Samantha Bosco (Paralympic road/track cycling)

The sudden rise of the 2020 pandemic halted activities and gatherings with no end in sight. Now, we’re slowly making our way to the other side. We’re making our way to our families, friends and passions that we hold close to our hearts. We would be remiss to not reflect on how the pandemic has changed us and highlighted qualities we forget existed. We sat down with Samantha Bosco, two-time Paralympic bronze medalist and 2017 World Champion to discuss what it takes to be a Paralympic athlete and her take-a-ways from the pandemic.  ‍

What do you think are the three most important traits a successful Paralympic athlete should possess, and why?‍

To me, the three most important traits would be grit, flexibility and appreciation. Grit because being an athlete, let alone a successful one, is hard. There may even be times you feel like throwing in the towel. Grit helps you use the towel to wipe your face and keep going. Flexibility because the journey to your goals and dreams do not always go as planned. Sometimes things may take longer than you'd want or expect them to, the road curves suddenly, there are hurdles to jump. Being flexible allows you to adapt, to see an obstacle as a building block to help you be greater. And appreciation because no journey is truly taken alone and, frankly, the journey itself is not appreciated enough. Yeah, the destination may be the goal or the end result you are looking for, but it's the journey and the experiences along the way that make you who you are when you get to the destination. Appreciation goes a long way not just in being thankful for the relationships and experiences, but in learning to enjoy every moment.

What lessons have you learned from the pandemic, and how have they helped you in your day-to-day life?

The biggest lesson I learned from the pandemic was to fall in love with myself, to listen to my body when I needed to push or take a moment to recharge, to know what makes me happy, and to be proud of the person I am. It's helped me really get to be in the moment more and take advantage of my time and my goals.

Thank you Samantha for sharing your incredible insight with RSG!. May we all pursue a passion with grit, flexibility and appreciation like our incredible RSG! athletes. ‍

You can follow Samantha Bosco’s journey by visiting sambosco.com.