Introducing Ayden Owens Delerme!

Introducing Ayden Owens Delerme

By Jose R. San Miguel

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Ayden Owens Delmere is the 2022 NCAA Decathlon Champion, and NCAA Decathlon record holder. He attends the University of Arkansas, where he is pursuing a Master’s in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship.

Ayden is representing my home country of Puerto Rico at the IAAF World Championships being held in Eugene, Oregon. In Puerto Rico we call track and field pisticampo. Having someone represent the island at the highest level is a source of tremendous pride for every puertorriqueno. Ayden is a medal contender as a 22-year- old in an event where athletes reach their peak in their late twenties.

Ayden showed up to our Zoom interview in a Puerto Rico singlet and with happiness emanating through the screen. Grounded in his faith and a strong family upbringing, Ayden accepts the challenge ahead, and the responsibility associated with representing the island. Along with millions of Puerto Ricans and track fans around the world, I will be rooting for him.

We hope that every athlete and coach reading this article will be inspired to pursue their own personal bests in every endeavor.

TAKEOFF: Ayden, how did you get started in the decathlon?

Ayden: I’ve been doing the multi events since I was 12 years old. I started running track in Pittsburgh at a city track club called Nadia. My coach’s name was Oronde Sharif. He noticed that I was versatile, had a short attention span, and participating in only one event bored me.

After my second year in the club, he said I was old enough to do the pentathlon. I ended up excelling. I think that first year that I did it, I was second in the nation in the pentathlon. I kept improving and re-committing myself to the multi event discipline and look where we are today.

TAKEOFF: Didn’t you train with Jose Rivera as well?

Ayden: I did. Coach Jose was another coach in the area. I worked first with Orande, and then as I got to high school, I worked more with Coach Jose. He helped facilitate the Puerto Rico route that I ended up taking because at the time I wasn’t representing the U.S. or Puerto Rico.

At the time, I was getting really good at track and I wanted to compete on an international level. And he was like, hey, I think that you should consider representing Puerto Rico, and he helped facilitate that.

TAKEOFF: You started running track in Pennsylvania. Did you ever live in Puerto Rico?

Ayden: No, I never lived in Puerto Rico. I have family on the island, mostly in San Juan, Cupey, and Carolina. My grandparents live there, but my mom moved to the U.S. like a lot of Puerto Ricans did. Every summer, I had to go to Puerto Rico to visit family, connect with our roots, and attend family reunions.

TAKEOFF: Looking back, who has been the most influential person in your athletic development?

Ayden: It took a lot to get me to where I am today. Every single person who’s influenced me has had an impact so it’s hard to pinpoint one specific person. I learned so much from each coach, each mentor who’s helped create me as an athlete and a person. Coach Sharif is still to this day my closest mentor. He’s probably been the most influential person developing me into an athlete.

Beyond that I would say Coach Jose and now it’s been my coach here at Arkansas, Travis Geopfert.

TAKEOFF: That was a great answer because you don’t get to where you are without some excellent coaching. You went from high school to the University of Southern California to Michigan to Arkansas.

Ayden: Yeah, I’ve been all over.

TAKEOFF: Tell me about that process.

Ayden: Coming out of high school, I could go anywhere I wanted. I had scholarships from many schools in the U.S. The coaches of big Division I schools came to my house. Being from Pittsburgh where it’s cold, dreary, and wet, I wanted to go far from home and experience something that was different. I always dreamed of going to USC because it’s a big track school. I ended up choosing it since it was academically strong and it checked off the boxes for the athletic side. I had a great freshman year, and then my coach left and I decided to transfer and follow him.

When I came out of high school, I intended to go to USC for all four years and graduate and maybe even live there. But, as you experience what the business of track and field is, you have to find what works for you. So, I transferred from Michigan where I loved the coaching staff, and had a great experience, but my coach left again after my second year. I was seeking something new and wanted to go down to the SEC, specifically to the University of Arkansas, which has the best track program in the U.S. Arkansas is a school that commits to track and field, spends their time on track, and they had a coach who was recruiting me, Travis Geopfert, who I trusted and believed in. I graduated from Michigan, came here, and decided to do my MBA and keep pursuing track and field.

TAKEOFF: What changed in your training to get you from a good decathlete to a world class athlete?

Ayden: I wouldn’t say much has changed in my training because I’ve been through three programs and different coaches. I think the success comes from my natural progression. I’m getting more mature in the event. They say you don’t peak in the decathlon until your late twenties. I just turned twenty-two, so I feel like I am going to keep getting better. But what really helped me take it to the next level was coming here to Arkansas, training with Coach Geopfert and being more intentional about everything. I’m really becoming a student of the sport.

The training is more deliberate and more difficult. I stay on top of my rehab. A lot of the reasons why decathletes can’t perform at the highest level is because they get injured. Being on top of my rehab this year, more than I ever have, has prevented injuries and helped me get to the World Championships.

TAKEOFF: We know you’re prepared physically. You have rehab and great coaches. Emotionally, how do you prepare to compete?

Ayden: It’s pretty simple, really. It’s not ten events to me. I say it’s 11 events and the 11th event is being emotionally sound, and controlling all the ups and downs that come from what you have to face. You can’t have ten successful events without managing that mental and emotional side. Knowing that I can’t control the result, I can only control my effort and my attitude, I try to give my best effort and always wear a smile on my face. Regardless of the circumstances, know that the result will come. Whatever that is, you can’t control it. You have to be happy with what you get.

TAKEOFF: When I did the decathlon, we used to say you have 5 minutes to celebrate or complain about your performance in the previous event and you move on. How do you stay focused one personal best after the next?

Ayden: I just take it like I’m not new to it, you know? I get excited about a PR, but I’m not just running the 100 meters that day. If I were, I’d be much more excited. I’m doing the decathlon. I’m trying to PR in each individual event, but overall, I’m trying to win the decathlon. That’s the focus. I can’t afford myself any time to celebrate or be down for an extended period of time.

TAKEOFF: What has been a challenge that you had to overcome and how did you deal with it?

Ayden: The biggest challenge has been the injuries that I faced when I was at USC and when I was at Michigan. They weren’t even that severe and didn’t require surgery, but when you put so much of your identity into a sport, which I think is a mistake, and then get injured and can’t do that thing you define yourself by, you are lost. That’s something I overcame.

I can’t put my identity in the sport. I’m not defined by how well I do in the decathlon. I learned to lean on my faith and my family and things that are always stable. My body is something that may fail me at any given day. That helped me overcome the adversity when I got injured or lost passion for the sport.

An injury will steal away a lot of your happiness. I conquered it by realizing I’m not defined by it.

Photos provided by Ayden Owens Delerme

TAKEOFF: Then it doesn’t beat you up as a person. How did you work to get your passion back?

Ayden: Sometimes there is a stigma around sports psychology therapy, but I just wanted to improve my holistic self, not just my physical body but my emotional and my mental selves. I got it back by being around positive energy at all times. I read a lot of books on mindset, on successful people who’ve overcome trials and found a way to succeed. I was willing to learn something new.

TAKEOFF: What books have helped you?

Ayden: One of them is called Mindset. It talked about the difference between a growth mindset and a static mindset. Your perception of some event can affect how much you impact the outcome. Look at an adversity as something that will benefit you long term. You’ve got to be uncomfortable in order to gain comfort on the other side. With that approach, you’ll just be overall a happier and more successful person. It’s looking at it from the positive end of things.

TAKEOFF: Let’s talk about pole vaulting.

Ayden: (Laughs) Talk about an event that is mentally taxing, that is the most technical event for sure. It’s taken a longer time for me to develop as a pole vaulter than some of my other events. But I think it’s definitely the most exhilarating event and one where I leave the most points on the table and where I’ll continue to improve.

TAKEOFF: What part of pole vaulting do you struggle with?

Ayden: I’m always good on the runway. The thing that I struggled with in my earlier days was fear of getting upside down. Now I work on ensuring that I’m hitting my plant right, ensuring that my left arm is not at my forehead, but actually using it to create that pocket to swing. Now it’s just continuing to get the takeoff more consistent so the swing can come and I can get more inverted and not flag off the pole. It’s just technical things.

TAKEOFF: How often do you pole vault?

Ayden: We jump once a week.

TAKEOFF:Our club, Pole Vault Carolina, is hosting a decathlon for boys and girls - high schoolers, middle schoolers, and masters. What advice would you give young athletes who are competing in the decathlon for the first time?

Ayden: I think that there’s a lot of pressure to specialize at an early age, especially here in the states. Some coaches say you’re just playing football, no track. Or, you’re just doing track, and then within the sport there’s pressure to specialize in particular events.

I feel like in order to know what you’re going to excel in, you have to try as many things as possible. The decathlon is the king of track and field, it is track and field, really. If you want to enjoy the sport to its fullest, there’s no better way than to participate in the ten-event discipline. Maybe you could become the greatest athlete in your area or your school. It’s a cool title being a decathlete, whether you’re male or female. Anyone who wants to can participate in this event - it’s open to everyone.

TAKEOFF: Looking back, what have you sacrificed to chase your decathlon dream?

Ayden: This is a hard question to answer, because a lot of people look at sports and see that they’re making sacrifices to get to where they are. And maybe that’s true. But I think in my particular case, the only thing I’ve sacrificed is comfort and laziness. I would rather not live any other lifestyle than the one I live right now. At 22, I’m able to pursue my dream. I’m able to study for my master’s degree and train amongst the best athletes in the world. I don’t feel like I’m making sacrifices to be in my situation. Yes, it is difficult, but I have free time. This is the lifestyle that I chose, this and all the things that come with it. I don’t see it as an exchange or a trade-off of other potential routes that I could have taken.

TAKEOFF: That is an awesome outlook on life. This one is personal and you don’t have to get into details: how do you support yourself financially?

Ayden: Arkansas takes care of their athletes through and through. They fly me to the meets I attend. I’m able to get the medical care that I need from Arkansas and also from Puerto Rico. Now that I’m competing internationally, there’s support from the Olympic Committee and things that ensure their athletes are able to compete at the highest level. I’m pretty blessed to be in this position to have people helping me succeed to the best of my ability.

Photo provided by Ayden Owens Delerme

TAKEOFF: What other interests do you have outside of track and field?

Ayden: I’m studying for my Master’s in Business Administration and Entrepreneurship. I recently formed my first business called We Play Track, LLC. It enabled me to start hosting camps and clinics. I want to reach back into the community. The last two years with the help of Coach Jose Rivera, I’ve had camps in Puerto Rico. I also had one here in Fayetteville. I’d like to impart my wisdom and experience on some of the young up and comers who could use a mentor. So, one is reaching back into the community and connecting with the people. And then number two, I’d like to stay involved in sports in a business capacity after I’m done with track and field. I don’t really do much other than study, run track, educate myself reading books, and spend time with friends and family.

TAKEOFF: What is something that most people do not know about you, that is not on your social media?

Ayden: I don’t really share my story that much on my social media. A lot of people probably don’t know it, but I’m one of eight children. I feel like so much of my growth, so much of what I know and who I am has been formed by my family.

TAKEOFF: Where are you in the birth order?

Ayden: I’m the sixth, yeah, that’s a pretty cool fact.

TAKEOFF: How does it feel to represent Puerto Rico at the World Championships and hopefully the 2024 Olympics?

Ayden: I was hoping you’d ask that question. First, I just feel proud and honored to be able to showcase our people at the highest level. Not a lot of kids get the opportunity to wear their country’s flag, let alone on a stage that’s the biggest in the world.

I’m in a unique position and I don’t take it lightly. With success comes responsibility, and it’s a big responsibility for me to make sure that I’m representing my people to the best of my ability.

Ever since I was young, my grandparents and my mom told me that representing Puerto Rico was in my future. I didn’t understand the significance at the time. I felt pressured from people around me to represent the U.S. Once I decided against that, I felt people’s resentment. They said, oh, you’re not Puerto Rican, you didn’t even grow up there.

If you grow up in the states in a Puerto Rican family, you have something deep-rooted within you. You are fulfilled by your culture, even if you did not grow up immersed in it on the island. I always felt it and I wanted to embrace it and claim it for myself and for all of us. That’s a long answer, but I take a lot of pride in representing Puerto Rico.

TAKEOFF: I could see that in your face as you as you spoke. Will your family have the chance to go or will they watch on TV?

Ayden: My parents will be there. It’ll be really cool having them. I’ve been super fortunate that they’ve been coming to a lot of the meets this year. I love having them there supporting me, like when I was a little kid. So having the fam there, it’s going to be pretty cool to be able to do it for them for the first time on this big stage.

TAKEOFF: We sincerely appreciate your honesty and your time. I have followed you for years and you seem a lot more mature than a 22 year-old. You know who are and already appreciate the value of family. You are using your talents and enriching us all by doing so. We wish you the best in the World Championships and beyond. Can I take a screenshot of you so people don’t say that I made this up?

Ayden: Sure!

TAKEOFF: There you go. We are rooting for you, Ayden!

Photo provided by Jose R. San Miguel