As I promised the other day, I will pick up some themes from Olympic Day and write about it in this blog.
At the Olympic Day, one of the activities we had in store for the youngsters was a training session with Paul Sieber, a rower representing Austria in the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore. During the session, I got the chance to chat a little bit with Paul, as well as with his coach, Christoph. I noticed that Paul was reading "Der Process" by Franz Kafka, one of the main works in Austrian literature and (unfortunately) key element to the higher education curriculum.
So when I asked Paul which school he attended, he told me that he went to an "ordinary" high school in Vienna. Ordinary meaning that the school does not have a varsity program, providing aid for athletic performance. Christoph then said something quite interesting:
"Personally, I prefer an athlete that can handle both an athletic career as well as earning his academic degree. Because you definitely need the discipline and stamina it takes to obtain a high school degree to also have success with your sport."
For once, I have nothing more to add. Well, maybe one thing: It's a pleasure to meet people who embody this spirit in the first place!
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