And Americans aren't the only Olympic athletes with uncommon pursuits. Conley's rival in the triple jump, Britain's world-record holder Jonathan Edwards, worked in a genetics lab in Newcastle until recently. They are all smart, yes, but they are also efficient managers of time who can maintain intense concentration and energy for long periods. In some cases, they need a helping hand. In fact, during the last winter quarter, Marx was able to get a teaching schedule that put her in the classroom three days a week but allowed her enough time to leave after her last class for weekend competitions in Europe.
Fencers have to choose good strategies and try to influence the beliefs of their opponents.
Even the stratagem of trying to make an Olympic team should be considered with some deliberation. Should you not make the team, you have to believe that you are still a valuable person, that your friends will still love you and that your family will still be there for you. Kent Bostick is a groundwater hydrologist in Albuquerque, New Mexico. At 43, an age when most Olympic cyclists have long since retired, he's competing in his first Olympics. He does a little of both work and training by riding 20 miles to his office each day.