Rehoboth's Olympian Carrie Lingo recalls Sussex Family YMCA roots
The Sussex County YMCA hosted its annual dinner at Rehoboth Beach Country Club Nov. 15 to thank the many supporters of the Strong Kids Campaign for 2012. Sussex YMCA Executive Director Terry Rasberry said this year’s goal of $100,000 was surpassed by more than $4,000, and the Y has already begun accepting contributions for 2013.
Attendees were treated to a speech by Rehoboth Beach Olympian Carrie Lingo. Lingo was an Olympic field hockey player for the U.S. team at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China, and has been involved with the Y for most of her life.
“My first memory with the Y was when I was about 4. I took baton lessons at the old gym,” Lingo recalled. Though her athletic skills brought her to new heights, she always remembers her roots.
“As my career progressed with field hockey through collegiate and onto U.S. teams it was always really special for me to come back to the YMCA because it was home for me. That was the spot where I always came back,” Lingo said
Specifically, the evening focused on the merits of the Strong Kids Campaign, which is a push for community awareness and involvement to help maintain all of the programs which are helpful to young people - camping, swim lessons, youth sports and teen leadership programs.
“We all believe in our community, and the way we continue to strengthen our community is giving our youth an opportunity to thrive,” Lingo said. She added that these programs develop youths’ potential, health and future and focus on building well-rounded individuals.
She drew upon her own experiences as an Olympic athlete to relate the worth of determination in the face of hardship. She weathered the training of a man hardened by the Highland Games in Scotland, swallowed a horse pill full of micro-machines which monitored her body temperature, was frequently blood tested throughout her training so doctors could monitor the buildup of lactic acid, and even endured the rigorous training of the U.S. Navy SEALs.
From each of those experiences she learned something new. The “gentleman” from the Highland Games taught her that each individual is strong in certain muscular areas naturally, but it is the athletes who work on their weaknesses who grow the strongest. From the lactic acid tests she learned that the body is exhausted before the mind recognizes it. From the Navy SEALs, she learned to focus under pressure and fatigue.
“From all of my training, meeting fellow Olympians and working with the U.S. Navy SEALs, one thing stands out - balance,” Lingo said, “You have to have balance in your training, your mentality, in your diet, in life. That is why the Strong Kids Campaign is so great; it provides balance when it is most essential in the development stages of our youths.”
She added, “When it comes down to it, there is no difference in the importance of balance whether you are training an Olympic athlete or fostering the youth of our community.”
Lingo has a friend in the U.S. Navy SEALs, Chief Rick Slater, whom she referenced as a personal hero. Slater has been in the Navy SEALs for more than 20 years and was one of the first U.S. soldiers to complete the training for the Australian SAS Program (the Australian equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALs).
“Rick taught me that when you believe in something, you see it through,” Lingo said. Every time they speak, Slater finishes by saying Charlie Mike, which is the military call sign for continue mission.
“This campaign does not end this evening,” Lingo said, “With the lesson I learned from my grandparents to always give back to the community and from Chief Rick Slater: When you believe in something, Charlie Mike, continue mission.”
