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| Caitlin stretches before her daily run |
Caitlin also rides three times a week and is learning how to fence, all in preparation for the modern pentathlon, a five-sport event of the Summer Olympics, which will next be held in London in 2012.
For the fifth element, shooting an air pistol, Caitlin sits in class with her right arm extended, holding a textbook, so her arm will be steady when it comes time to take aim.
"It's the only sport specifically created for the Olympics," she said of the modern pentathlon. "It's supposed to represent the complete athlete."
Caitlin spent winter break training in Denver where Olympic officials "saw something they liked," she says. After she graduates from Lynchburg College in May, Caitlin will head back to Colorado to train in hopes of getting her swimming and running times down adequately to qualify to move into the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.
If motivation is what it takes to make it to the Olympics, Caitlin should be in good shape. She will have completed her studies at LC in only three years and to date has a 3.9 average. Somehow, she also finds time to be assistant hall director for three residence halls: McWane, Shackelford, and Freer.
"When I first decided to try this, I thought people would laugh at me, but at LC, the only thing I've heard is: ‘We believe in you,' and there's nothing more motivational than your own cheering section," Caitlin said.
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| Off to log some more miles |
Caitlin decided to tackle the pentathlon last summer while watching the Olympic Games in Beijing. An English major, she also said the Olympics helped her answer the question of what comes next. "I didn't know what I wanted to do with the rest of my life," she said.
A co-captain of the LC riding team, Caitlin has been on horseback since age 4 and the equestrian event is the one she feels most comfortable with. But, she says, fencing is fascinating. She travels to other nearby schools for fencing classes.
Most pentathletes are strong swimmers, she said, so that's an area she needs to focus on for now.
The upside of all this effort is that it requires about 3,200 calories a day. "I eat what I want," she says with a smile.
Caitlin is not the only member of the LC community with Olympic aspirations. Ashley Palmer '05, a graduate student, her fiance Doug Thomasey '05, an instructor in mathematics, along with Kyle Steiner, an assistant track coach and graduate student, are also training for the London games.
For more on Caitlin's training plan post-graduation, here's a window into her Colorado destination - www.usoc.org