Four Olympics in Four Different Decades

by Vollmer PR guest blogger and 4-time Olympian Ruben Gonzalez
Listen to the podcast with Ruben on Vollocity Live!

Funny how dreams are born.

About two years ago , I was speaking at an event in San Diego. One of the other speakers told a story about a group of people who broke a world record by building a house in under three hours. His story got me thinking about breaking world records. I had competed in the 1988 Calgary, 1992 Albertville, and 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. Three Olympics, each in a different decade.

When I got home, I contacted the International Olympic Committee to find out if anyone had ever competed in four Olympics, in four different decades. They said it had never been done in the Winter Olympics.

Then I started getting excited. It was February 2008 -- 20 years to the month since I had competed in the 1988 Calgary Olympics as a 25-year-old. The question was:Could my old body still handle the brutal sport of luge? I had not taken a luge run in six years!

Well, I decided to find out.

I flew to Salt Lake City and took a few luge runs. I felt better than ever. Older was good! I felt more confident and more in control of the sled as it barreled down the track at more than 80 MPH.

I contacted the International Luge Federation to find out what I needed to do to qualify for the Vancouver Olympics two years away. Their answer floored me. They said, “We won’t let you slide in the World Cup Circuit. Number one, you’re too old and number two, you’ve been away from the sport so long that if you get hurt, we’ll look bad.”

I told them, “You can’t do that! At least, give me a chance to prove myself.”

They said, “The new Olympic track in Whistler, Canada, is the fastest in the world. Up to now, only the Canadians have been training there. In a few weeks, we will open the track for 10 days to allow the lugers from every other team to take 24 practice runs. Come to Whistler, take your 24 runs, and afterwards we’ll talk.”

I went to Whistler. And they were right. The track was fast. Really fast. Ninety MPH and up! Everybody was crashing. Even the Olympic champion crashed. I didn’t crash once. I didn’t break any speed records ( but I didn’t break any bones either).

After the Whistler Test, the Federation said, “Welcome back.”

Next I had to race in five races and earn enough World Cup points to be in the top 40 in the world. Doing this was just about the hardest and most stressful thing I’ve ever had to do. Learning new tracks and racing people with 10 times more experience than what I have. But I kept plugging along.

Three months before the Olympics, I thought my chances were 50-50. But I kept training and making adjustments to my sled, and slowly I started moving up in the standings.

I’ve been a professional speaker for eight years. I travel a lot, but I’ve never travelled as much as I did in the last three  months. Three trips to Europe and seven trips in North America. Doing whatever it took to keep the dream alive.

Three weeks before the Olympics, I still didn’t know if I was in. I felt confident but anxious nonetheless.

About once a week some corporation or another brings me in to speak to their people about how to develop an unstoppable spirit that leads to success. A couple of nights ago, I was speaking to several hundred sales people in Minneapolis. I was telling them how you have to take action on your beliefs. Your actions show what you believe. You need to jump (take a chance) and the net will appear.

I told the salespeople how, even though I still didn’t know if I was going to the Olympics, I had already purchased my airline tickets to Vancouver. They looked at me like I was crazy. Well yesterday, I got the news. I made it by the skin on my teeth. I jumped and the net did appear!

On February 12,^, 2010, when I march into the Opening Ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympics, at the age of 47, I’ll become the first person ever  to compete in four Winter Olympics, each in a different decade.

Will I win any medals? Maybe not, but who knows? Maybe I’ll make the cover of the AARP Magazine!

Chase your dreams, fight for your dreams, refuse to quit, and make your life an adventure!

Listen to the podcast with Ruben on Vollocity Live!

Ruben Gonzalez is an Olympian, an award-winning keynote speaker and the author of “Becoming Unstoppable.” Ruben speaks around the world about making bold decisions and taking action to create long-lasting success. To watch his powerful video, visit www.OlympicMotivation.com.  You may also contact Ruben at 832-689-8282.

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