Matt Miller wasn’t the best on his High School Team, He didn’t get recruited to college.
Yeah, So what.
By January 2014 he’d made the U.S. national team. And in 2016, he was competing on the global stage for the U.S. Rowing team in the Rio Olympics.
So how did the Virginia native, and West Springfield High School graduate, make it to the pinnacle of the sport? There were the 3 grueling practices a day, and the obsessive detail to what he ate and how much he slept. But there was so much more. DC Sports Connection caught up with Miller to get his reflections on the process.
Here’s How He Works
“I’ve seen hard work pays off, pure and simple. And it has to be fun. I didn’t start to sniff the elite levels of
the sport until my senior year in college. A lot of people would have given up by then because it’s hard.
“I see so often in sports, young and old, people have these huge goals. But it can be easy to lose perspective. And all of a sudden you aren’t achieving what you think you should, and you burn out.
“When your life is all about the sport and you define yourself by how you are doing in that sport, it very quickly stops being fun.”
…The Importance of thinking small
“I’ve always set small goals. Everything from making my high school team, to certain times to Achieving something big always starts with small steps. I tell people to focus on the small wins. If you put together a string of small victories it gives you sense of accomplishment as you move along, and it adds up to something bigger.
“Small achievable goals that are within reach are essential. It’s hard to go all out day in and day out when you aren’t recognizing any achievement along the way. It just doesn’t happen. If there are steps along the way
“I worked pretty hard to set an example for hard work on the team was working pretty hard to set an example for hard work on the team and trying to see where it could take me. Trying to make the under 23 national team.
…On Natural Ability
“Sure, natural ability matters. Being a naturally superb athlete doesn’t hurt. But it isn’t the only thing that matters. In a place like the Olympics, everyone is a great athlete. Everyone. Even in college and high school, you have tons of great athletes. But what separates them is something deeper.
“It’s cliché, but at the end of the day often what separates good from great is the person who wants it more, and is willing to put in the work that it takes to be great, every day. It’s an easy thing to say, but not an easy thing to do.
“In rowing, like any endurance sport training your body to be more efficient is one of the most important and overlooked aspects of the sport. But getting your lungs and muscles to be more efficient is essential.”
…Life After the Olympics
“There is nothing like the Olympics. I got off the plan after Rio, and no one cares anymore. All of a sudden it’s gone. It’s a rough transition, and a lot of athletes really suffer when they come out of that spotlight. That’s why it’s important to keep everything in perspective. Sports is not everything. Spending time with family, giving back, contributing to the world. That stuff is always more important.”
