Goals on Ice and in the Field - by Curt Tomasevicz

Like almost every athlete, professional or amateur, I have come to understand the importance of goal setting. This is a lesson that we are taught at a young age. Usually in elementary school we are emerged in a reading program that requires us to read a certain number of books in a month or specific number of pages in a semester. We learn that, step by step, we can accomplish some pretty big tasks.

As an athlete, it’s vital to set long term goals. This gives us a point in our future for which to aim. We need that specific target to keep motivation. If we don’t have that point in our future, then we are just wondering around and going through life aimlessly and that is a good way to get lost in life. In order to reach those long term goals, we must first develop short term goals and create a series of goals to build for that long term desire. As an Olympic bobsledder, my long term goal, as it was for the year 2010, is to win a gold medal in 2014 in Sochi, Russia. But I can’t just make it happen at the Olympics. I need a series of goals to get to that point.

Just over a week ago, my team and I were able to meet a huge stepping stone goal on our way to winning another Olympic gold medal. Every year in our bobsled season races, the culmination is the World Championships. For the third time in four years, the Night Train was able to end the season with the title “World Champions”. We won the 4-man race on February 26 on our home track in Lake Placid, NY. This was a huge sign to the rest of the world that we don’t mind having the target on our back. We like the pressure and the continued high expectations to win and be successful. So bring on Sochi and the expectations of a repeat win.

This attitude can be applied to anything life, not just athletics. In everything we do, we have to set reasonable and meaningful goals. Sometimes people write their goals down and keep them somewhere so they can be reminded of their goals daily. Maybe it’s about weight loss. I could be about building relationships. Perhaps goals include saving money day by day.

Or maybe, as a farmer, your goal is sustained high yields and a sizeable profit without breaking your back and exhausting yourself so you can also enjoy other areas of life. What are the short term steps necessary to make that long term goal a reality? What do have to do to put yourself in a position to have a great harvest? Plan ahead and think about potential obstacles that you may encounter throughout the planting, irrigation, and harvest seasons. Make sure you can measure your progress so you know that you are on pace to be successful.

Goal setting is the key to finding success in anything you do, from the bobsled track to the corn field. Work hard with a distinct and specific plan and you’ll be able to reach that long term gold medal.

The 2012 World Champions. Team Night Train. L to R Steve Holcomb, Steve Langton, Curt Tomasevicz, Justin Olsen.