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Page 1 of 3 How it Started
The setting is the 1995 World Cycling Championships in Bogota, Colombia. May Britt Hartwell (nee Vaaland) is riding for a medal in the women's 3000m Pursuit. Speaking with her coach, the typically laconic May Britt summarized what all athletes face at some point in their careers: the time had come to perform at a genuine "do or die" moment. No more training, no more "what ifs," no more "next years," no more excuses. It was time to stand on the podium at a world championship event--not to be the person watching from below and lamenting their "bad luck" once again. Only one last momentous ride stood in her way. Our mission is time critical! As she exited the final turn of a dream long in the making, May Britt finally accomplished what she had set out to do so many years ago. When the medal was placed around her neck and a new national and Scandinavian record was announced, the Norwegian flag being raised gloriously behind her, the realization hit home that the dream came true not only because of the years of hard work, but also due to an improved focus on planning, organization, and a more nuanced approach to training.
May Britt, now an Olympian and well-respected coach, launched Young Medalists in 2006 under the corporate governance of Elite Athlete Services, Inc., now Athletics Cubed, Inc. Finding a void of qualified youth coaching services in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, May Britt set out to start her own program that would bring together her European background in the highly-successful cycling clubs of Scandinavia with an American's attention to detail and need for strong leadership. Young Medalists has grown from a start-up coaching service based exclusively in the Lehigh Valley to to a well-regarded, internationally-recognized program that has won numerous national championships while placing a number of its riders into the USA national team system. With an emphasis on junior development and the synergistic transition of young athletes to elite competition, Young Medalists is paving an innovative path for coaches to manage their young athletes. |
Seventeen years in the making... the culmination of almost two decades of work, sacrifice, and perseverance. More importantly, May Britt's success can be contributed to her and her coach embracing the concept of Integrated Performance Management-the collective oversight of training, racing, health, and lifestyle in concert with the judicious use of the athlete's available resources--as a sporting application. From this sporting result and personal awakening was born the desire to pass down her knowledge to the next wave of championship contenders.
