Comments from Bob Berland

It is said that the Olympic movement reshapes the lives of those who have been fortunate enough to personally experience the games, whether it be as an athlete, coach, spectator, or a family member of an athlete, it doesn’t really matter, what does matter is to have "Taken Part."

The 1984 Olympic Games was an amazing journey and I learned so much while on that journey.

I learned you have to surround yourself with those who share your vision and ignore the rest.

I learned that you have to believe in yourself FIRST before you can expect others to believe in you.

I learned how to embrace adversity and use it as a weapon to optimize ones performance. And finally, I learned to never give up on your dreams.

These lessons enabled me to successfully compete as an athlete at a World Class level and when I retired from the Olympic arena, I was faced with the harsh reality that I would no longer be World Class - or so I thought. And then one day, after I had been retired from Olympic sport for a number of years, I had a moment of clarity, while trading commodities on the floor of the Chicago Mercantile exchange, it was in that moment that I realized being World Class had nothing to do with the Olympics, Judo or sport.

Being World Class was a conscious decision…a decision we all get to make. You simply have to have the courage to make it. From that day forward my life changed forever.

Choosing to be World Class is not an easy path, but it is certainly a path, which is easily illuminated by applying the principals of my formula - the Trilympic™ Triangle.

We all have the potential to operate at a world class level; it's simply a matter of choice.

I encourage you to choose to Be World Class!

Thank You!

Bob Berland
XXIII Olympiad, LA84
XXIV Olympiad, Seoul 88
XXV Olympiad, Barcelona, 92
XXVIII Olympiad, Athens 04