Jessica and David have the discipline to turn their dreams into reality for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Vince Lombardi once said “Mental toughness is many things and rather difficult to explain. Its qualities are sacrifice and self-denial. Also, most importantly, it is combined with a perfectly disciplined will that refuses to give in. It’s a state of mind-you could call it character in action.”
Jessica Claflin and David Hein have a dream, to become Olympic Gold Medalists at the Rio 2016 Games. Having a dream is great but how do these athletes turn their dream into reality? Well, the team has a plan to do just that. They know that there are many talented sailors around the globe but they understand that talent alone will not win. Jessica and David understand that in order to achieve their goal they need to be focused, disciplined, driven, determined and to work harder than the competition in order to make it happen. These two clearly see their strengths and know their weaknesses so they are ready to roll.
The newest team competing for the single spot on the US Olympic Sailing Team for the Mixed Multihull discipline for the Rio Games are under no delusion about the competition they face, the path they must take or the amount of effort they have to put in to win the US Trials in 2016, but they have the determination to make it happen and to turn their effort into results. Their mantra is “Nothing will get in the way of achieving our goal”.
The pair has a long pedigree of accomplishments both on and off the water. Jessica is a graduate of Brown University and has a post-graduate degree in engineering from Brown as well. In fact, she finished her post-graduate work in one year because she had her sights set on Gold and knew she needed to dedicate her life to training. “My education gives me the tools I need to be successful in my career.” states Claflin; “I knew that I needed to have that all in place before I turned my complete focus and life on winning Olympic Gold. Failure has never been an option for me, and I will do whatever it takes to win Gold in Rio.” While in school Claflin competed in both collegiate and independent sailing, stepping up to the podium in both single handed and multi crewed dinghy fleets.
David is a high school senior carrying a full-load of college prep courses and maintaining a 3.8 GPA with an eye on his future at a leading university and his career following. Hein decided at a young age that he would fight for his spot atop the Olympic podium. When he was only 12 years old Hein made the decision to change his entire lifestyle, to leave the comfort of home, his friends and the school he was comfortable with to put his energy into becoming the strongest sailor he could be and to push his abilities both physically, mentally and emotionally to become the best of the best. He started taking direct steps towards the Olympics when he was 15. Clearly this pair of athletes has the discipline to make it!
Jessica and David train full-time. They are on the water, in the gym and working with coaches and advisers 300 days a year. That gives them the ability to quickly catch up to others in the Olympic discipline and to refine their teamwork, boathandling and tactical skills to beat the world’s best in 2016. 300 days a year surely requires discipline and focus but these two have demonstrated their ability to handle it. They are driven, determined and have their eyes on the prize for the Rio Games. Jessica and David are going to return to the USA with Olympic Gold, there is no doubt in their minds.
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