Olympic gold medalist Anna Goodale urges Camden Hills graduates to dream big, work hard

Sun, 06/12/2016 - 11:45am

    ROCKPORT — The Class of 2016 graduation ceremony June 10 at Camden Hills Regional High School marked Principal Dr. Nick Ithomitis' last day at the school. He said nothing about the significance to himself of the evening, instead letting the students bask in the spotlight that comes with the hard work, dedication and focus of earning a diploma, and ultimately walking across a stage before family and friends to accept it.

    During his welcome, Ithomitis began by reading a handful of anonymous personal notes that parents had written to their sons and daughters during the senior class breakfast that morning.

    One note was written by Seth Silverton to his daughter, Emma. "I am changing all the pre-set radio stations in the car. I hope you'll understand. Love, Dad."

    Senior Class President Tristan Michael Fong gave the opening remarks, followed by Class Salutatorian Harper Gordon and Class Valedictorian Alicia Lam. Senior Class Vice President Patrick Beacham delivered the Rite of Passage and Senior Class President Elizabeth Cummons gave the closing remarks.

    In addition to thanking the community for raising them into a solid group of young people ready to make the world a better place, Gordon acknowledged the unique and memorable traits of some of her classmates that makes them all unique and bonds them uniquely as well.

    Following is Gordon’s speech:

    I want to thank my second moms, Michelle Chamberlain, Caroline Winchenbach, Jackie Case-Hall and Terri Ralston, and truly dozens more who have never not contributed to one of my fundraising events, even if that meant they were giving me money on a weekly basis.

    I want to thank all of the community members who have never ceased to send me texts of encouragement when they know I'm working on a project and texts of congratulations, when they know I have succeeded. Your emotional support has been a true blessing in keeping my spirits high all throughout my entire childhood, and I look up to and appreciate every one of you.

    I wanted to give a special thank you to the teachers and mentors who have been so involved in my learning and personal growth. (Names teachers) Mr. Vencile, Mr. Doubleday, Mr. Fitzgerald, Miss Ottmann and to Karen Hansen for everything she's done for me.

    And lastly, I want to thank my mom, for being the strongest and most inspirational woman in my life.

    This community has raised an amazing graduating class. Our class has so many individuals who have brought happiness and warmth into my life who I will truly miss being able to see day to day.

    I'm going to miss Nick Grear singing in the hallway.

    I'm going to miss walking by Frances and Hilary and having them say hi to me at the exact same time.

    I'm already missing homerooms, when Brooke Benson and Emma McGurren and Jordin Sanchez are the best people to see at the very start of the day, because they are always so cheery and have the most beautiful smiles.

    I'm going to miss my advance marine ecology crew, because Brynne Wrona, David Flint and Tom Cox are the kind of intelligent and hilarious people that make you feel smarter and funnier by just being around them.

    I'm going to miss Ben McKenna's quick and witty jokes...

    I'm going to miss running into Is Swanson every once in a great while, and being taken aback by her sweetness and her beauty every time.

    I'm going to miss Eli Smith because he is probably the best listener I have ever met.

    I'm going to miss Jack Gallagher's hugs and the fact that he can make anyone fall in love with his goofy charm.

    I'm going to miss Matt Lawson's charisma, sass and incredible talent for mentalism.

    I'm going to miss Kathryn Snyder's warm smile and her ability to always make me laugh.

    I'm going to miss being in awe with Shawn Albertson's sky high intellect and incredible work ethic.

    I'm going to miss Jonah Cameron's goofy laugh and huge heart.

    I'm going to miss how competitive Nick Rozsahegyi and Julian Abaldo get with Astro Party, and the fact that they never, ever acknowledged when I actually win.

    I'm even going to miss how Caleb Stern can make the entire auditorium laugh with his unmatched lung capacity for screaming at every assembly.

    And I know that there are still 143 of my classmates who all have their own signature trait that our class loves and cherishes that I haven't mentioned yet, but I'm so grateful to have gotten to know all of you for the past 18 years of my life.

    Even though we may all be going our separate ways in life, working, serving our country, traveling, continuing on with school, we will all bring with us these amazing qualities that make us a crucial part of our family here.

    With all of your help, we have all blossomed into people who will change the world by bringing happiness, drive, intelligence, compassion, and integrity to whatever we do and to the people around us.

    Having been raised together by this amazing community here in the Midcoast, we're ready. We're ready to step out into the world, and give back what was given to us bu all of you in the audience today.

    So thank you, for being the teachers, the parents, the mentors and the loved ones who have built this amazing class sitting behind me, because every single of us is going to touch the world in a way that is going to make it a much better place. Thank You.

    In her valedictory speech, Lam looked back on her time at Camden Hills, and she said she thinks of the color red and how it continues to play a strong, positive role in her life. She encouraged her classmates to always remember where they came from, that the school's color is red, which symbolizes hope and prosperity and that it is up to them to take advantage of what life has to offer them.

    Following is Lam's speech:

    When I think about Camden Hills Regional High School, I think of the color red. It's brilliance is eye catching. You can't miss it. These bleachers, our yearbook, our sports uniforms, and even the slips of paper that hold our pictures on the windows in the office are red.

    The American flag is striped also with red.

    I have known red to be the color of fortune and prosperity. When my mother got married, her wedding dress was red, as well as the bed she would be sleeping on.

    When my mother was a young girl, she would be given a hard boiled egg on her birthday and it would be tinted with a red hue.

    This was the only occasion when her family could afford one egg for her to eat.

    For my birthdays, I don't get a red egg. I get small red envelope with money in it. But it is not the money that counts. It is the red envelope with the Chinese symbols on it.

    I've grown up my whole life hearing the phrases "work hard" and "try your best" getting instilled into my childish brain and still, into my adult brain. This is because my parents grew up in the rural outskirts of the Guangdong province of China, where the education system was poor.

    Neither my mom nor my dad went to college. They were born with little chances for a happy and fun childhood, but always being hungry, working in the rice fields and getting harassed by their elders was all they knew.

    When they moved to the United States about 20 years ago, neither of my parents knew any English. This barrier did not stop them from listening to people speak and learning this new language on their own.

    Their lack of education has put them into a position in which they must work every day, nearly 12 hours a day, running a small restaurant to make a living. My mom has shoulder and leg pains, and my father has frequent neck and head aches.

    But they consider themselves luckier than they were before. Maybe the red lanterns, the red carpet and the red counter inside their restaurant has helped them.

    My parents know that I have a chance at an even better life, and you do too.

    You have the opportunity to take advantage of everything that life has to offer.

    So when I came to Camden Hills Regional High School two years ago, I realized that the red that always surrounds us symbolizes everything that my parents and your parents have worked hard for in order to help us live a wonderful and successful life.

    Here in America, and especially in this school, we are offered the chance to have an excellent education, where teachers are enthusiastic about helping students.

    To travel abroad to countries like France, Spain, Japan, and Vietnam. To pursue a passion unrelentingly, whether it is playing an instrument, singing, sports, ice skating or helping in the community. I hope that you remember the color red, as not only the internationally used color for stop, but just as importantly, as the color for go and fortune, as you leave your home and face what the world will offer you.

    I hope you remember that red will always have a place in your heart, because it is one of the colors you have grown up with here. Prosperity and hope has guided your life this far, and may it always stay with you. Thank You.

    Camden Hills Regional High School Class of 2001 graduate Anna Goodale, who went on to Syracuse University and to win Olympic gold in Women's Eight Rowing in 2008 told the graduates, which this year included her younger sister, Adrianna, that they needed to "dream big and work hard."

    She said that grit is not the physical thing we often think of, but rather the mental toughness it takes to take a chance and persevere and work hard and dig deep and stick with it and get back up and keep going.

    She quoted Mary Anne Radmacher:, artist, trainer, writer and author of "Lean Into Your Life," who said, "Courage doesn't always roar... Sometimes it's the quiet voice in the back of your head that says tomorrow I'll try again."

    Following is Goodale's speech:

    Mahatma Gandhi says that strength doesn't come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.

    As an athlete, we are often marked by our physical strength. But I'm not going to stand up here today and talk about what it took physically for me to go to the Olympics. That would be boring. And quite honestly, it's not the important part.

    The important part of my journey and what I've learned, is that our mental capacity and our mind is our strongest attribute. Always.

    Grit is defined as perseverance and passion for long-term goals. In my years training to be an Olympian, it became pretty evident that this single, simple word was responsible for a huge amount of my success.

    It's the ability to work hard. It's the ability to persevere toward a future goal that sometimes seems unattainable. It sounds relatively simple and easy to talk about, right, but the truth is it's not. It's not easy to find what you want to do. It's not easy to find a goal. And it's really not easy to work toward that goal, and overcome the challenges that you have along the way.

    The first thing is that you have to find your passion. These young men and women behind me stand with the world at their fingertips. They can do anything, and the idea that you have narrow that down and decide is challenging.

    After you decide what direction you want to go, you then have to find a goal. And find a reasonable, attainable goal for you to work toward. And then all you have to do is work really hard every day to get there.

    It's not easy. So my advice to you, sitting behind me, is when you are searching for your passion, be true to yourself.

    Try new things.

    And be willing to take risks. Say yes. Even if you don't know where your decision is going to lead, say yes and try it.

    They say that you miss 100 percent of the shots that you don't take. How true that is.

    I know that I can stand in front of you today as an Olympian because I said yes. In 2001, my very first day at Syracuse University, a woman walked up to me and presented me with an opportunity and I said yes. And it put me on this trajectory toward being an Olympian. I didn't know it at the time, but it did.

    I want to take a moment here and talk about fear. The first thing about fear that you need to know is that we all have it. There have been so mnay times in my life when I have been unsure of an outcome, or unwilling to take on something I didn't know that I could do. Leaving home for the first time. Accepting the challenge of testing my physical limits day after day. Or even falling in love.

    Fear, when it presents itself, we ask lots of questions. Can I do this? Is it safe? What happens if I fail?

    It is a really important question to ask yourself, and it's really important to acknowledge your fears. But don't let it stop you from taking chances. There is a great, chance in this life that you will fail at some point. There is an even greater chance, in fact, it's a certainty, that if you don't show up to the starting line, you will not finish the race.

    There is a moment in every decision when fear can take hold and make you stop in your tracks. Or, you can look that fear in the eye, acknowledge it's there and step right over or around it with the belief that you can do what you set out to do and that you will be OK.

    Don't let fear limit you.

    When you try something new, ask yourself, is this my passion? Do I want more? Am I willing to learn and experience everything that this this experience has to offer me? You can go anywhere and do anything. How will you know what to do?

    My advice?

    Try it. Go for it. See what happens. When you find something you are passionate about, run with it. You might have already found that thing that you will have that passion for. Run with it. DREAM BIG.

    Experience all possibilities. There is never a good reason to shrink yourself. Or your dreams. If you can think it, you can make it happen.

    I remember, the first time that the thought of being an Olympian or even just rowing after college, rolled into my dreams. It was the summer of 2002 and I was surrounded by an amazing group of athletes. I was at a camp of the 40 best women in the country, the 40 best women rowers in the country, and it boggled my mind that I belonged with these athletes.

    I was the least experienced and the youngest one there. By the end of the three-week camp, I left knowing that I wanted more. I had found my passion. I had found love of sport.

    I had no idea how I was going to or even if it was possible, but I knew I wanted the chance to race with those amazing athletes again. And my thoughts had turned into a dream. I had found my passion.

    There are always risks that come with big dreams. Sometimes it's a crazy, stupid idea to take a risk on something that may not work out. But that is how greatness is built. By daring to dream and daring the dream big. The greatest things that happen, they happen in life because we do dare to dream, we take a risk and we work for it.

    When you find that thing you are passionate about, go with it. Run with it and be willing to jump into the unknown and follow it.

    When you do find that thing, that thing you are really passionate about, be prepared to work hard. Work really hard. And the thing about hard work, is that it's hard.

    There is nobody that will tell you that being the best is easy. Expect it to be hard. Know that you will be challenged, and know that you will fail. But also know that you can overcome those challenges. It is those challenges, in fact, and it is those failures that we have in life that make us great and make us strong.

    Mohammad Ali said once that the fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines in the gym and out there on the road, way before I dance under those lights.

    In 2008, about six months before the Olympics, I stopped getting faster. Up until that point, I had been easily able to just chip away at my score and get faster and faster and faster. But in January of the Olympic year, my body stopped responding and it wouldn't go when I asked it to.

    There was so much riding on every day, that when this happened, I thought my Olympic dreams were crushed. Unsure of what to do, I went into my coach's office in tears, and asked him. His response, a simple response, was "Keep going." "Keep doing your best, even though the numbers aren't reflecting it."

    I went out of the office with my head held a little bit higher and I did that. I kept pushing through and it worked. It took weeks and weeks of not getting faster, until I started to get faster again. And I got back even faster and ended up making that Olympic team.

    Having passion makes hard work doable. When I look back at the amount of work that it takes to win Olympic gold, it seems kind of crazy to train two or three times a day, six days a week, all year long.

    Back then, it didn't seem crazy. I like to say that you can work really hard at something and when you love what you do, it doesn't feel like hard work. That's where passion comes in, that's where love comes in.

    Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty and go for your dreams.

    A very wise man by the name of Jay Carlson, who was my basketball coach in this very gym, told me once that the game of basketball is 90 percent mental. At that point, while I was riding the bench for most of my basketball career here, I didn't know what he was talking about. I couldn't imagine that it was [my brain] that was the problem and not my hands and feet that were not doing what I wanted.

    But in my years as a rower, and even more so as a coach, I have realized how true that is. Our mind is our greatest limiting factor. So often we think, "This is hard," "This hurts," "I don't think I can do this." Those thoughts are not untrue. But what is also true is that you are capable of withstanding way more than you know. Yes it hurts, but you can handle it. Yes it's hard, but it is worth it. Yes, you can be doing something else, but the satisfaction you get from knowing and overcoming that struggle is priceless.

    You can work harder than you ever thought possible. The first step is to control your mind.

    Simple.

    Think that you can do it. Stick it out. Accept challenges. Possibly fail. Rise again and you WILL amaze yourself. You are smarter than you think. And stronger than you know.

    This is where grit comes in. I don't believe it's a physical thing. It's the mental capacity to see what you want, and go for it. There are so many times in my own training where I could have let those thoughts, "It hurts, this is hard" take over. And I could have given up in those moments. And if I had let those thoughts win, I would have had to let go of my Olympic dreams.

    And I would not have shown up to the starting line with the confidence and power that it took to win. The power of knowing that you can persevere is untouchable. The strength that comes through pushing yourself through a challenge is impenetrable. And the sweetness of success, when you know how hard you have worked, is unbelievable.

    It is not the hardware or the fame I take with me every day since the Olympics. It is the truth that I can accomplish great things because I struggled and pushed through an amazing amount of pain and sacrifice to do something that I 100 percent believed in.

    Life is filled with choices, it is filled with the unknown, it is filled with hard work. Believe in yourself. Believe that you can accomplish amazing tasks when you put your mind to it.

    It is your indomitable will that will get you there.

    See the long term and live in the moment.

    Know what you are working for, but don't forget how you get there, one foot in front of the other, one day at a time, pushing yourself to be better.

    Be true to yourself, and be open to new experiences. Dare to dream and when you do, DREAM BIG. And then be prepared to work really hard for what you want, and what you believe in. And remember that your mind is stronger than you know.

    I want to leave you today with one last quote.

    From Mary Anne Radmacher: "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes it's the quiet voice in the back of your head that says tomorrow I will try again."

    Thank you for letting me share with you today. To my wonderful sister, Adrianna, and the rest of you transitioning into your next adventure, my hope is that you find something that you are passionate about and that you realize the strength that you already possess and that you expand your limits. Enjoy the ride and have an awesome summer.


    Camden Hills Regional High School 2016 Graduates

    Julian David Abaldo
    Matthew David Ackley
    Aidan Kolbe Acosta
    Rebecca Lynn Agnor
    Shawn Thomas Albertson
    Victoria Anderson
    Patrick Conrad Beacham
    Brandon A. Benson
    Brooke-Lynn Autumn Benson
    Kendra Jade Thomas Bergelin
    Savannah Margaret Berryman-Moore
    Matthew Nathan Boegel
    Sarah Elizabeth Ann Booth
    Elissa Ann Bower
    Madelyn Wendi Bowman
    Kienan Gordon Brown
    Isabella I. Ames Bryant
    Lucas W. Burstein
    Jonah Meyer Cameron
    Alexander B. Carver
    Jacob Matthew Chamberlain
    Sam Clark
    Katharine Grace Clossey
    Gage Vincent Robert Corson
    Thomas Allan Cox
    Jakob T. Crabtree
    Kyle David Crans
    Taylor James Crosby
    Elizabeth Ann Cummons
    Nicholas J. Czuchra
    Emily Grace Daggett
    Molly Anne Davee
    Kasandra Jean Davis
    Jackson William Dillon Day
    Cyrus Walker Demmons
    Rhiannon Leigh Demmins
    Nicholas Hansel Denny
    Alissa Celine Eddy
    Davin Michael Egan
    Sarah L. Englander
    Christian G. Fisk
    David Samuel Flint
    Tristan M. Fong
    Alexander Michael Forcillo
    John Cahill Gallagher
    Austin Patrick Gallant
    Elijah Stephenson Gass
    Casey Patrick Gilman
    Kyle T. Glass
    Maria Aurora Raven Goff
    Adrianna Gibson Goodale
    Harper Bitgood Gordon
    Nicholas Bleecker Greer
    Willow W. Grinnell
    Cameron M. Gushee
    Emma Claire Gutheinz
    Emily Eileen Haining
    Kayloni Rose Hall
    Zachary Taylor Hand
    Kai Luca Hart
    Juliana S. Haynes
    Owen Wayne Hebert
    Lydia Ann Hill
    Gunnar Augustus Hilt
    Roslyn Kate Hodgkins
    Maxwell C. Horovitz
    Anne Purrington James
    Stephen B. Jones
    Margaret Ellen Karas
    Caroline Elizabeth Keefe
    Kristen Ann Keiran
    Melissa Jeanne Kessel
    Grace Mary-Marie Kirklian
    Brynn Ashlin Kooyenga
    Katia A. Kordek
    Mirelle Zoe Lafreniere
    Alicia D. Lam
    Aiden R. Lammert
    Nathaniel McCullough Lawson
    Field Hudson Leonard
    Caroline Rosalie Lerner
    Zachary E. LeSiege
    Faith Elizaeth Loy
    Jet Magri
    Abigail M. Matlack
    Chase Wriston Matteo
    Yanmei Katharine McElhaney
    Adeline Margaret McGrath-Sheehan
    Emma Rose McGurren
    Benjamin Roy McKenna
    Bridget Catherine Mellon
    Randy Vogel Mercer
    Hilary Ann Merrifield
    Sarah Barton Mitchell
    Joseph Ryan Moriarty
    Natasha Louise Morong
    John E. Nappa
    Cat Nguyen
    Delia Helen Nichols
    Dalton L. Oakes
    Lizzi Anne Ogle
    Katherine Wright Orne
    Hope Elizabeth Orsmond
    Taylor Anne Peasley
    Alisha Dawn Pendleton
    Frances Isabel Waterman Pendleton
    Jason P. Pierce
    Joshua Dwight Pitcairn
    Gavyn R. Powers
    Grace Alexandra Powers
    Mekdes Olivia Pree
    Matthew Prescott
    Vivian Morgan Priestley
    Jack Cartier Prime
    Emily Rose Gates Quinn
    Christian Daniel Reed
    Joshua P. Reilly
    Benjamin D. Resek
    Conor Anderson Rosberg
    Jordan T. Roubinek
    Jessica B. Roy
    G. Nicholas Rozsahegyi
    Jacqueline Kathleen Russell
    Jordin T. Sanchez
    Gwenyvere Moran Sewall
    Joshua William Shea
    Casey Layne Sheaves
    Abbey Madeline Shields
    Bergland Maria Sigurbjornsdottir
    Emma Brooke Silverton
    Jacob Thomas Smith
    William Elijah Kirkpatrick Smith
    Kathryn Snyder
    Nathan William Soule
    Julian R. Starbird
    Caleb Samuel Linkin Stern
    Sara L. Stine
    Erin Nicole Stratton
    Adam Chandler Surek
    Isabel Romana Swanson
    Kendall Rose Szumilas
    Nicholas Pala Tassoni
    Amanda Parreira Teixeira
    Mathew Leo Thibodeau
    Larry Lee Toler III
    Jack Richland Uhll
    Edward Austin Unda
    Zachary Michael Raye Urquhart
    Katherine Jeanne Vannorsdall
    Richard Snow Vokey
    Tayler R. Walters
    Sara Anne Wandell
    Jenna Ree Wells
    Amanda L. Williams
    Benjamin Clayton Winchenbach
    Kyle Stephen Winchenbach
    Alexander Stephen Winn
    Keeli Shae Wood
    Gavin I. Worden
    Brynne Marguerite Wrona
    Matthew C. Young


    Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 207-706-6655.