Olympian Akeem Haynes delivers inspiration in Strathmore

Melissa Strle
Times Reporter

 

Olympian Akeem Haynes visited some schools in Strathmore on Oct. 13 to share his personal Olympic journey with Strathmore students. His message was nothing short of inspirational and served as a reminder that all people can chase their dreams.
Haynes helped Canada break a 20-year-old national record to win bronze in the 4x100m men’s relay at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics in Brazil. He also placed 26th in the 100m event.
The Olympian was born in Calgary, and he and his mother Carlene Samuels moved to Yellowknife when he was seven years old before settling back into Calgary when he was 10.
The energy in the gymnasium at Wheatland Elementary was vibrating as Haynes walked in to a warm, welcoming and energetic crowd.
In a personal interview with the Strathmore Times, Haynes explained that he wants to show kids that they are the future and that dreams are possible.
“We have to let them know that it’s (dreams) possible and I think that’s always been my biggest thing is letting them know that it is possible,” he said.
Wheatland Elementary School principal Amy Van Vliet started off the event by publicly speaking directly to Haynes in front of the large crowd.
“We felt like you were a perfect role model and your journey would show the students some of those important things that we teach here at Wheatland,” she said. “Here at Wheatland, we have our school motto and our school motto is ‘lead, learn and love.’ ”
During his speech at Wheatland Elementary, Haynes said that being successful is a “state of mind.”
He said that if you tell yourself that you can be successful and achieve all things up in your own brain where it truly matters, anything that you want is possible.
“If you believe you can do it, there’s nothing that can stop you,” he said.
In speaking to the crowd, Haynes said that he considered himself very fortunate to have come away with a medal from Rio.
He talked a lot to students about having and pursuing dreams.
“When I started sports, my biggest thing was to always follow the thing that I knew that I wanted to be,” said Haynes. “I knew at an early age that I had a dream.”
But perhaps the thing that might set Haynes apart is his methodical approach in following his dreams and believing in his own focus in spite of what others might say.
“I always write down my dreams on a piece of paper and at night I read it and I read it a couple of times so I fall asleep thinking about that dream, and then when I wake up, I look at that paper again and all the stuff that I wrote down and I start my day and I go and chase my dreams,” he said.
The Olympian revealed that he has had as many as 50 different dreams written down at one time because he dreams all the time.
At the young age of 24 years old, Haynes has achieved something truly impressive through his own inner calling.
“I’ve never had people when I was younger tell me that I could do something … I was always hearing what Akeem couldn’t do and all these negative things and I think for me the best thing that I did was not pay attention to what they were saying,” he said.
He also revealed a well thought out approach to following his dreams. First, he said it is necessary to decide if a dream “is possible.”
However, he also stated that he believes that anything that is a dream is possible and there is nothing that you cannot do.
“You have to believe in yourself and you have to believe that no matter what comes in your way, you will find a way to work around the road blocks and the walls that come in front of you and you will go after and chase your dreams,” he said.
Haynes said that the second thing that you have to do is “protect your dream.”
“There’s going to be a lot of times where it might not seem possible,” said Haynes. “People might try to tell you that you can’t do that. A lot of people told me what I cannot do but what they do not understand is that you guys have the power to achieve your dreams.”
Haynes’ third and final point was to “never put limits on yourself.”
He told a story of two boys in which one saved his friend after falling through some ice on a lake in the winter. He pointed to the heroic efforts being possible in that given situation since there was no one there telling the boy that he couldn’t or wasn’t able to save his friend.
Haynes’ message was that there may be a lot of the times where you may doubt yourself, make mistakes or might not feel as confident but that’s ok.
“In order to be successful in life as a whole, you have to be willing to try and when you fall, you have to be willing to try again and when you fall again, you have to be willing to get up and try again because I guarantee if you can find a way to get up each and every time, you will be successful,” said Haynes.
At the end of the Olympian’s speech, Van Vliet lead the school through a school-wide dance and music to show their appreciation to Haynes for coming to talk that day.
“I thought we could give him a gift of our energy and enthusiasm,” said Van Vliet.
Haynes attended Barton County Community College in Great Bend, Kansas before transferring to the University of Alabama. He earned a degree in General Health at the university and has written a self-help book titled Love, Life and Legacy about dealing with hardships.