Streaks Alumni Profile- Barney Olson 1985

Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Barney Olson of the GHS Class of 1985. 

I got to know Barney when he came out for cross country. His commitment to running (and it still exists) and his teammates commitment made coaching cross country a great experience for me. If a workout involved going on an 8 mile run, I never thought once about having to “check on” Barney or his teammates to see if they were cutting the workout. 

Often the length of the workout and the number of reps was determined by the athletes. There was never a doubt that they were committed to becoming as good as they could be. So if I asked,”What do you think today, you can go 6-10 miles, let me know what you think,” I knew they would do what they needed. 

The thoughtfulness in answering my questions, makes Barney’s profile one of my all-time favorites. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I did. 

Favorite Teachers/Classes

Rhetoric and Debate with Mr. Diemer - I wish I remember what I said in class to cause Mr. Diemer to laugh and say he hadn't been slammed that hard since his divorce from his wife!  Whatever it was, I'm sure we'd laugh about it now if we could.

American Studies with Mr. Devore and Mr. Patterson - This was absolutely a college level class, which I probably didn't fully appreciate at the time.  And it inspired me to assume the role of Walter Mondale in the GHS Mock Election in 1984.  One of the nicest compliments I've ever received came from Mr. Devore afterward when he told me that I delivered some of Mondale's platform points better than Mondale himself!  Of course, it didn't make a difference in the Mock Election results, where Laura Rosene, as Ronald Reagan, trounced me in the final vote tally, much like the real Election that year.

8th Grade English with Mr. O'Malley - This is when I really started to appreciate good writing - literally how to turn thoughts and ideas into sentences; and being a good writer has been one of the keys to my professional career, across all the roles I've had!

9th Grade English with Ms. Dew ("Help me class.  Help me, what am I thinking?")  Ms. Dew mastered the "art of the pause" when you ask a question; you have to have the patience to wait for a response, something I try to practice when I am facilitating training.

Psychology with Mr. Massey - And no, I am not just saying that!  That class ultimately sparked a lifetime interest to understand people, and athletes in particular, especially from the perspective of what motivates people.  I have always been fascinated by athletes and teams that dominate their sport; it's one thing to get to the top once, but to do it over and over again takes an extra amount of drive and discipline that truly defines success and separates elite competitors from others.

Finally, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Calculus with Mr. Kessler.  I'm not sure how the Calculus Animals got started, but I'd be willing to say we had more fun taking Calculus than any other class in Mr. Kessler's career - parts is parts!!

Sports/Activities

Cross-Country 1981-1984

Track 1982-1984

Favorite Memories Growing Up in Galesburg/GHS

Going back to the Mock Election, I remember the Debate we staged in the Auditorium - with me as Mondale and Laura R. as Reagan, the usual suspects one might expect. But the best part of all was Clancy Bailey as Gus Hall, the long-time Communist Party Candidate, known for smoking cigars - and unless 40+ years has led to some fabrication, I recall Clancy coming on stage, as Gus Hall, with a lit cigar!  Not sure how he pulled that one off!

I also remember our Athletics Director, Mr. Lundeen, offering me an opportunity to serve as the Public Address Announcer for an early season Basketball Game - probably a good thing this happened before cell phones, although I would get a kick out of being able to listen to my PA Announcing skills now!

Of course, most of my fondest memories are connected to the Cross-Country team; Coach Massey and my more experienced teammates who welcomed me onto the team and modeled "what good looks like."  As someone who now has a career focused on leadership development, I have come to really learn and appreciate the value of modeling the right behaviors - and people like Jim Schaefer, Lee Woolley, Brandon Mink, and Brian Ortlieb all played a part in my development as a runner.  And of course, my teammates, Matt, Keith, Jeremy, Kurt, Bill, Rich, and Kristen Watters - who all challenged me and gave their best to the team, just as I tried to do in return!

Too many memories to count - and most have little to do with my personal results...although finishing strong in the Sectional meet where we qualified for State my Senior year is a personal highlight...but a few others that come to mind include my best friend, Rich Kinney, sitting in the back of the bus, holding his portable radio out the window, straining to catch a static-filled radio call of the Iowa game on the way back from an Invitational...the 10-mile run that always marked the official first day of Fall practice...Friday night team meals at Happy Joe's...learning the discipline it took to run a good interval workout...being selected as a Captain for both my Junior and Senior years, in large part because I think Coach Massey knew if he wanted us to do Hill repeats every 3 minutes, I would make sure we stayed on time to the second!  And there may have also been an incident where a group of us found ourselves answering to a BNSF Security officer because we were running through the Rail Yard one day for our workout!  "No sir, we are not trying to 'hop a train' like the big boys do to get out of town!"

Another great memory is the opportunity that Coach Massey gave me to practice my broadcasting skills by recording three of the Girls Basketball Games on VHS tape and then airing them on Galesburg's Cable Access Channel.  We set up our broadcast from opposite of the Team Benches and I served as Play-by-Play announcer, with Rich as Color Commentator and Brett Wolfe operating the Camera.  Sadly, those old VHS tapes got lost somewhere along the way, but aside from the sheer fun of broadcasting with my friends, I remember a dog running onto the floor, a referee shaking his head no when he heard me call out, "That's double dribble!" and how could I forget my Halftime interview with the JV Girls Cheerleaders?!  

After GHS Graduation

After GHS, I went to The University of Iowa, where I graduated with a B.S. in Psychology; from there I went to Texas A&M University where I graduated with a M.B.A.; then after working for a few years, I returned to The University of Iowa and started the Ph.D. program in the Management & Organizations Department.  However, I decided a research-based academic career was not a good fit, so I left after two years with a second Masters degree in Human Resource Management.

Your Career

The first 15 years after college were very much trial and error for me - more about discovering what I did not want to do, which can be just as important as finding your path.  For the last 25 years, I have worked in various Talent Management roles, either as a consultant or a practitioner.  In short, I help my company identify and develop leaders by building processes and tools to enable leaders to make better decisions about talent.

As for "where" I located, I have moved a lot since I graduated from college - 26 times and counting!  It wasn't necessarily the plan I had in mind, but I've always tended to be open to experience - and when I look back now, I can see how each of my experiences has led me to where I am today.

Up To Do Today

Currently, I work from my Home office in Iowa City, Iowa as the Senior Director, Talent for Gibraltar Industries.  Personally, I am engaged to Katharine ("Kat"), who lives in Lake Oswego, OR - and we will be moving to  Bend, OR later this year so Move #27 is in the works!

Kat and I are currently training for our first 29029 Event at Stratton Resort in Vermont this Fall - we have 36 hours to hike the vertical equivalent of Mt. Everest, 29029 feet!  Our challenge consists of 17 x 1.4-mile laps that each have 1750 feet of vertical gain!  

Advice to Today’s GHS Students/Athletes

First, take full advantage of your opportunities at GHS.  If I have one regret, it's not going out for Track my Senior year.  Perhaps I was a bit burned out, but I do wonder how much faster I might have run the in the mile and the 2-mile if I had run Track my Senior year.  Next, be open and agile in your thinking and navigation of life and the choices you make.  Many people and opportunities will present themselves to you, some you may plan for, and others you could never imagine.  So follow your heart to find the path you're meant to be on and surround yourself with people you can count on - people who make you think, laugh, and cry.  And by all means, never stop learning and enjoy your journey!