Learning & Teaching Tools For Perseverance

Perseverance Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, my name is Steve Emt. I’m a two-time Paralympic wheelchair curler, eight-time national champion, and TrueSport Athlete Ambassador. Today, I want to talk with you about perseverance, and there are three things I’d like you to know.

First, it’s O.K. to fail. If you’re not failing, you’re not learning. Second, how you recover from setbacks reveals your true character. And third, anything worth having requires hard work. Perseverance is defined as a quality that allows a person to continue trying to do something even though it’s difficult. Perseverance is complemented by resilience, or the ability to recover quickly from setbacks.

When I went to my first Paralympic Games in 2018 in PyeongChang, South Korea, I was going over there to win a medal. I needed to win a medal. But unfortunately, it didn’t work out for me, it didn’t work out for our team. In fact, we came in dead last in the tournament, with a two and nine record, 12^th place in the world. And for the days following the Games, I allowed myself to beat myself up about that. And I thought to myself, listen Steve, in life there is winning and there is learning, there is no losing. And we did a lot of learning in PyeongChang.

So, for the years following those Games in PyeongChang, myself, my teammates, we worked harder, we increased our effort, we worked our tails off to get to a better place in Beijing. In Beijing we placed 5^th place, one game out of medal contention. With what we learned in Beijing as a team, continuing forward for the next four years preparing for Italy in 2026, we’re in a great place right now. Because that’s what sports do, sports are an excellent platform for practicing perseverance. Because, as athletes, we get to learn how to constantly push ourselves beyond our expected abilities and to successfully compete. Also, as athletes, we are given the opportunity to find lessons in our setbacks and to persevere through a task even when it might be seemingly unrewarding.

We often aren’t alone in our efforts to persevere, either. Our teammates, coaches, families, and friends are all a massive network of believers in our ability to overcome challenge, and they support us as we experience, reflect on, and reapproach the challenges we face. With that said, persevering through challenges is not easy. No one can expect you to brush the dust off after experiencing failure and get back up right away without fear, hesitation, or a dislike for the thing that challenged you.

Inevitably, you will fall and you will fail. We all do. But what you learn about yourself in the process, that’s what defines success and that’s what makes the journey all worth it.

Perseverance Lesson Video Transcript

TITLE: Building a Community of Role Models with Richard Torrez Jr.

RICHARD TORREZ JR: Growing up in an athletic household was definitely a little challenging, but I really enjoyed it. Ever since I was a little kid, it was just my mom and my dad taking me out for runs. I grew up in the gym. That’s like my second home in the boxing gym. Through sport, my dad really wanted me to just be humble because no matter how good you get, no matter how tough you are, someone can hit you in the mouth. Someone can hit you and it will hurt, so it really is a humbling sport.

Another thing it teaches you is drive. So no matter what, I mean, there’s going to be some guy in there trying to compete with you, so it teaches you that you have to try just as hard or even harder.

My parents definitely define success as education. Both of my parents are teachers. My dad is actually a vice-principal now and my mom teaches adult education to local jails, and so everything is education first. I think my parents, most of all, have a better view of the big picture than I do. So I’m the one that takes a right now, here, win and losses pretty hard and my parents are the ones that are like, “Hey, calm down. You still have 2020. You still have this in the future. This isn’t the end game. This is just a battle, not the war.”

My dad’s my role model. Everything that he does, I wanted to do. And so, I mean, from the age of four, I remember watching the Pan-American Games with my dad, and now I’m going to the Pan-American Game qualifiers, so it’s like dreams coming true. So my family’s goals are my goals and I want to keep it like that.

I think it’s important for young athletes to find role models, or anybody to find a role model, because it gives you something to base yourself off of. It gets you someone where I want to be like them. If you never find that point, I feel like you’re going to be lost a little bit. In a lot of ways with my teachers, my coaches, and just role models in general, if I didn’t have my dad pushing me, if I didn’t have my teachers a hundred percent behind my back when I left for nationals, when I left for Golden championships, I might not have graduated high school. Without them, I mean, I wouldn’t know what I’d do.

It’s the little life lessons I’ve gotten from my coaches are never give up, always do your best, and when all else fails, just try. I’ve been in points where I got in football, like there’s no chance of winning. It’s 37 to zero and you’ve just got to go out there and give it all your all still. There’s no point in giving half best. There’s no point in doing half the work. It’s always all or nothing.

Body Image Lesson Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Kara Winger, Olympic javelin thrower, and TrueSport Athlete. Today, I want to talk to you about body image, and I have three things I’d like you to know. First, healthy thoughts often lead to healthier bodies. Second, there are varying body types and no one’s body is exactly like another. And third, true beauty goes deeper than the skin. As a multi-time Olympian, I’ve experienced a lot of variation and progression in my training. My coaches and I adapt to my training frequently, all with the goal of supporting my long-term success and health in the sport of javelin. I’m talking to you about body image today because sometimes even with the best of intentions and a common goal in mind, the changes you make to your training habits can prove to be detrimental if made for the wrong reasons. In the lead up to the 2012 Olympic trials, I was told in order to improve my performance on the field, I should try to become a leaner, skinnier version of myself.

So, I changed my diet. I went along with what I was being told to do, even though I’d had great success at a slightly heavier weight and higher body fat percentage and became much leaner than ever before. It seemed like a successful change at first, but I didn’t have nearly the results I’d had before. And I believe becoming leaner than my body naturally wanted to be was what caused my ACL to tear. In the end, it cost me heavily going into the 2012 London games. The takeaway for me, and hopefully for you, is that it’s important to know what works for you and your body and to not compare yourself to others. You should do your research and experiment with your diet to find what makes you feel the best, rather than focusing on what you look like. Today, if I feel like having a chocolate chip cookie, I have one, just not every day.

I’ve learned what a properly balanced meal for my body looks like and I recognize food as the fuel that keeps me throwing. I hydrate and allow myself time to recover. And I listen to and communicate with my body so that I can be the best version of myself. In the end, you are in control of how you see, treat, and respond to your body. We only get one and it’s amazing to discover how many things our bodies can do. Be a true sport athlete. Love who you are in this moment and get excited for all the places your body will take you.

THE SIMPLE TRUTH: DECODING THE SUPPLEMENT INDUSTRY VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

At first glance, dietary supplements look the same. They seem safe and healthy, but just because the label says a product is a dietary supplement, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Unfortunately, you can’t tell whether a product is safe or not just by looking at the label. Most vitamins, minerals, fish oil, and other supplements containing nutrients are probably just fine, but supplements are not evaluated or approved by FDA before they are sold. Although it is rare for vitamins or minerals to be contaminated with drugs, there has been at least one case of a vitamin containing an anabolic steroid.

At the other extreme are products that contain drugs, stimulants, anabolic steroids, or other hormones. Even though these are not technically dietary supplements, many of them are labeled as supplements. For example, body-building products sometimes contain anabolic steroids or Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators, known as SARMs, or other hormones. Some pre-workout or energy products contain illegal stimulants like DMAA, ephedra, or other amphetamine-like stimulants. Weight loss products might contain prescription drugs like sibutramine, or hormones, like human chorionic gonadotropin, also known as hCG. All natural or herbal sexual enhancement products might contain hormones or Viagra-like drugs. Products like these can harm your health and career, but they’re for sale online, in some nutrition stores, and they’re labeled as dietary supplements.

When you pick up a supplement, especially one that promises performance enhancement, you don’t know if it belongs in the “Mostly O.K.” pile or in the “Dangerous” pile. After all, two products might look the same, but one might contain just amino acids and other legitimate ingredients, while the other also contains anabolic steroids. Because of this, FDA has issued a warning about certain categories of supplements: body building products, weight loss products, and sexual enhancement products. Be extremely careful when considering a supplement in one of these categories. We strongly recommend that you avoid products in these categories.

Even when FDA tests supplements and finds dangerous ingredients, companies sometimes refuse to recall them. Sometimes, they simply repackage their product and continue selling it under a new name. Just because a product is on a store shelf doesn’t mean it is safe. You need to do your research and be an informed consumer. The dietary supplement industry is enormous. Supplements that appear to be safe could actually be dangerous products in disguise. If you use dietary supplements without doing your research, you may be taking serious risks with your health and your career. Please visit USADA’s Supplement 411 for more information about dietary supplements.