LAKE PLACID, N.Y. -- Capt. Kristi Koplin said every day she's focused on her dream -- piloting her bobsled to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
"I'm passionate about that," said the 30-year-old pilot or driver who is responsible for steering and leading her two- or four-person team down a mile-long winding hill at upwards of 90 mph.
Many people, athletes included, have had struggles in life.
Koplin admitted that she sometimes struggles with self-doubt.
To be a successful athlete, "you need to have ambition, passion and belief in yourself," she said.
"At times, I struggle with believing in myself because sometimes I see people who are more genetically gifted or someone that just picked it up easier," she said, referring to the enormous amount of speed, power and dexterity required of athletes to push a 300-pound bobsled down the track and then pile inside.
"But you have to stay focused on your path, your journey," she said, and overcome those self-doubts.
"I want to go to the Olympics so bad I will do whatever it takes to get there," she added. "I'm passionate about that. I wake up in the morning and that's what I'm focused on. My training and what am I going to eat to fuel my training and recovery to be efficient for the next training cycle. I live it and breathe it."
Koplin, a member of the Army's World Class Athlete Program, said there are perhaps many Soldiers who have it in them to compete and would love to become Olympians, but don't realize how easy it is to apply, simply by visiting the WCAP website, looking up the criteria for a chosen sport and filling out an application.
There are several factors that aspiring athletes should consider, she said. First and foremost, the person should be a good Soldier. While training, it is up to each Soldier to continue to meet the Army's requirements, including the physical fitness test and annual weapons qualification. And, living the Army Values.
Training and diet play an enormous part too, she said, noting that she does rigorous workouts with weights and sprinting six days a week.
One final factor that Koplin said it takes -- and she hesitated to mention it for fear of "sounding mean" -- is genetics.
"No matter how self-motivated and hard-working you are, if you don't have the genes for your chosen sport, you won't succeed," she said.
Koplin mentioned that even with drive and determination, she would have struggled without the support of WCAP in terms of coaching, providing first-class training facilities and financing. "Being in WCAP takes away any worries so I can focus 100 percent on training."
WCAP's view, she said, is: "'Let us know how we can help you get there.' They aren't holding my hand. They're pushing me to my goal in a good way. I'm the one leading the way to that."
Lastly, Koplin said she gets an enormous amount of energy from people she doesn't even know on social media who are cheering her on. "It's cool how supportive that can be."
NURSING PASSION
Koplin said that she's fortunate to have a second passion besides the Olympics: being in the U.S. Army Nursing Corps.
Although she's training full time for the Olympics, in the past Koplin has had some nursing experience, like delivering babies.
She said her most rewarding experience was caring for wounded and injured Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany.
Being a nurse has been a good fit for her Olympic ambitions too, she said. Her training gives her an appreciation and understanding of how the body works and the important roles played by exercise and nutrition.
Also, her expertise is occasionally needed during training, such as when a bobsled crashes and once when an athlete from another sport was injured by a javelin.
Koplin said she thinks the best slogan the Army ever had was the one in the 1970s: "Be all that you can be."
Her goal is "to be the best nurse I can be for the Army" -- and the best Olympic athlete, she added.
(Follow David Vergun on Twitter: @vergunARNEWS)
Social Sharing