The 2000 Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner is back!  Eight years after ceremonially leaving his shoes on the mat at the 2004 Olympic games, symbolizing his retirement from the sport, Rulon is ready to compete in the 2012 US Olympic Wrestling Trials.  

When asked, following his 2000 Olympic Gold Medal performance “How could you just walk in and win the Olympics?”  Rulon responded, “Because I had people who believed in me. Maybe I wasn't always success and maybe I always didn’t win every match. But you know what? Even in failure, I learned from my experiences. And you probably learn more from your failures than you do from your successes.”  

In the latest Responsible Sports podcast, Gardner explains how a “can do” attitude forged on his family farm and encouraged by teachers and coaches, helped him to achieve his personal best in sports and in life.  It is his strong personal belief in self that lead him from humble beginnings to the Gold Medal podium and back on to the mat today.  

Listen To Rulon Gardner

This podcast and many more like it are available to parents and coaches through ResponsibleSports.com, along with other helpful resources that include Weekly Coaching or Parenting Tips, Ask the Expert and much more. 

The Liberty Mutual Responsible SportsTM program supports volunteer youth sports coaches and parents who help our children succeed both on and off the field.  We offer many youth sports resources including $2,500 community grants, instructional videos, weekly tips, peer and expert advice, and coursework for those interested in improving the youth sports experience for all involved.