Delivering Olympic dreams

In the few spare minutes between the mental gymnastics required to manipulate accounts receivable, fine tune customer service and streamline supply chain management, you’re able to steal a little time for physical activity.

Maybe it’s a quick three-on-three basketball game or a set of tennis at a nearby court, or maybe it’s just a lonely jog through the park.

You’re still in good shape, even if you are getting a little older, and if it weren’t for the business, you might have had a shot at a little Olympic glory. Hey, what else is that time for if not a little fantasy? And while your time is past, it may not be for one of your employees.

That’s the attitude United Parcel Service has taken. The company has gone well beyond its sponsorship of the games. In fact, UPS created the Athlete Training Assistance Program, which gives budding young athletes the flexible schedules and monetary support necessary for them to train.

“The assistance program gives you a flexible schedule,” says Eugene Swift, a 110-meter hurdler hoping to make the U.S. Olympic team.

Swift usually works from about 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as a human resources specialist in the Oakland, Calif. office.

“I try not to work past 2 (p.m.) so I can get to the track by 3,” where he works out until about 6 p.m.

But the ATAP program is more than just a flexible work schedule.

“They take care of your travel (airplane ticket, rental cars, hotel and meals),” Swift says. “They allow you to get equipment, depending on what sport you’re in.”

It’s not a cheap investment. Swift does a lot of international travel to meets around the world; tickets can run into the thousands of dollars.

Swift, however, is no stranger to Olympic competition. He made the track and field team for the 1996 games in Atlanta and posted a time of 13.21 seconds, his personal best, but finished out of the medals. The same time earned him a bronze medal at the 1999 Pan American games.

So what does UPS get from the program?

There are 15 UPS employees taking advantage of the ATAP program. While all the athletes are training for the 2000 games in Sydney, Australia, not all are vying for the U.S. Olympic team. UPS is one of 11 worldwide Olympic sponsors, and the company is supporting five employees hoping to get onto their national teams. Since the program began in 1995, there have been 34 UPS employee-athletes pursuing Olympic dreams. To be considered, the employee must be ranked within the top 40 competitors in their discipline by their sport’s national governing body.

Besides some publicity, UPS uses the program to promote good will. Many of the athletes visit local schools and talk to children about their experiences.

“Being an Olympian, it’s a good feeling,” Swift says. “It’s special, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes with that, too, expectations. You’re expected to automatically make the team again or automatically win races. You have to have this certain attitude because you’re a role model.”

Swift is ranked in the top 15 in the world in the 110-meter hurdles. But that is not how he got started.

“In high school, I really wasn’t fast.” he says. “I was running 11.8 (second) 100 meters, and they had some girls on our team running that fast, so hurdles is what I did. I just got better. As I got older, I grew.

“Track is one sport where no matter how you are, whether you’re good or bad, you get to participate,” he says. “I guess that’s what kept me going. I guess you don’t feel like you’re as bad as you are because you get to participate.”
Swift will participate in the U.S. Olympic trials and try to make his second team July 22.
How to reach: UPS, www.ups.com

Daniel G. Jacobs ([email protected]) is senior editor of SBN.