Inspiring Children
by Eric Everett
At a recent visit to an school in Richmond, Virginia, an Olympic champion gave some children the thrill of their day, and a role model for the future.
As detailed by the Times-Dispatch, LaShawn talked to students at E.D. Redd Elementary, and his impact was obvious.
Not surprisingly, Merritt had the rapt attention of his audience yesterday. He is a low-key, unassuming young man, and he hit the standard notes in his speech -- study hard, have dreams and believe you can achieve them. He had one other point of emphasis.
"I see a lot of young kids who are disrespectful," he said. "That bothers me. That's not going to take you far in life.
"Respect and education will take you a long way in life."
By way of example, school principal Regina Farr noted the way that LaShawn was dressed:
"Students," Farr said, "notice that Mr. Merritt is dressed for success. His shirt is tucked in."
Immediately, two boys sitting in front of the stage began furiously stuffing their shirttails into their pants.
MORE GOLD IN THE FUTURE
LaShawn spoke about his racing plans for the immediate and long-term future as well -- and all of them had him topping medal stands.
"My focus for next year is the world championships in Berlin," he said. "I love Berlin. I win in Berlin a lot.
"But the bigger picture would be London, 2012. I'll only be 26. I'll be at the peak of my career, so I plan to go over and do what I did this time, win two gold medals."
RELATED STORIES
He can talk good game, too (Times-Dispatch, Oct. 15, 2008)
http://www.inrich.com/cva/ric/sports.apx.-content-articles-RTD-2008-10-16-0104.html
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