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LEADERSHIP

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"Darrel and I trained together for the 2012 Olympic Trials. Throughout our time together, he exhibited leadership and maturity beyond his 19 years of life. Not only was he younger than I was, but I constantly found myself seeking him out for advice. Honestly, most of the time, he never answered the question. In hindsight, it was a great method of leadership to have me seek the answers within myself. In the moment, it was incredibly annoying and frustrating.

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Fast forward to my retirement from running, I went through a bout with depression and had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.

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I specifically recall one instance where I called him mid-breakdown and he talked me down from the ledge; not with persuasive statements, but again, with questions.

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Much of my success is owed to Darrel. Both inside and outside of professional sports. His leadership and mentorship are quite unconventional, but nothing about the guy is conventional."

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