Fort Jackson Leader
AIT Soldier aims to turn Army Green into Olympic Gold
Spc. Brian Olsen has an embarrassing story from Basic Combat Training. When it came time to qualify with his M-16 rifle, he did not pass the first time around.
“My safety glasses had a scratch that threw my sighting off,” Olsen explained. “It was embarrassing not being a first-time qualifier.”
What makes that performance something Olsen would like to forget is that he was a member of the 2006 U.S. Olympic Biathlon Team — a sport that combines cross-country skiing with rifle marksmanship.
“They razzed me when I got back to the biathlon program,” he said.
Olsen is currently assigned to Company E, 369th Adjutant Battalion. He is attending Advanced Individual Training on a split-option to become a human resources specialist. He joined the Minnesota National Guard in 2007 to continue the pursuit of his Olympic dream.
“After returning home from the Olympics, I realized I had to make a decision.Would I be satisfied with having become an Olympian and move on to something else in my life, or would I keep going after the highest level and continue training?”
In the Olympics, Olsen competed in some of the qualifying races but did not qualify for the medal events. He watched and cheered from the sidelines as his teammates earned a record-high ninth place for the United States in the relay.
“There are three options to being a biathlete in the U.S.,” Olsen explained. “One, you’re rich and don’t need to worry about money. Two, you find sponsors to pay for the tens of thousands of dollars it takes to live, train and travel. Three, you join the National Guard and become part of the biathlon program.”
After doing some research, and taking time to think about his options, in January 2007, Olsen joined the National Guard and the National Guard Bureau Biathlon Program.
Several of Olsen’s Olympic teammates were already members of the military and the Army’s World Class Athlete Program(WCAP). The WCAP provides Soldier-athletes the support and training to compete and succeed in national and international competitions to include the Olympic Games, while maintaining a professional military career.
“Most of the Soldiers who come out of the program are top-notch Soldiers,” Olsen said. “Some of my teammates from 2006 went into Special Forces and deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo.”
Sgt. 1st Class Paul McCants, Olsen’s platoon sergeant, sees Olsen following in his teammates’ tracks and becoming a top-notch Soldier, as well.
“He’s a Soldier who exceeds the Army standards; this includes being a gentleman,”McCants said. “Olsen has leadership traits that are light years beyond his peers. This Soldier has no fear of taking on challenges, especially when dealing with his peers and other tasks.”
Olsen said he has been able to take some of what he has learned as an athlete and apply it to his life as a Soldier, and vice versa.
“Just by cheering on my team-mates in 2006, I felt a part of their success,” he said. “I’ve taken that and brought it here with me. I tell my fellow Soldiers, ‘If you believe in your team, you feel a part of whatever they accomplish.’”
McCants said it is that type of leadership that shows the impact Olsen has on his fellow Soldiers.
“At times, I forget that he is a Soldier in training because of his ability to communicate with his peers and superiors,” McCants said. “I’ve seen him defuse confrontations within this company that sometimes take place between battle buddies. I didn’t need to interject, because Olsen has the ability to say the right thing at the right time to get his battle buddies to do what he knows must be done.”
Olsen, 24, has his sights set on the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, Canada. In a sport where the peak age for athletes in 32, Olsen is counting on what he learns in uniform to take him to the medal stand.
“Seeing battle buddies push themselves beyond what they thought they were capable of inspires me when I am training for the biathlon. It makes me push myself that much harder," Olsen said. “The cadre has helped me with motivation as well. When I’m alone on the ski trails I can hear them in my mind when I train.
“That motivation along with the discipline inspired by the Soldier’s Creed, especially the lines, “I am an American Soldier, I will never quit,” require a type of discipline that complements the discipline I need as an athlete.”
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