Norcross teacher chases Olympic dream

Metro Atlanta

Norcross teacher chases Olympic dream

Duluth resident Stephen Harris trains by himself in the cold, hours before sunrise, to prepare for the Olympic decathlon trials in June. He scheduled the workouts around his other job, teaching history at Norcross High School. Harris is a full-time teacher and a professional athlete -- a rare combination that strains his life.

Duluth resident Stephen Harris works two full-time jobs. His first: teaching history at Norcross High. His second: training for the Olympic decathlon trials.

"There is a great love with training," says Harris who does an inverted pullup. "There is a point where you feel like you are crazy for doing this but then you feel your body changing and you get this amazing rush of energy and emotion. But, for me, I feel like this is all very selfish. The question becomes how do you take all that you have and give it all back. For me, it's teaching."

Harris trains six to eight hours a day, waking at 2 a.m. and training for about three hours before reporting for work.

Once there --Norcross, by the way, is his alma mater-- he teaches history to students who are always inquiring about his training habits.

A stack of support cards sit in Harris' classroom. A few students even designed a sign: "Good Luck Coach Harris" that hangs outside his classroom door.

Harris won the 2003 NCAA championship in the decathlon. Magazines rank him as one of the top decathletes in the nation, but only the top three finishers at the trials advance to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

So he works real hard, training again for another three or four hours, after work, before heading home. He's asleep by 8 p.m. most nights and on the track at Peachtree Ridge High by 3 a.m. the next day.

"Once this kid gets his mind set to do something he's doing it," said Harris' former Norcross High coach, Ron Green. "I remember I used to have to yank him off the track because he would train, train, train. If I worry about anything with Stephen, it's him overdoing it."

"I love training," Harris said, "but teaching is my passion." Other top decathletes receive sponsorships and work part-time jobs, allowing them to focus on training. Harris faces the unique challenge of balancing training with a full-time teaching career,

Harris exits his SUV, which touts his University of Tennessee sticker next to a sign with his Olympic-bound website. For Harris, 27, Beijing 2008 will be the last chance to compete before he becomes too old.

Part of Harris' routine: training at an empty Lifetime Fitness at around 4:30 a.m. "Aim for your best today," Harris tells his students. "Then tomorrow, work to beat that best."

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Duluth resident Stephen Harris works two full-time jobs. His first: teaching history at Norcross High. His second: training for the Olympic decathlon trials.

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