Gold Meadows Training 4 Tokyo 2021
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NBC Catches up with an AARP Card Carrying Grandpa and Navy Veteran who has an Olympic Dream of Gold...
Imagine a baby born in Germany with birth defects that require a bar brace on his feet. He outgrows his braces only to become a sickly, scrawny, weak and ostracized little boy. Imagine this same little boy dreams of becoming a US Olympic Champion Athlete. Well that little boy was me and when I came to America I had no money and spoke very little English… I was only 2 :-)
I learned what it’s like to fail, to lose, to not get picked or to get picked last, and I learned the disappointed hope of wanting to be in the game only to be sent by my coach to the far end of the bench to sit until the game was over. The pain and agony of consistent defeat was my sidekick. Imagine playing tag and you can’t catch anyone, even the kids several years younger than you. Imagine sneezing mud! I lived that as a result of my helmet being face down in the dust and dirt play after play in practice. I was well entrenched in AA by this point. My Athletic Ambition was met with Absentee Athleticism and physical ineptitude.
Hi I am Karlton Meadows, the once scrawny, last-picked, bench riding kid that neighborhood team captains hated to choose. My “skills” or (lack thereof) were so bad, team captains would rather opt to play with one less person than to pick the sickly looking kid for their teams. My mother tried her best to soften the blows from my repeated, yet failed attempts at sports with a little mental deflection by saying, “You just don’t have the body for "that" sport.” Well, “that sport” included Pop Warner Football, Little League Baseball, Kick Ball, Two-hand Tag Football, Pick-up Basketball, Tag, Track, Jr. High School Football & Cross Country, and not to mention, High School Football, Wrestling and Track.
BUT my fierce determined attitude towards my childhood Dream helped me make the impossible inevitable. Now I'm on the Journey for Gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
I was a late bloomer. My sprout of promise didn't began to show until my senior year of high school as the Varsity Wrestling Team Captain and debuting on the Varsity Track Team as a 110 meter High Hurdler. Bitter sweet! A little too late considering I didn't capture the state championship in either sport despite our school maintaining a Legacy of State Championship Track and Field Titles which had spanned eight consecutive years at the time of my graduation.
Fast forward into my military career and a multitude of competitions around half the globe and I am still dealing with AA. Only now, I am an Athletic Ambassador. I have refreshingly enjoyed many athletic successes since departing from high school.
One of which I'm most humbly proud of, making my collegiate track debut March 2016 at age 45 while earning my Masters degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science. My dream of pursuing Olympic Gold had been revitalized in 2013 after recognizing consistent improvement of my times following physical therapy for my pelvis and a functional leg length discrepancy. My dream has grown into a movement and it is incredible to have so many who believe in me! I am so grateful to those who have taken an interest in my pursuit and immensely appreciate the mental, spiritual and financial support of the “Tribe” for Team Gold Meadows.
THE TRIBE
MORE OF THE TRIBE
Friends, family, supporters, I am humbly rallying for your continued support as I complete these endeavors. No amount is too small or great, I assure you it will significantly help me focus more on training and less on fund raising as I prepare for the Olympic Trials and the Outdoor National Championships. I think that will do it for racing before the opening ceremony for The Summer Games in Tokyo 2021 :-) My plan is to refine my Spiritual, mental and physical game at the Olympic Training Center in Clermont, Florida during the gap following the National Championships and Tokyo. Until my Gold Medals and New World Record......Many Thanks to ALL of You for your belief, trust and support of My Dream.
Imagine a baby born in Germany with birth defects that require a bar brace on his feet. He outgrows his braces only to become a sickly, scrawny, weak and ostracized little boy. Imagine this same little boy dreams of becoming a US Olympic Champion Athlete. Well that little boy was me and when I came to America I had no money and spoke very little English… I was only 2 :-)
I learned what it’s like to fail, to lose, to not get picked or to get picked last, and I learned the disappointed hope of wanting to be in the game only to be sent by my coach to the far end of the bench to sit until the game was over. The pain and agony of consistent defeat was my sidekick. Imagine playing tag and you can’t catch anyone, even the kids several years younger than you. Imagine sneezing mud! I lived that as a result of my helmet being face down in the dust and dirt play after play in practice. I was well entrenched in AA by this point. My Athletic Ambition was met with Absentee Athleticism and physical ineptitude.
Hi I am Karlton Meadows, the once scrawny, last-picked, bench riding kid that neighborhood team captains hated to choose. My “skills” or (lack thereof) were so bad, team captains would rather opt to play with one less person than to pick the sickly looking kid for their teams. My mother tried her best to soften the blows from my repeated, yet failed attempts at sports with a little mental deflection by saying, “You just don’t have the body for "that" sport.” Well, “that sport” included Pop Warner Football, Little League Baseball, Kick Ball, Two-hand Tag Football, Pick-up Basketball, Tag, Track, Jr. High School Football & Cross Country, and not to mention, High School Football, Wrestling and Track.
BUT my fierce determined attitude towards my childhood Dream helped me make the impossible inevitable. Now I'm on the Journey for Gold at the Tokyo Summer Olympics.
I was a late bloomer. My sprout of promise didn't began to show until my senior year of high school as the Varsity Wrestling Team Captain and debuting on the Varsity Track Team as a 110 meter High Hurdler. Bitter sweet! A little too late considering I didn't capture the state championship in either sport despite our school maintaining a Legacy of State Championship Track and Field Titles which had spanned eight consecutive years at the time of my graduation.
Fast forward into my military career and a multitude of competitions around half the globe and I am still dealing with AA. Only now, I am an Athletic Ambassador. I have refreshingly enjoyed many athletic successes since departing from high school.
One of which I'm most humbly proud of, making my collegiate track debut March 2016 at age 45 while earning my Masters degree in Exercise and Nutrition Science. My dream of pursuing Olympic Gold had been revitalized in 2013 after recognizing consistent improvement of my times following physical therapy for my pelvis and a functional leg length discrepancy. My dream has grown into a movement and it is incredible to have so many who believe in me! I am so grateful to those who have taken an interest in my pursuit and immensely appreciate the mental, spiritual and financial support of the “Tribe” for Team Gold Meadows.
THE TRIBE
MORE OF THE TRIBE
Friends, family, supporters, I am humbly rallying for your continued support as I complete these endeavors. No amount is too small or great, I assure you it will significantly help me focus more on training and less on fund raising as I prepare for the Olympic Trials and the Outdoor National Championships. I think that will do it for racing before the opening ceremony for The Summer Games in Tokyo 2021 :-) My plan is to refine my Spiritual, mental and physical game at the Olympic Training Center in Clermont, Florida during the gap following the National Championships and Tokyo. Until my Gold Medals and New World Record......Many Thanks to ALL of You for your belief, trust and support of My Dream.
Organizer
Karlton Meadows
Organizer
Riverview, FL