People ask how I get one Olympic champion. They expect stories about hiring private coaches, driving to races across the country, and organizing my life around the sport she loved.
But the goal, for my husband and me, was to raise a happy, well-rounded, capable daughter with the common sense to choose a career she loved. Raising an Olympian champion never occurred to us.
At school she really enjoyed swimming
In elementary school, Gwen excelled in her hometown swim teamand sometimes she was on stage. Her life revolved around evening swim practices, Saturday competitions and time with her swimming friends.
The author’s daughter really liked swimming. Thanks to the author
While she nursed her obsession with the water, I insisted she take violin lessons. Like one music pedagogueI knew that violin would teach me daily discipline, perseverance in the face of challenges, and the satisfaction of contributing to an ensemble. One evening, when I took her to orchestra rehearsal, Gwen negotiated with me: she would play the violin that evening if I took her to the YMCA for a little extra. swimming session. I agreed because I believed that passion deserved as much nurturing as discipline.
In her last yearGwen convinced the school to release her from the start so she could swim laps in the pool. But I knew she had to be accepted before she could be accepted to swim at a university. So I registered her for college entrance exams and found the information about college essays.
She did not receive a swimming scholarship
Despite her years of practice, Gwen failed secure a scholarship. She registered as a walk-on and moved into a dorm room with three scholarship swimmers. After two years of two days a day, without ever scoring points for the team, her coach advised her to pursue other interests.
Gwen’s dedication to swimming ended in what she considered a failure. It wasn’t just the empty hours that filled her day. It wasn’t just the loss of a team social life. It wasn’t just the lack of a goal. Gwen had defined who she was by her success in the pool. She lost her self-esteem.
We talked. My husband and I assured her of us love was unconditional. I told her that swimming shouldn’t decide who she was and encouraged her to be open to new possibilities. Open to change. On what the world has to offer.
Eventually, Gwen continued with the track team as a runner and competed for two years. She ran her last race with a stress fracture and quit before the finish line, without ever clocking the times needed to compete professionally.
She laughed at the idea of competing in triathlon
These are the setbacks that people don’t know about when they ask how I raised an Olympic champion.
The author’s daughter won Olympic gold in triathlon. Thanks to the author
Gwen graduated with a master’s degree, took a job at a Big Four accounting firm and began building a conventional career.
Then, a few months later, as she was at her desk filing corporate tax returns, Gwen Jorgensen, CPA, got a call from USA Triathlon. They had noticed her resume in swimming and running, and they wanted an answer. Would she consider a triathlon?
She told my husband and me that she was laughing at them. And then she said that she still planned to stay in shape, and maybe she would think about it. She didn’t have a bike, but they said they would find one and get her a coach.
Gwen had learned that when one dream ended, another could begin. Swimming gave way to running. Running gave way to bookkeeping. Accounting could make way for triathlon.
She accepted the offer. USA Triathlon found her a bike and coach, and she started traveling to triathlon races with her encrypted work computer. But adding three daily workouts to an accountant’s schedule seemed untenable. I said if she was serious about the sport, she should take a leave of absence, and I would help. She said absolutely not, found some local sponsors and reduced her work hours.
Within 18 months, Gwen left her job as an accountant to devote herself to triathlon full-time. Within three years she finished 38th at the Olympics. Within seven years she won Olympic gold.
I didn’t create an Olympic champion. I was only providing my daughter with the tools to be the person she decided to be.
