Freirich said his first exposure to spells was in college in New Mexico, where his coach, Joe Franklin, constantly reminded his athletes that their season-long search for the championship in 2015 was about the journey rather than the destination. Was. Was.
“That was really defining for us,” she said. “We were the favorites but we were never thinking about the nationals. We were always thinking about the move we were in.”
Franklin often said four words to the team: “expect nothing. get everything. “
Those words were on Freirich’s mind during the first minutes of the national championship race, when the team started slowly but worked together to win.
He also had this in his head, starting his professional career with a shot at qualifying for the Rio Olympics in 2016. He made the team and qualified for the Olympic finals, finishing in 11th place. It was a solid start, especially for the 23-year-old, but he left with the feeling that he had played it too safe rather than running as if the race was the last of his life.
As she prepared for the world championships the next year, she caught sight of a new quote: “Be fearless in pursuing what sets your soul on fire.”
From that moment on, “fearless” was his mantra. She said she struggled with them when she started the workout, and as she fought the race. He found a temporary tattoo with the word “fearless” at a market in Park City, Utah and slapped it on his wrist.