Always Forward

When I was asked what I wanted engraved on my Olympic Team ring, I wanted those few permanent words to be meaningful. Whatever phrase I decided upon would need to signify what was the greatest challenge and triumph of my young life. It took me six months to finally decide.

Just a few words can be a powerful force. In the past, my motto was Pursue the limits. That focused me upon improving and becoming the best athlete and person I could become, on breaking my personal barriers, rather than being mired in competing with others. At some point, I realized that pursuing the limits was a bit too limitless and never-ending. Daunting, like a treadmill you can’t get off.

In the end, I chose to have Alltid Frem engraved on my ring.

It’s Norwegian for Always Forward, the name I’ve chosen for my site, too. There is a small back story to the motto.

My father and I have always been fascinated with the Arctic and Antarctica. My heroes have been Fridtjof Nansen and Roald Amundsen, Norwegians who discovered new expanses in these areas by ship and on sledge. Both explorers used the ship Fram, what is considered the strongest wooden sailing vessel ever built. Family legend has it that my great-grandfather worked on the ship as it was being built in Norway in the late nineteenth century.

Fram means forward. To explorers, it means to continue into the unknown despite obstacles. To me, it also represents that history only goes forward. The past serves only memories and regrets. Focusing on past success leads to complacency. While we can learn from the past, we can only change our futures.