 |
| |
|
 |
 |
||
 |
 |
||
 |
|||
EVENTS
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|
 |
Answering your questions
Updated: Monday June 11, 2001 12:38 PM
Skeleton athlete Chris Soule, 28, is training for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Soule, who won the first round of U.S. national team selection races back in October, is a two-time national champion (1997, 2000) and finished second on the 2000 World Cup circuit. The 6-0 native of Trumbull, Conn. spent time as a stunt player on the film G.I. Jane and currently works as a research assistant. Check out Soule's diary on CNNSI.com as he trains for the Olympics. June 10, 2001
During this Olympic year, are you devoting all your time to training or do
you have to work a "regular" job too? Do you have corporate sponsors to help
with funding?
That's a good question. It is very difficult for most athletes to train and also hold a job. I am one of the skeleton athletes who does hold a full time position while trying to maintain a regular training schedule. I work at SAIC in Oakland, CA. They have been supportive of my goals and have made my schedule very flexible to fit my training needs. Also, one of my trainers works just south of Oakland, so that makes it a little easier to get to work after a training session. I will be taking a leave of absence from work so I can dedicate myself to my training before this 2001-2002 racing season begins. I do have some funding that helps me cover travel expenses. For example, the USOC offers grants to help Olympic hopefuls with travel and some sports related expenses. I am still looking for financial support through corporate sponsors. I, like many other athletes, depend on (and need) corporate sponsors to help with everyday living costs. Sponsorship is beneficial for both the athlete and sponsor. Athletes are able to concentrate on their training and sponsors receive advertising through media coverage of the athlete. Corporate sponsors get advertising through a variety of media with their logos on athlete equipment and apparel. For a list of my team and personal sponsors, visit my website: www.Soule-man.com
Thanks for the credit you give your coaches, director, etc. I liked your
article Chris. Good job.
Thanks for following my diary. I hope you will come watch our races in Park City this year. Although the sport is very individual, there are team aspects of the sport that we have to consider. My coaches and the people who run the skeleton program for us play a huge role in getting me closer to the gold.
How do you balance sports, family and friends and work?
Well, seeing that most of my family is on the East Coast, I balance the family part through a lot of phone calls and occasional trips to see them. I live with my girlfriend, Kathy and my dog Willy. My friends who live in San Francisco are all supportive of what I am doing and usually understand that I am not on the same schedule as them. It takes a lot of dedication to compete at the World Cup level. I do have to sacrifice some things in order to get the training that I need to be successful. People I know see me handling family, sports, friends and work and are surprised at my busy schedule. It is very difficult to juggle all of those things at the same time, but it makes me a balanced person. My dream of competing in the Olympics and winning a medal keeps me motivated.
-- Chris
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
