By Arianne Cohen
Here’s a secret: When staring down a challenging week of deadlines,
I say to myself, “Well, at least I don’t have to swim 25 hours between now and Saturday.” In fact, everything in my adult life has been markedly easier than the decade I spent training for athletic glory.
I am one of many in the executive world for whom the Games are not a far-off event for overly athletic strangers. Some executives are former athletes themselves; or have children who are training for glory; or work with office peers who once went for the gold; or spend their own free hours sweating under the tutelage of a coach who’s a former world-class swimmer. This is not a coincidence: The sort of type-A person who excels in the corporate world also excels at extracurriculars.
I should know. As a teenager, I slept in my bathing suit so that my day could start at a relatively sane 5:42 AM. I’d be in the freezing pool for swim practice by 6 AM, take part in an afternoon practice from 3 PM to 6 PM, and do my homework in the evening. At the top national competitions, I competed in the mile freestyle, and later in the 400 individual medley and 200-meter breaststroke, and ranked in the top 16 nationally. I trained on a team that was an ongoing reunion of champions: a fleet of them splashing in the pool, others returning for training stints or post-retirement visits with our swim coach, plus various assistant coaches over the years, all sporting five-rings tattoos. (Most commemorate their status with permanent ink. It’s a thing.) The trials to get to the games are often faster and more competitive than the Games themselves. So I knew that—in the absence of parental lineage to Sweden or Hungry or Thailand—I would never make the US national team, because my peers on my own team were faster than me. Through my teens and twenties, tracking down the broadcast schedule to cheer on friends competing in Tokyo or Sydney or Seoul was a normal occurrence, as was accosting them upon their return for news of inevitable romantic dalliances with Norwegian skiers or Argentinian pole vaulters. (Fun fact: Sports festivals gather together extremely athletic young people, some of whom finish competing just one to two days into a multiweek event.) That social experience expanded when I attended a college that fielded top rowers and ice-hockey players.
The Home Office, with Trophies in the Closet
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My middle-school swim practices required awaking
at 4:41 AM.”
“
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Closing Ceremonies
Snaring Medals...
And Then, Consulting?
Snaring Medals...
And Then, Consulting?
Where Are They Now?
Where Are They Now?
In the corporate world, the calling card of former athletes is their discipline: They show up on time and get the job done. This is particularly true of endurance athletes, who are known for their brutally long training hours. Unlike track-and-field athletes, swimmers can swim virtually as many hours as their minds can withstand, because they're unlikely to blow out knees or hips in a pool. Which is
to say that former athletes don’t mind a bit of physical discomfort: They have hit balls, swum, and run under the most extreme exhaustion and muscular pain you can imagine. Most are confused by the concept of work-life balance. Many can tell you the time without looking at
a watch.
Glimmers of my own waterlogged background pop up during lunch-time exercise breaks, when I bike 20 miles on my Peloton against more resistance than the instructor suggests, or when I’m falling behind at work. My middle-school swim practices required awaking at 4:41 AM (that one minute is very important at that hour), and on busy weeks I still set the alarm at that exact time so I can crank out 2.5 hours of uninterrupted focus before my kids awake. Not until I married did I learn that this is unusual. But most days, my daytime schedule of sitting in a chair with laptop is a breeze. Shhhhh, don’t tell my boss.
A former national swim star knows what world-class athletes
go through. Spoiler: Corporate life is a lot easier.
Not until I married did I learn that
this is unusual.”
“
Home
Post Game-Day
Leadership at the Top
The Home Office, with Trophies in the Closet
Snaring Medals...And Then, Consulting?
Where Are They Now?
World-Class Athletes on the Job
Every Four Years: The Challenge of Staying Long-Term
Arianne Cohen is a writer for Briefings
Here’s a secret: When staring down a challenging week of deadlines, I say to myself, “Well, at least I don’t have to swim 25 hours between now and Saturday.” In fact, everything in my adult life has been markedly easier than the decade I spent training for athletic glory.
I am one of many in the executive world for whom the Olympics are not a far-off event for overly athletic strangers. Some executives are former athletes themselves; or have children
who are training for Olympic glory; or work
with office peers who once went for the gold;
or spend their own free hours sweating under the tutelage of a coach who’s a former Olympian. This is not a coincidence: The sort of type-A person who also excels in the corporate world also excels at extracurriculars.
I should know. As a teenager, I slept in my bathing suit so that my day could start at a relatively sane 5:42 AM. I’d be in the freezing pool for swim practice by 6 AM, take part in an afternoon practice from 3 PM to 6 PM, and do my homework in the evening. At the US Senior Nationals and the US Open and various other impressive-sounding events, I competed in the mile freestyle, and later in the 400 individual medley and 200-meter breaststroke, and ranked in the top 16 nationally. I trained on a team that was an ongoing reunion of Olympians: a fleet of them splashing in the pool, others returning for training stints or post-retirement visits with our Olympian swim coach, plus various assistant coaches over the years, all sporting
five-rings tattoos. (Most US Olympians commemorate their status with permanent ink. It’s a thing.) US Olympic team trials are often faster and more competitive than the Olympics themselves. So I knew that—in the absence of parental lineage to Sweden or Hungry or Thailand—I would never be an Olympian, because my peers on my own team were faster than me. Through my teens and twenties, tracking down the broadcast schedule to cheer on friends competing in Tokyo or Sydney or Seoul was a normal occurrence, as was accosting them upon their return for news of inevitable romantic dalliances with Norwegian skiers or Argentinian pole vaulters. (Fun fact: Sports festivals gather together extremely athletic young people, some of whom finish competing just one to two days into a multiweek event.) That social experience expanded when I attended a college that fielded Olympic rowers and ice-hockey players.
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Home
The (Tough) Economics of the Games
Winning It All—After Hours
The Competitive Spirit
Post Game-Day
Winning...with a Work-Life Balance?
Eye for a Star
Know Thyself
Leadership at the Top
Where Are They Now?
Snaring Medals...And Then, Consulting?
The Home Office, with Trophies in the Closet
World-Class Athletes on the Job
Every Four Years: The Challenge
of Staying Long-Term