Nathan Adrian

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Three-time Olympic gold medalist Nathan Adrian is a perfect example of the Under Armour slogan at the top of the page. People like him put in hours and hours of training to achieve their goals. However, when you have strong motivation like him, you set new goals every time you achieve your old ones. Nathan Adrian first caught my attention when I was watching the 2012 Olympics. After he finished first in the 100 meter freestyle event I was amazed by his talent and speed. At that moment, all I could think about was all the hard work he must have put in to achieve such an amazing performance. From that day on he was my hero. Then time passed by, and here I am now as a freshman on the Capistrano Valley High School swim team. That's in Mission Viejo, California. Like Nathan Adrian, I have continued to set new goals after achieving my first. He inspires me to become a better, faster swimmer.

Not only does it take extreme strength to be a professional swimmer, but it also takes mental strength as well. To train, and get stronger is one thing, but attaining the mindset of a champion is something on an altogether different level. "In order to succeed we must first believe that we can." This statement by Nikos Kanzantzakis shows the importance of being mentally strong. In order to swim competitively in college you don't have to have the best high school academic record. As long as you meet the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) requirements and are an outstanding swimmer, you may be eligible for an athletic scholarship. This doesn't mean you can barely pass every class and still get in, but colleges will still consider an average GPA if you are a great athlete. College is a major peak in a competitive swimmer's career, and also is the time when you should start thinking about what you want to do with your life beyond the pool. Pro-swimming is a great career, and these athletes have the potential of getting payed an annual salary. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, American athletes and sports competitors received a median annual wage of $48,680. However a champion like Adrian can make about $200,000 every year. While this sounds great, you can't swim competitively forever. Swimmers can still pursue other careers after they retire from the sport. For example, David Jones, a former competitive swimmer, currently is a personal trainer for a company called Sculpt. Swimmers may choose many careers like coaching, nutrition, and many others. This also applies for athletes in the NBA, NFL, MLB, or any other sports association. Just like swimming, these other athletic careers require lots of talent and training and have never-ending pressure form younger, stronger competitors. Swimming is a great career, and is becoming more and more popular. With the advance in technology, swimmers are able to train better and swim faster. This was definitely proven to be true when the development of full body suits came to be. In Deborah Trevallion's article posted in August 2012 on theconversation.com website, she talks about the science behind the new full-body suits used by Olympic swimmers. These suits reduce drag, repel water off the swimmer, and increase their speed in the water. Although these suits can improve the speed of the swimmers, some people think these suits are too good. Federation Internationale de Nation (FINA) has recently decided to ban these suits, but keep the records that were set using them. As technology advances, the abilities of athletes advance as well.

Nathan Adrian was born in Bremerton, Washington in 1988. At 5 years old he first started to swim. His swimming friends and family motivated him to become better at his sport, and he loved what he was doing. Adrian accomplished many things in his youth. For example, he was the state champion in the 100 yard freestyle during high school. Also, he was accepted into Cal Berkeley, with an athletic scholarship. However, it wasn't until the 2008 Olympics when all that motivation finally started to pay off. He won a gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle. This shocked everyone, and these events gave fame to Nathan Adrian. Also, he won 2 gold medals in the 2012 Olympics. Currently Nathan Adrian is training hard for the upcoming 2016 Olympics, and hopefully he will succeed in again making the team. This time around he will face some stiff competition from a fellow swimmer named Caeleb Dressel. According to Nathan Adrian's interview in March 2016, on SwimSwam's website, Dressel may be an upcoming obstacle for him.

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Nathan Adrian contributes to society in a very impactful way. He inspires young swimmers all around the world to become great athletes like him. The Swimming World Magazine website quotes Adrian as saying, "It's not who's put up the fastest time in the world that year, or who's put up the fastest time in the previous four years, but who can get their hand on the wall first today." In these words he acknowledges the competitive nature of the sport and the need for ongoing improvement. Other swimmers may be encouraged by this quote and grow up to be athletes with high goals and great ambition. Adrian has also recently became an ambassador for the Make a Splash Foundation, to raise funds for swimming education. This foundation emphasizes the importance of learning to swim. Nathan Adrian has surely made a positive impact on sport of swimming.

In order to follow the footsteps of my personal career hero, I have to set attainable goals that surpass my current limits. If I want to be as great of an athlete as Nathan Adrian, I must go outside of my comfort zone and put in extra training. After high school I hope to attend a four-year university and swim as an NCAA athlete. Some entry-level jobs that might help me before I pursue this career include lifeguarding and coaching. I feel these jobs would help get me gain a broader perspective on the sport and open up opportunities beyond competitive swimming. On top of that, I would like to major in nutrition or biology. I enjoy learning about the health of one's body, especially as it pertains to athletes. If I pursue competitive swimming, later on I could use this education to get a job as a nutritionist or biologist. As I go farther down the road of life, I would like to accomplish many of my goals and later set new ones. Nathan Adrian acts as a great role model to encourage me to train harder and become a better swimmer.