against Karelin, he said he didn’t stop pushing himself, and would push Karelin, because if he wouldn’t have been aggressive, the referee would penalize him and give Karelin a point and he would lose the match.
On the medal stand after the match, Gardner said he told Karelin how much he respect and looked up to him, and he felt it was an honor to wrestle him.
Gardner said Karelin told him, “Thank you very much, you are a very good wrestler.”
He has not spoken to Karelin since than, but Gardner said he hopes some day he will be able to have a friendship with him, and Karelin will not look at him as the opponent who beat him, but will look at him as the man who stepped up and made the most of his opportunity.
For someone to accomplish their dreams they must enlist the help of others who are qualified and know how to help accomplish the goal, he said. To help him become the best wrestler he could, he enlisted Steve Frasier, one of only three Americans to win the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling, to coach him.
There are a lot of resources employees and students have at USU, Whittier said. The Wellness Fair offered health screenings, information about insurance companies, financial assistance and counseling services, as well as other resources to help people promote physical, emotional and financial wellness.
“Because you won’t feel physically well,” Whittier said, “if you you’re not emotionally and financially well, also.”
-cmoffitt@cc.usu.edu