These teachers hope to trade grade books for gold medals.
American educators will be among the 10,500 athletes who compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics, which start with an opening ceremony July 26, and the 4,400 competitors in the Paris Paralympics, which start Aug. 28.
Any athlete competing at an elite level must feel pride, but teacher-Olympians say it’s especially rewarding to inspire students by bringing their training and competition experiences into the classroom.
“I don’t think the students realize the level that I shoot at at first,” said Eric Bennett, a high school teacher from Surprise, Ariz., who is preparing for his fifth Paralympics appearance in archery. “The biggest thing to them is that I have a Wikipedia page. To them, that gives me some legitimacy.”
Here are three teacher-athletes to watch.
Science teacher models resilience and creativity through archery
Bennett’s childhood interest in archery was derailed when he lost his right arm after he was in a vehicle-rollover accident at 15 years old. To find a path back to the sport—and to high-level competition—he relied on many of the problem-solving and design skills he teaches in his high school physics and engineering classes.
As a young adult, Bennett returned to the bow when, at his father’s urging, he learned to pull the string with his feet. After networking with other archers with disabilities, he found a better way: controlling the cord tension by attaching a tab he could pull and release with his mouth.
Using his science education, Bennett refined the design of the leather tab and adjusted his technique to compensate for the slower speed of his resulting shot. Archers in the Paralympics are grouped into classes depending on factors like upper body strength, range of motion, and level of coordination. That means Bennett frequently competes against athletes who must make a variety of adjustments to their equipment and technique to match their disabilities.
“That’s actually one of the coolest things about going to some of the international tournaments, seeing the way that people have adapted,” he said. “In the United States, I shoot against able-bodied archers more than para archers. I go in with the attitude that I’m here to beat you, I’m better than you, and I’m going to prove it.”
Students often take an interest, too, looking up videos of Bennett shooting and asking him questions about how he developed his skills.
My biggest theme is to not give up and to keep looking for solutions.
Bennett harnesses that natural interest in his classes, using the bow to teach students physical science concepts like projectile motion, velocity, and energy storage.
In an Engineering class unit on biomechanics, he challenges groups of students to design and build prototype prosthetic arms for him based on a variety of hypothetical challenges. One group will use 3D printers to make an arm that can cast a fishing pole, for example, and another will make a limb that can manipulate various tools.
“The idea is I kind of consult with them as a client,” Bennett said. “I let them somewhat guide themselves on what they want to do with that, but each one’s trying to solve a unique problem.”
As students work on their models, he shows various prototypes he made to adapt his bow and and explains his design process. Students’ creations aren’t always functional, but they learn a lot by interacting with real-world challenges, Bennett said.
He also uses his experience to expose students to competing as an athlete with disabilities.
“I’ve had a lot of really good opportunities to share my story of overcoming, adapting, and finding solutions,” Bennett said. “My biggest theme is to not give up and to keep looking for solutions.”
Bennett, the first American para archer to appear at five Paralympics, hasn’t medaled at his previous four appearances. He finished 9th at the 2021 games in Tokyo, and he’s hopeful for a shot at the podium this year.
“Part of the reason why I’ve gone so long is that my family, my wife, have been huge supporters,” he said. “My kids were old enough finally to go see me shoot in Tokyo, but because of [COVID-19 rules], they missed on that opportunity. They will be going to Paris, and they’re going get to see me shoot, and that’s pretty awesome for me.”
Teacher track star inspires students in her former high school
Thea LaFond, a substitute teacher in the Silver Spring, Md., high school she attended as a student, will compete in her third Olympics in Paris, representing her home country Dominica in the triple jump.
LaFond, who moved to the United States as a 5-year-old, was a dancer as a child and began competing in track events as a student at John F. Kennedy High School in Silver Spring, Md. She later competed for the nearby University of Maryland, returning to her alma mater after graduation to work as a paraprofessional and substitute teacher, she told Montgomery Community Media.
“It’s very funny when my students realize I’m an Olympian,” she said in the 2021 interview. “I don’t talk about it all of the time.”
LaFond, who did not medal in her previous Olympics appearances, is an athlete to watch after she won gold at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, in March, becoming her home country’s first world champion in a sport.
The triple jump is similar to the long jump except that instead of one jump, athletes have a hop, skip, and jump to propel themselves as far as they can into a sand pit. LaFond’s personal best distance of 15.01 meters matches that of the 2021 Tokyo silver medalist.
She has credited her school for allowing her space and time to train on the track and in the weigh room. And she’s had a few fun encounters with students who marvel at how much weight she can lift or recognize her from a photo in the school’s sports hall of fame, she told Montgomery County Media.
“They also remind me to have fun,” she said. “They’ve been an amazing support. They find out [I’m an Olympian] and they have my back.”
Former special education teacher takes a second shot at big-time basketball
A former college basketball player, Dylan Travis played professionally in Germany and Australia. When COVID-19 shut down international sporting events in 2020, he returned to his native Omaha, Neb., to work as a special education teacher and high school basketball coach, he told Westside Wired, the school’s student newspaper.
In Paris, Travis will compete in the United States’ first appearance in the Olympic 3-on-3 basketball event, playing at the highest level in a sport he first discovered while teaching. Unlike traditional 5-on-5 basketball, 3-on-3 is played on a half court with three players for each team shooting for the same basket. The first team to win 21 points, or the highest scoring team after 10 minutes, wins the game.
Travis started playing in local competitions and eventually competed on the national level, winning the U.S. national championship in 2021.
“For me it’s perfect. I retired from playing professionally, but I can still be around the game by [3-on-3] and I don’t miss work,” he told the student newspaper in 2022. “I fly out after work on a Friday, I play Saturday and Sunday and get back Sunday night, and you get to win some money if you do well.”
Travis has since left his teaching position to compete full-time. The Paris games will be his first trip to the Olympics. The U.S. women’s 3-by-3 team won gold at the 2021 Olympics, but the men’s team failed to qualify.
How to watch teachers compete in the Olympics and Paralympics
The Paris Olympics run July 26 to Aug. 11. The Paralympics run Aug. 28 to Sept. 8. Events will air on NBC and its streaming platform Peacock, which offers a teacher discount.
