BY SCOTT HUNTER HADDOW
Lockerby Composite students got a motivational lift on Tuesday when National Esteem Team and Canadian National Team beach volleyball player Kara Zakrzewski stopped in to give an inspiring speech about setting and achieving goals.
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Kara Zakrzewski was cut three times before making Canada?s women?s volleyball squad. She wants to play for Team Canada in beach volleyball at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. |
The Esteem Team is a national not-for-profit organization with one goal ? using high profile athletes to inspire and educate youth to reach their full potential.
Zakrzewski had one main message for the students.
?Success is more attitude than aptitude,? said Zakrzewski. ?The biggest factor that has made a difference in my career as a volleyball player, as well as my academic career, is my attitude. I found the better attitude I had, the better I was able to persevere and do better in the end.?
Zakrzewski knows all about reaching full potential by using a positive attitude.
She was cut three times from the national team before she made it.
?It was one of my biggest sports challenges,? said Zakrzewski. ?Physically being cut three times in a row made a
big impact on my outlook towards the sport, but I loved it so much that being cut became my motivation in the end to make the team.
?It was my attitude, more than anything else, that finally got me on that team.?
Zakrzewski has been doing motivational speaking engagements for two years and is proud she can reach students in this way.
?I was fortunate enough to have a lot of great role models in my life,? said Zakrzewski. ?I am just hoping that one person in every crowd I talk to takes something positive out of this experience and maybe I am able to inspire them just like how other people have inspired me.?
Zakrzewski was born in Etobicoke in 1979.
She was a standout volleyball player for the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees, where she was an Ontario all-star for four years and was named an Academic All-Canadian for five consecutive years.
In 2001, Zakrzewski was awarded the University of Ottawa Athlete of the Year, selected to the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) All-Canadian Team before reaching her ultimate goal by making the Canadian national team.
Zakrzewski made the move to beach volleyball in 2002. She is currently working towards earning a spot in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Zakrzewski left a big impression on several Lockerby students.
Sarah St. Georges, 15, a volleyball player, took some great advice from the talk.
?I need to set a goal,? said St. Georges. ?One of those goals is to make the national team. Kara inspired me with her personal stories. She told us don?t be afraid of who we are.?
Jenn McDonald, 15, says she will now work harder in her sports endeavours.
?She told us to never give up and set smart goals,? said McDonald.
Krystin Kainola, 15, walked away from the talk with valuable knowledge.
?Kara was really energetic and talked about setting small goals to achieve bigger goals.?
Karen Augenstein, physical education program leader at Lockerby, knew having Zakrzewski visit the school would be a positive experience for her students.
?This was an excellent opportunity for the students to speak to someone who has set goals and achieved them,? said Augenstein. ?We hope Kara?s motivational speech will encourage students to go after their goals.?
Zakrzewski talked to about 300 students from Grades 9 to 12.
