Athlete Profile

Q: What is one thing you really want to work on in 2025?
A: In 2025, I plan to work very hard on maintaining focus while orienteering.  I am easily distracted by cool things out in the woods.  I can be running along and be like "Ooh look, a pretty flower, I didn't know these grew around here".  This, obviously negatively impacts my orienteering, as I am suddenly distracted.  I plan to work on this, not by starting to ignore the things around me (that would also make my orienteering worse), but by storing them away for later, and reminding myself that I am running a race, not just out for a wander in the forest.
Q: What aspect of orienteering keep you interested and motivated to stay involved, train, and compete?
A: I find orienteering fascinating because it is not a purely physical sport.  Many sports are just tests of fitness or endurance, but orienteering requires a much stronger mental game.  And it's not just picking the objectively shortest route, everybody's fastest route is a little bit different from everyone else's.  This keeps orienteering interesting, and one can also learn a lot about how someone thinks, by analyzing their route choices.  Orienteering requires incredible physical fitness, but also a remarkable amount of mental fitness, which is why I am an orienteer.