2024/12/23 Aiden Clements “what does success mean to you?”

photo:field part Aiden Clements

Hi everyone, I’m Aiden, and I am an international student here at Rikkyo that was nominated to do this by my good friend and teammate Tatsuya. Unfortunately for you all, I have been trying to learn as much Japanese as possible, but I still haven’t asked これは何ですか enough to type all this in Japanese lol, sorry.

Self-Introduction
Name: Aiden Clements
College of Business at Rikkyo
Jim Thorpe Area High School, Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
Birthday: 2004/19/04
Height/Weight: 180cm/ 63kg

Since you all don’t really know that much about me, I decided to tell you about my story and journey with pole vault. From when I was a little 14-year-old kid in 2019 all the way to the current day where I’m no longer a kid but still feel like it at 20. I was hoping to tug on your heart strings a little, so grab a box of tissues just in case one of you cry.

First, I want to ask you a question, what do you consider being successful means? In Track & Field, I considered success to be number one over everybody else when I was growing up. I am a competitive person that always pushes myself harder when other people are performing against me. When I started pole vaulting in 2019 at 14 years old, I fell in love with it for the first time when I grabbed the pole. It was something I thought about all the time, and I dreamed of becoming a fantastic competitor. My first year ever pole vaulting I finished with a personal best of 3.35 meters, as a first timer I was outperforming other competitors who have done it for years. My name was whispered throughout the eastern part of Pennsylvania because out of all the first years in my state I was the 3rd highest. There was a very high expectation of me, developed by my peers and myself. I had to continue to get better and be the best, but when Covid happened it set me back very far because of my inability to train for an entire year.

By the time I got back into pole vault, I was 16 years old and in my third year of high school. Despite the setback I still performed great. I beat my school’s record which was originally 3.68 meters and set it to 3.89 meters in one season. I became the best pole vaulter in my entire school history, but there was one problem. It wasn’t enough for me, I still felt like I was nothing compared to all the other vaulters in my area. I still wasn’t successful; I needed to keep trying otherwise no one would remember me.

By my final year in high school, I got a personal best once again of 4.04 meters and during one of the final competitions against 14 schools I placed 1st. I thought that doing this would make me fulfilled and finally happy, but I wasn’t. On the last meet of the season against 28 schools, I placed 4th and was beaten by a first-year high school student. I was frustrated, throughout my career I looked at other athletes and didn’t feel like I was good enough, especially to be beaten by a first-year student who was exactly like me when I started. I thought it would get better when I went to university, but it didn’t.

I was recruited by my university where the frustration at myself and the sport grew. I had no coach to train me, had to drive 56 kilometers twice a week to practice pole vault, and I had to compete with competitors that were at a completely different level than I was. Not to mention the head coach of the team was overbearing and prevented me from doing anything to benefit my future, I wasn’t allowed to join any clubs, have a job, or study abroad because I was told that I only had one role, which was to serve him as an athlete so he could win. Every time I didn’t compete with how the coach wanted me to, I got angrier and more cynical. A sport that I used to love and enjoy every day now turned into a burden that I grew to hate doing. I especially resented the coaches that put so much pressure on me when I was at a severe disadvantage because of the lack of a pole vault coach. I thought I could do better, so I quit the team and decided to prove them wrong, that I didn’t need them.

I competed by myself in competitions, I would sign up independently and I represented no school, just myself. During my training I was becoming much better, yet when I competed, I didn’t get any higher. It got to a breaking point where I thought I would quit pole vault for good and prove to my old coaches that I didn’t have what it took to be an athlete. But after going back to my old high school after years of being away, I helped coach the kids. My old teammates grew up and there were plenty of new students that were eager to learn. Despite them not performing good I saw how happy they were, and how much they enjoyed pole vaulting for what it was. That’s when I realized that it doesn’t matter how good I ever got at pole vaulting if I don’t love what I’m doing. The passion and the love of practicing and competing are what ultimately matters.

When I realized that, my mindset completely shifted and I never cared about how I performed at competitions because ultimately, I was just happy that I got to be there and try my best. I had to understand that there were probably plenty of people who wished they were at the same level I was, and if I wasn’t grateful for that luxury then I wouldn’t ever be grateful for anything. Then near the end of last year I finally reached a new personal record of 4.35 meters. For the first time in my career, I was satisfied with that height and believed that despite my circumstances I was successful.

I proved my coaches wrong and showed that I was more than just an athlete that was meant to serve them, that is when I decided to take control of my life. I got involved in many clubs on campus, worked an internship to better my career, and I decided to study abroad to Japan which was something I always dreamed of doing but never had the courage for until now. And since I’ve been here, I have loved every second of it, even training. Yes, it is hard, but you’ll never see me not smiling in between the workouts because I’m thankful that I still get a chance to participate with a team. It fills me with joy every day of practice because I’m glad that I get to do so many things that I love; travel the world, make new friends, and stay healthy by practicing a sport I love again. If it wasn’t for track, I wouldn’t have been given the opportunity to meet so many amazing people here and make new friends. I now feel like I have achieved success because I get to wake up every day and have something to look forward to and love.

I wanted to thank all of you for welcoming me into the team with open arms, I am eternally grateful that you all took me in and welcomed me as one of your own. I look forward to making more memories with everyone for my last month here in Japan. I would also like to nominate Akio Watanabe to write the next diary entry, he is the reason that I’m in the club, and I’m sure he has many great things to write about. I would also like to learn more about him as much as you all would. お疲れ様です