People often assume that athletes are naturally gifted and they do not have to work as hard as others to be the best. However, that is anything but the truth.
The greatest athletes have one thing in common, and that is having dedication and passion for something. Having these two traits is what makes an athlete stand out. No matter how good you are or what your time is, it shows that you have potential because you are willing to push through every challenge that comes your way, if it means reaching your goals.
“If you know why you do your sport, that passion will drive you further than any future trophy ever could — and you’ll find much more happiness along the way,” TuHs alum Cate Phipps Louis said.
Phipps Louis recently graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) and is a TuHs alum. She majored in Exercise and Wellness, and ran Division 1 track and field at BYU. Her transition from high school to college was not an easy one, though not for the reasons you would assume. Phipps Louis got a scholarship for having good grades in high school and needed to maintain straight As to keep her scholarship at BYU, which was very challenging.
“While practicing 20+ hours every week, I couldn’t work a job to help pay for school, so that scholarship was important. Balancing all of this felt impossible when I also wanted to go out with friends and enjoy my college experience. I ended up losing a ton of sleep, and over time, my athletic performance and grades both suffered — I didn’t get straight As and all of my times were half a second slower than I ran in high school. It is a miracle they didn’t cut me from the team,” she said.
Being on a team and competing with the best of the best, can be discouraging and difficult at times. But athletes say remembering why you are doing something can give you more confidence and motivation to keep pushing through.
“After a challenging freshman year that left me with a lot of self-doubt, my sophomore year, I prioritized sleep and just put my head down to keep working hard,” Phipps Louis said.
With all her hard work and dedication, Phipps Louis earned the title of ninth all-time best at BYU in 60m with a time of 7.55 seconds.
Phipps Louis is the definition of how hard work gets you where you want to go. Despite the challenges and roadblocks, Phipps Louis’s story shows that no matter how difficult something may be, it can always have the positive outcome you are hoping for if you have a passion for what you are doing.
