May 2, 2017Working Overseas
After graduating from Miami University with a degree in kinesiology and health, Dustin Woods began working for Ignition Athletic Performance Group in Cincinnati, which trained elite athletes. One of his coworkers went to China and came back with news of a job opening.
An article from Cincinnati.com explains that the Chinese National Short Track Speed Skating Team was looking for a strength coach to prepre for the 2014 Winter Olympics. Woods applied, and in three weeks, he and his wife were headed across the ocean.
The long hours—12 hours a day, six days a week—was a lot of work. But Woods built relationships with the skaters.
“You become a father figure, a brother figure and you are also a psychologist of sorts,” Woods told Cincinnati.com.
After the Olympics were over, Woods headed back to Cincinnati, taking a position as assistant strength and conditioning coach at Xavier University. Recently, China’s team called to get him back. He said no twice over the course of a few months. But eventually, he decided to go back–mostly for the athletes.
“We had relationships with the athletes. I wanted to see them improve. Three of them got silver medals. Those were attached to my heart, and I wanted to see them through,” Woods told Cincinnati.com. “In China, a silver medal, that’s not good enough.”
