I can't believe as I count back, this will begin my second decade as a decathlete. Decade. Like 10 years...
Before this season starts, however, before everything gets too carried away, I have a lot of people to thank for the last ten years of my life. Between my first two years being exposed to the multi events in high school, 5 years at UC Davis, and the last 3 years post-collegiately, there is no way I could mention everyone that has influenced me, but I'd like to at least mention some of those that have enabled me to get to where I am today.
First, foremost, and above all I have been blessed with an incredible family. My first coaches, forever my fans and support crew. No matter what sport I picked up it was they that took me from wrestling practice to baseball, then to soccer or whichever the season held in store. It was they that kept me out of practice if my homework wasn't done, it was they who held me up the first time I got cut from a team (...and the last time). My dad taught me to run, to jump, to always find a way to get things done - and to enjoy it in the process. I'm not sure there are many moms out there that could take their sons to the park to learn the javelin, to throw the shot and disc, hell, my mom even taught me olympic lifting. Even moreso, my mom taught me how to stick me head down and work hard, about determination, and how to keep a level head. From wiffle ball homerun derby over the telephone wires, to hockey in the driveway, to that water-polo game in the pool, to Chisam v. Chisam throwing competitions at UCD, always my teammate, always my competitor, always my brother, Chris taught me about pride. I couldn't have asked for more in a family and everyday they seem to become more supportive...but I guess it is at least half their fault I grew up to be a track bum.
Then, of course, there's those other parents of mine: My coaches. In high school there was our head coach, Dave Frank who helped teach me the joy of Track and Field, my hurdle coaches, Dan Quinn who was as much an inspiration in the classroom as out, and Carl Florant who would come to the track after a full day of work to teach us the finer points of hurdling. Then of course when you have the opportunity to learn from Tom Tuite, on the of finest pole vault gurus you will find anywhere, and Jason Hinkin, one of the biggest and yet brightest nuts you will ever meet, I got a hell of an inclusive experience. To round it out, Jeff Myers coached my first love, the high jump. It wasn't until I started taking recruiting trips and competing on a collegiate level did I realize how incredibly gifted my high school coaches were on a technical level, but it was well before this that I realized how amazing my high school coaches were as people. Sure Carl taught me the importance of being relaxed while I run and coach Myers taught me how to arch over a bar, but so much more than the technical lessons it was the lessons in between the intervals, in between the jumps, and outside of practice from each of these great coaches, great teachers, that I truly learned to become the athlete and person I am today. And those were just my track coaches. Mr. Kemp, Coach Filios, Mr. Smith, Coach Adams, Coach Ivers and so many more. I bring a small part of everyone of these people with me every day I get out of bed. Thank you.
Then at Davis and continuing after, I've met the second half of my family in those that were there with me on the track, in the hills and the weightroom day after day. From training partners like Ben Forbes and Caroline Sheldon, mentors like Tony and Grady, teammates like Josh, Kajari, Lil Matt, John-boy, Ryan, and Azzy. Furthermore the likes of Kyle Auclair and Ian (Glory-boy) Kenworthy, my jump and hurdle partners at Saint Francis High School as well as at UC Davis, and teammate turned roommate turned coach Byron Talley, helped blur the lines even greater between track and life.
Of course, post-collegiately, track becomes a very different monster. Even more so the reason you go the bed at night at the reason you wake in the morning takes on greater focus, the line between coach and friend, training partner and family becomes much less distinct as I began to see more of them than my roommates, parents, or brother. Chris Huffins, Ed Miller, and very much Phil McMullen, and training partners Bruce and Mark at UC Berkeley introduced me to this world and it was there that track turned from simply something I was good at to something I needed, something I loved.
Leaving the familiarity and comfort of all that I knew in California was a huge decision for me, but with the support of Will Thomas and his now wife Francoise, I knew that at least I was doing so with great friends and another new part of my family. Since here in Boston the Team Chisam roster has only strengthened in size of incredible people willing to give up significant chunks of their lives to help me pursue my goals. I can't thank my coach, Brenner Abbott, enough. One day I just kind of showed up in Will's backseat and he has been so much more than incredibly giving of his time an energies in putting up with my high maintenance attempts at figuring out this whole Decathlon thing. Hell, his couch was my home the first two weeks here and even still I probably take a lot more room on that couch (and the dinner table) than he and Kyra bargained for.
Even further, the coaches here at Harvard have done nothing but give of their time and their minds to me and I am eternally grateful. Coach P (Dan Perlmutter), the weight room mastermind continues to push me (and put up with me) with incredible workouts (see: "The Beast"), Jason Saretsky, has been incredibly accepting of my crazy hours and competition schedule, and Karen Tolzcyk's words as well as her hands strengthen me each month. Coach Gee (also one of my bosses who even more directly has to put up with the burden of my training schedule) is the finest long jump coach I have even seen and someday may even crack the age-old code of my long jump disfunctions, and Coach Erickson who has opened up to me her throws practices and has even passed along some of her super-secret javelin workouts.
Of course, there is no way I can give thanks without mentioning Amory Rowe, David Salem, and In The Arena. Without them there is no way I could have made it this far.
It was through my time with these people - be it long out and back runs with Ben, early morning lifts with Caroline, taking a ride on the Pain Train with Josh, laughing with Bruce and Huff as Will dry heaves at the bottom at Campanile Hill, buses, vans, planes, Chico Multis where I learned to be a decathlete, Dallas multis where I learned to be a professional, and Eugene with both my blood family and track family both in the stands and in the blocks next to me that I learned who I am as an athlete, who I am as a person.
It was through my time with these people - be it long out and back runs with Ben, early morning lifts with Caroline, taking a ride on the Pain Train with Josh, laughing with Bruce and Huff as Will dry heaves at the bottom at Campanile Hill, buses, vans, planes, Chico Multis where I learned to be a decathlete, Dallas multis where I learned to be a professional, and Eugene with both my blood family and track family both in the stands and in the blocks next to me that I learned who I am as an athlete, who I am as a person.
Notice a theme here? As a decathlete you have a chance to learn many things - yes this includes silly things like how to throw a javelin or huck yourself over a bar using a fiberglass pole, but more importantly, in pursuing these ten events you learn a hell of a lot about yourself thanks only to the people around you.
In the decathlon only one athlete competes throughout the ten events, but there's 1,000 people that helped him get there.
I'm sorry for the long post, but it was important to me before this season starts to give thanks to all of you (and the many many more I didn't mention) before yet another season starts.
Thank you all,
matt
