Track and field Olympian talks goal-setting with Haile Middle sixth graders

Lauren Otterness, a sixth grader at Carlos E. Haile Middle School, has a passion for competitive cheerleading and running. 

As she gets older, Otterness said it will be difficult to choose between cheerleading and track, and she ultimately will have to decide which passion to choose as her main focus.

But she said Olympic gold medalist Richard Thompson’s advice about following passions and making goals will help her make a decision when the time comes.

Thompson, who won Olympic gold in the 4X100 meters for Trinidad and Tobago alongside Emmanuel Callender, Keston Bledman and Marc Burns in 2008, also was the silver medalist in the same Olympics in the 100 meters. He also took silver in the 4X100 in the 2012 Olympics with the same teammates.

Thompson told the students he had to decide when he was a senior in high school whether he should pursue running or soccer. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

He he worked with his soccer team to build a successful program, but he had a passion for running. 

Thompson talked to Haile Middle School’s sixth graders in the new Advanced Scholar Program about goal setting and achieving goals. 

The Advanced Scholar Program is for students seeking advanced rigor in their academics through cross-curricular instruction and project-based learning. 

Thompson said he wasn’t always a star runner or the best sprinter in Trinidad and Tobago. 

“Did I have talent and did I have the ability? Absolutely," He said. "But if you had asked anyone, or even myself, if I would be an Olympian, somebody who would win Olympic medals, anyone probably would have doubted that. I myself might have doubted it too.

“The only two people on the planet who might have believed that I was capable of that at the time were my parents.”

Thompson had two rival sprinters in Trinidad and Tobago — Darrel Brown and Mark Burns — to compete against in the early 2000s before he went to the U.S. to begin his collegiate track career. Brown and Burns were the first and second fastest junior athletes in the world.

Thompson said at the time, he questioned that he could dream of competing at the Olympics or being a successful competitive runner in Trinidad and Tobago when he had to compete against runners like Brown and Burns. 

To this day, Thompson recalls what his father told him: Comparison can be the thief of joy. 

“A lot of times we look at what the person next to us is doing, and we take away from the small gains that we have,” Thompson said to the group of sixth graders. “It’s important for you guys, regardless of who’s doing what next to you, to ensure you take care of what is necessary for you to be successful.”

Thompson didn’t let his competition keep him from reaching his goal of becoming an Olympian.

The journey to the 2008 Olympics wasn’t an easy one for Thompson. He was not offered a scholarship by his top three choices for a university — including Florida State University, University of Florida and University of Tennessee — and eventually attended Louisiana State University. 

At LSU, on Friday nights when his roommates were attending parties and having fun, Thompson was in bed so he could wake up at 7 a.m. on Saturdays to train. His friends would eat junk food that Thompson couldn’t have because he was a runner. 

He told the students he had to be disciplined and dedicated and make sacrifices to accomplish his goals. He said that lesson could help anyone achieve their goals. 

“I had to do all those things to give myself a chance to be really successful,” Thompson said. “What it means as well is it’s not just doing those things — the discipline, dedication and commitment — but also about doing those things consistently.”

Through his four years at LSU, Thompson remained dedicated to his training. His success came slowly and not without failures, he said. 

“The true character of a real champion or a successful person is someone who understands that if I don’t get it right this time, I’m going to come back at it, I’m going to continue to work, and I’m going to continue to try it until I get the result I desire,” he said. 

After his hard work and determination, Thompson had made it to the finals in the 100-meter sprint in the NCAA Championships. His senior year at LSU, he placed first and went on to win the two medals at the Olympics in Beijing, China. He also set a collegiate record (6.51 seconds) in the indoor 60 meters in 2008.

Otterness and sixth graders Lillian Toppett and Jordan Mayfield all said hearing Thompson’s story was inspiring and motivational. 

Otterness said she’s learned not to compare herself to others, which she finds herself doing in cheer when someone else has the opportunity to be in a spot she wants or when she’s in the classroom comparing grades.