Fairfax, VA April 15, 2014
By Jesse Robinson
It’s not very often that an Olympian visits the George Mason campus, but what better figure to have discuss their career at a university event than the most decorated American winter athlete of all time? Renowned Olympic short track speed skater Apolo Ohno will be stopping by the Fairfax campus tomorrow at an event put on by the Center for the Arts, where he mentioned he would discuss his career and hopefully answer a few questions from enthusiasts, fans and Mason students in attendance. Based on his eventful past, attendees should not be disappointed.
When I asked Ohno how he motivated himself throughout his Olympic career, he noted that one of his goals was to be the “best athlete possible”, mentioning the detail he put in to certain aspects of his skating technique such as balance and line work. Based on the results, it is clear that his training methods were to-the-point and successful.
“Training would be six days a week. Sunday would be a rest day”, Ohno said.
The Olympian is more than a star of the ice rink, as he has been featured on several hit television shows including Men at Work and Hawaii Five-O. The most notable of his television appearances has to be his two-season run on the hit dance competition show Dancing with the Stars, where he and dance partner Julianne Hough won the competition in 2007 and at one point received the show’s first ever perfect score of “30” from the judges. Ohno did note, however, the different type of pressure faced with TV shows.
“It is training for years and years compared to training for weeks and weeks for competitions”, Ohno said about the difference in training for the Olympics and training for televised dance competitions.
A star in every sense of the word, Ohno retired from professional speed skating in 2013, and now travels the country to tell his stories and motivate young individuals to achieve their dreams. He will also be discussing his new book Zero Regrets, which highlights his professional career and gives reader’s a behind-the-scenes look in to his athletic lifestyle.
Ohno will be speaking on-campus today, April 15 at 8 PM at the GMU Center for the Arts Concert Hall on the Fairfax Campus. For tickets please call the Center for the Arts box office or visit www.cfa.gmu.edu for more information.
Jesse Robinson is the host of “The Sports Hour” radio show on WGMU Radio.
