PESHTIGO — Invited to speak to middle school students, Nick Baumgartner spoke with a mission to inspire.
After participating in countless X Games competitions, and being a four-time Olympian who won a gold medal in the 2022 Olympics, Baumgartner works to help others in any way possible. He recently spent an hour with middle school students at Peshtigo Middle/High School.
“Nick showed how the power of grit, determination, and perseverance can get you farther into your goals,” said eighth-grade student Anna Oberdorfer.
“I loved that he played through a broken collarbone in one of the X Games, and won it so his son could watch in-person,” stated seventh-grade student Bentley Reed.
“Goals are the most important things you ever set. I set goals everyday,” emphasized Baumgartner. He had a message about persistence, desir, and determination. “Losers quit when they fail. Winners go until they succeed.”
He assured everyone, “Failure is part of the process. Winners fail over and over again until they win. Don’t let your fear of failure stop you. Go out and fail. If you outwork everyone, you can reach your dreams.”
Seventh-grade student Lorenzo Paoli commented, “I didn’t realize if you write down your goals, they have a 40% higher chance of coming true.”
“Anything worth achieving in life you cannot achieve alone,” Baumgartner said. “Surround yourself with positive people. Build a support system.”
He also spoke about the importance of teamwork and having a healthy system of friends for success. He showed a clip of a fellow snowboarder racing and him cheering her on to place emphasis not upon him winning alone, but the group winning together.
“My favorite part about working onthe snowboarding team is how we cheer each other on,” Baumgartner said. “We’re a team! Even if it’s a solo sport, we’re still a team.” He added, “Surround yourself with people who make you better.”
Middle school counselor Kendra Faudoa agrees, “Young people at this age need to recognize the importance of picking people that make them feel good about themselves and push them to their fullest potential. We all need to have people to lean on in difficult times.”
“One of the biggest things I loved about Nick’s message is the message of resilience,” Faudoa said. “Unfortunately, more times than not, I am seeing kids give up rather than keep trying when things get hard. I see the potential that each young person holds. Life is hard sometimes, but we are all capable of pushing through and coming out the other side.”
The presentation concluded with a question and answer period. Baumgartner shared about the importance of being positive. “Nobody’s going to give you anything, you have to work for it,” he said. “Give every opportunity 110%. If you get knocked down 10 times. Get up the 11th time.”
He affirms one of the greatest things he learned from his mother is the importance of being kind to others and helping when you can.
“Happiness comes from helping others,” Baumgartner said. “Do something for someone else. Volunteer. Never give up. Keep dreaming. Help others.”
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