"You can be anything you want to be" - Olympian Kristen Armstrong

"I love Tahoe," Olympic Gold medalist Kristen Armstrong said as she greeted South Tahoe Middle School (STMS) students on Wednesday. "You're lucky to have the mountains and the lake."

Armstrong, a four-time Olympian and three-time gold medalist stopped by two South Lake Tahoe schools (South Tahoe Middle School and Sierra House Elementary) to meet with students and deliver a message.

"You can be anything you want to be," said Armstrong. "In second grade I wanted to be an Olympic swimmer with my name on my swim cap. I never had one coach tell me I was amazing nor did I get a scholarship to play sports. I was okay."

"Grit, focus, strong determination and character are what make you successful," Armstrong told a physical education class at South Tahoe Middle School.

She asked them what it takes to be successful and the students responded with such words as practice, hard work, determination, believe in yourself, a don't give up attitude and commitment. They told her success is when one loves something and enjoys doing it.

"How you act when you're in a room by yourself is character," Armstrong said. "Character led me to three Olympic medals."

Armstrong told the students that she wasn't the 4.0 student or the best at a sport, but she credits character with her success.

"On the softball field I was put in the outfield where those who couldn't play were and I told my mom I wanted to quit," said Kristen. "She told me that you go on no matter what and you'd on't quit."

Twenty years later she says she still hears her mom's voice in her ear when racing, "Don't quit."

"You learn to win by learning to lose," Armstrong told the students. "You are born with a gift, the gift to believe. Don't let anyone take it away. You believe in yourself and people will believe in you."

"I never do anything alone," said Armstrong. "Surround yourself with people who believe in you, no matter what, don't give up on your goal. Never give up."

A room full of middle-schoolers may be tough to keep quiet at times, but the room full of students listened to Armstrong's every word.

"A strong character has taken me to success. Forming one is a challenge," said Kirsten. "There are many setbacks, and many celebrations but they all make you strong."

She told them of the Rio de Janiero Olympics where she woke up and it was raining on the day of her race. Rain can be a scary element when on a bike and Kristen said she had to keep her mind positive. "The day you show up for a race, or a play, or ballgame, or whatever you're doing, you bring your knowledge and skills. Bring a positive attitude and nobody can beat you."

Armstrong took time off of competitive cycling to have her son Lucas (in 2010). Her goal in the 2012 Olympics in London was to have him on the podium next to her. When he ran to her as she stood on the podium after earning gold was "a moment in time nobody could take away."

Armstrong, who road in Amgen last year in South Lake Tahoe is now coaching the next generation of champion cyclists. She said that there are a lot more full-ride college scholarships for female cyclists, something she encourages young women to do since most women don't peak in cycling until their 20s and 30s. Going to college builds not only an education, but it creates a mature and developed athlete according to Armstrong.

She was a junior Olympian in swimming, a walk-on for track at the University of Idaho, and then became a triathlete. Armstrong was diagnosed with osteoarthritis in both hips in 2001 at age 27, and told that she could no longer run at an elite level, thus ending her triathlon career and leading her to focus exclusively on cycling.

"Never give up."

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