About Me

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I'm a decathlete at University of California in my final season of collegiate competition. I'm a four time NCAA All-American and 2010 NCAA runner-up in the decathlon.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

The Beginning

I started this blog as a way to document my journey into the post-collegiate world of track and field. Beginning with my early success in the pole vault during high school, the idea of competing in the Olympics has always been my dream. Meeting Tim Mack at the Pole Vault Summit in 2005, five months after he won the gold medal in Athens, only solidified this dream as I shook the hand of the man whose Olympic-winning jump I had watched on repeat the same way a teenybopper listens to a Justin Bieber song. Earlier that week during a speech Mack gave at the summit he talked about his experiences and preparations for the meet. He talked about the nerves he was feeling and the incredible mental focus it took to compete at the world's largest stage. But then he said something that amazed me, something that showed the dedication and desire that it took to make it to that level. He said that four years prior to his gold medal performance in Athens he created an e-mail address which would make his goal concrete.  That e-mail address was goldinathens.

It's with this in mind that I've created this blog as I begin my journey on the road to the Olympic rings. While it's sure to be a difficult road ahead I know I won't be alone as I embark with some of my closest friends and toughest competitors. I hope that you will enjoy and follow me on my journey.

-Mike