A Q & A with Kathryn Bertine, ESPN Olympian - Part II

Kathryn Bertine has spent the last two years trying to make it to the Olympics. As part of an assignment for ESPN, Bertine was asked to try to make the Olympic Games. It didn’t matter the sport or how she did, but just to chronicle her journey. She recently took the time to join The Roundtable for a Q & A about her journey.

This is the second part to the session, part one can be found here.

So, with some Guns ‘n Roses on the jukebox, some beer in the pitchers, Bertine rejoined the fellas at the ‘Table to discuss the rest of the story.

Here’s what she had to say.

Roundtable (RT): Alright, Kathryn, we’ve recovered from the Jeff Gillooly remark and figured we can get back to it. What is the base for cycling like in the U.S. as far as clubs, coaching, and recruitment? You don't normally see youth leagues for distance cycling the same way you do soccer.

Kathryn Bertine (KB): Cycling clubs are huge now, and it is awesome to see them start to form at the college level. Cycling could very well be an NCAA sport in the near future, and it would have a tremendous ripple effect. Children's cycling clubs aren't too big yet in the USA, but I think they could be... especially if cycling continues to grow as it has in the past 7 years. We can thank Lance for that.

RT: And we can thank him for the greatest commercials ever put together. We all love how he tells that kid to “feed the warrior twenty pounds.” How difficult was the last minute course change to adapt to at nationals?

KB: Not difficult. When you have no control over events changing, it isn't worth spending any energy on it. Just adapt and march forth!

RT: Much like we do when our favorite keg is empty at the bar…just not the same at all. In one of the write-ups, you had a hard time describing the feeling of not qualifying for the US National Team. Can you put it to words now?

KB: Honestly, it made perfect sense that I didn't make a national team after only 6 months of being in the sport. Totally rational! But athletes want to achieve, to win, and to excel. No matter how much the odds are stacked against us. So it was a totally mixed feeling; rationally it made sense and I accepted my inability to make the US team that day. Irrationally, I still wanted to win despite my inexperience. :)

RT: Irrational thinking is much more fun, though. From there, you had to have a meeting with the big-wigs at ESPN to determine the next step, because the U.S. team now really was out of the question in distance cycling. What was that subsequent meeting with your editors like?

KB: It was both frustrating and comical. You want me to find a nation to adopt me--this year-- so I can continue my Olympic dream? Yeah, sure. Like that's gonna happen. It made me mad at first. And then I said, “Wait, I really want this to happen. Let's see if it can happen.”

RT: It was honestly one of our favorite parts to the whole thing. It was like you spend all this time playing around one set of rules and then a little qualifier gets thrown in at the end. How many countries did you try to get in touch with and how many did you contact?

KB: I contacted nearly 160 nations. A few wrote back, but the leads never went anywhere. Then the wonderful Winston Crooke, president of the St. Kitts and Nevis Cycling & Triathlon federations swooped into my spam folder and saved the day.

RT: It’s not often anything good comes out of a spam folder. Between male enhancement drugs, people claiming they have money for you, and dating sites, it’s amazing that the entire country isn’t swimming in millionaires with….well, you know. What are your responsibilities to St. Kitts and Nevis going forward?

KB: My main objective is to help them build a dominant cycling program, from the grassroots up. It will take time, but someday the world will see a Caribbean team riding in the Olympics, the UCI pro tour, and the Tour de France. As Winston says, "From small acorns do big oak trees grow."

RT: Very similar to the saying we have at the ‘Table that goes, “From small taps does great beer come.” It has helped serve us well. How important was family support through the whole process and what did you learn about yourself?

KB:My family was very supportive. They think I'm a bit nutty, but there is great support nonetheless. My father is a 72 year old triathlete, so athleticism runs in the blood. He just went to the ITU Triathlon World Champs in the 70-74 age group. Watching him race brought tears to my eyes. It made 2012 seem very doable to me.

RT: That’s incredibly impressive. One story you told was about how St. Kitts and Nevis didn't have the money for racing kits but a person you met in China offered to donate them. Any other occurrences of this type of camaraderie during your journey?

KB: The support from virtual strangers has been nothing short of amazing. From Louis Shih at Champion Systems donating team uniforms to strangers all over the world writing in and telling me to keep chasing my dreams, I've just never encountered anything like it. I am incredibly fortunate for all the life lessons this journey has brought me.

RT: What was the most impressive thing (scenery, companionship, anything) you encountered along the way?

KB: Wow, hard to nail down one particular. Scenery-wise, my first site of St. Kitts and Nevis brought me the best chills ever. Companionship-wise, WonderMinion was an amazing friend and assistant to my journey, constantly reminding me that nothing good can ever be achieved alone.

Personally, one of the most amazing things was the fact that this project with ESPN was never guaranteed to be so long. Maybe a couple articles. The journey turned into a two-year, thirteen column, book deal event. Who knew?  ESPN was incredibly supportive; they basically said "Go make it happen. We'll back you, KB!" To have that kind of freedom as an athlete and a writer was unbelievable.

RT: I can’t believe we got to nearly the end of all of this and it’s the first mention of WonderMinion. That has to be one of the greatest nicknames ever. If the readers here want to read more about The Adventures of WonderMinion, they’ll have to check out the articles on ESPN.com.

RT: So, Kathryn, unfortunately we won’t see you in Beijing competing this summer. However, finally, and, most importantly, will we see you in 2012?

KB: I'll do everything it takes to get there. With 4 years ahead of me, "doable" solidifies a little more each day.

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We at the Roundtable can’t thank Kathryn enough for taking the time to join us to answer those questions. She certainly has had a busy schedule and we appreciate her being able to carve a niche for us.

Check out the articles on ESPN.com for a full trip along what it takes to make the Olympics and be ready to pick up her book that is scheduled, right now, to drop in March of 2009.

The picture for this article was taken by Lucas Gilman for ESPN.com.