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Untitled Document
Frank Shorter (Yale '69) won the gold medal for the marathon at
the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. The only Ivy gold medal winner in
1972, Shorter's performance came during an Olympics marred by tragedy
when 11 Israeli athletes were killed by Arab militants. Shorter would
persevere to win the gold medal -- and would soon realize that his
life would never be the same. He graced the cover of Sports Illustrated three times and he wasn't finished with the Olympic
Games, as he would return to win a silver medal in Montreal
in 1976. Since then, Shorter has remained very active. He has been a
color commentator for many Olympic games and is running a successful
sportswear company -- Frank
Shorter Sports. Armed with a law degree which he earned
after graduating from Yale, Shorter has also tackled Washington, D.C.
-- serving as chairman of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Through this
capacity, Shorter has met countless politicians. In August of 2003 we caught
up with him by e-mail, and discussed his days at Yale, his gold
medal, and what he has been up to since. Here is what he had to
say:
Q: What is your fondest memory
of Yale track?
A: Running the two-mile at
indoor track meets in Cox Cage. I can still smell the wet cinders and
feel the closeness of the spectators.
Q: How did the Ivy League
experience, in academics and athletics, help you later in
life?
A: The ways are innumerable, but,
off the top of my head I would have to say in the area of realistic
goal setting. There was a certain reality about competing at a very
high level in both academics and athletics. It started at the
beginning of my freshman year when I realized I was actually going to
be at Yale for four years. Over this time I realized that significant
goals are attainable.
Q: Can you describe what was
going through your mind when standing on the podium and hearing the
national anthem after your gold medal victory in '72?
A: I was truly proud to be
representing the United States. I always had the feeling that the
rest of the World's distance runners viewed Americans as soft and
unwilling or unable to 'endure.' The reality that I was actually
there also dawned on me.
Q: When did you begin to fully
comprehend how momentous your achivement was?
A: I dont think I understand it
yet, but, that makes sense because I trained and competed to see how
good I could get. There was never a grand business plan to capitalize
on the achievement and use it to implement social change. Things just
happened.
Q: How did Yale recognize your
gold medal victory at the 1972 games?
A: I participated in a symposium
as a Kiputh Fellow in 1982 and returned for the dedication of a
rejuvenated Payne Whitney Gymnasium in 2001.
Q: What Yale teammates do you
still keep in touch with?
A: Dr. Kenneth Davis, my
three-year roommate, is now Chairman of the Psychiatry Department at
the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. Larry Kreider, Steve Bittner, and
Mark Young from the Yale track team. Larry is a CFO in Denver, Steve
a psychiatrist in Branford, Conn., and Mark is the women's track and
cross country coach at Yale.
Q: How were you affected by
the deaths of the Israeli athletes at the 1972 games, on only the
eleventh day of competition?
A: At first we (the athletes with
whom I was rooming) thought it would be better to just go home:
nothing is more important than a human life. After the memorial
service we all began to realize that we had to go on and compete,
because, otherwise the terrorists would 'win.' I realized then how
political the Olympic Games could really be. It was my introduction
to the fact that terrorism does indeed exist to kill others
discriminantly. This sober reality has been with me ever since.
Q: What made you want to
compete in the 1976 Montreal Games? Did you have any down time
between the two?
A: I had no down time. I was in
the process of completing law school and studying for the bar exam in
Colorado and athletics and academics had always gone together for me.
I wanted to see if I could win again and I was still improving so I
was just looking to see where my running career might "level
off."
Q: You have served as chairman
of the United States Anti-Doping Agency. What has made you so
outspoken about this cause?
A: I have always believed in the
idea of a level playing field in all areas of life. It was also an
area in which I could stay active for my sport and, at the same time
compete with those who choose to cheat.
Q: You have encountered many
politicians to promote this cause. Do you find that they are more
receptive to you as you were in the Olympics and quite
successful?
A: I think my athletic and
academic credentials give me credibility. However, I view both as
ways to get me introduced easily. Adter that, it's up to me to make
sense and be persuasive. One satisfying part of my experience in
Washington has been to discover that there are politicians who will
do things because they know it is right and care about the plosive
impact their legislation will have on others.
Q: Since graduating from Yale,
you have put on many hats -- including color commentating for the
Olympics, starting your own sportswear line (Frank Shorter Sports),
and working with the US Anti-Doping Agency. Is there anything you
prefer doing, or would you rather do them all?
A: I enjoy my life and the fact
that I created a rather personal and individual way to both earn a
living and (I hope) make life just a little bit better for
others.
Q: Is there anything that has
happened in your life since 1972 that tops the thrill of winning a
gold medal? Do you think there will be anything like that in your
life, ever?
A: I realize how lucky I was to
have had the experience, but, Bob "Gieg" Giegengack, my Yale coach,
had also prepared me. We happened to meet on the bus back to the
Olympic Village after the 1972 marathon medal ceremony. It was
totally by chance. I had not seen him in two years. He said to me,
simply, "Your life will never be the same." He was right, but, I have
always tried to remember that one can go on from major
accomplishments and still do more with one's life. After all, long
term goals and the satisfaction of achieving them are very personal,
at least they are to me.
Q: What would you say to a
student-athlete who is debating whether or not to attend an Ivy
League school?
A: Go where you feel you have the
best overall educational experience. You can be an athlete pretty
much anywhere.
Thanks for catching up with us Frank! Be sure to visit Frank's
website at www.runfrankshorter.com.
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