Dancing with the Stars – Another Win for Apolo Anton Ohno

It doesn’t matter if Apolo Anton Ohno is competing in the Olympics or Dancing With the Stars, he shows us what commitment, focus and perseverance look like!

Last week, 23 million people watched him and his partner, Karina Smirnoff, dance the Viennese Waltz to a tender Rascal Flats song about a woman battling cancer, who only feels safe in the arms of the man she loves.

“He holds her close and for a moment she’s not scared,” says Apolo before the performance. “I am going to have to get to a place where I can access emotions I’ve never shown before.”

That’s what makes Apolo so special. Last week before they went on stage, he and Karina had an argument because she was trying to pull more emotion out of Apolo, who has difficulty expressing himself. This week he allowed himself to be vulnerable, and the three judges, Carrie Ann Inaba, Len Goodman, and Bruno Tonioli each rewarded him with a 10 for a perfect score of 30.

This week, instead of an elegant Viennese Waltz, Apolo and Karino did a fusion of the Cha Cha and a Pasa Doble and it was HOT, HOT, HOT!!! After they finished dancing, Karina said Apolo was shy about taking off his shirt, and that it took him eight weeks to finally do it. Two completely different dances —one where he had to show such tender emotion and the other that required him to be sexy. Both were out of his comfort zone, but he performed them like a champ.

The reason Apolo has such a hard time showing his feelings is because he had a difficult childhood. Yet he listened to Karina’s coaching. He dug deep, overcame his fears, and connected emotionally with his dance partner in front of millions of people. It doesn’t get scarier than that.

My parents divorced when I was an infant, and I was raised by my father—who came to the United States from Japan with only a camera around his neck when he was 18 wanting to pursue the American Dream. He worked 12 hours a day and ended up owning a hair salon in Seattle. He had no family in the U.S. to help him take care of me, so he did his best to keep me busy by getting me involved with competitive swimming and quad-speed roller skating at the age of six.

Growing up I had no direction, and I was always fighting with my dad. If he said red, I would say blue, if he said white, I’d say black. Not because it was right or wrong, just because I wanted to fight. As a kid I had tons of energy. I was a strong personality who wanted to do what I wanted to do, who thought I knew more than the world.

– Apolo Anton Ohno

LIFE LESSON: How many times do we shut down or put up our guard when someone gives us constructive criticism? It’s better to receptive; sometimes people can see our strengths and weaknesses better than we can. Be open to new experiences.

Twenty-three million people may watch DWTS, but that pales in comparison to the 190 million people in the U.S. alone who watched the Olympics in 2002, 2006, and 2010, the years that Apolo competed as a short-track speed skater.

Years of commitment, focus and perseverance prepared him for the Olympics long before he got there and helped him win two gold, two silver, and four bronze medals—making him the most decorated American Winter Olympic athlete of all time.

Apolo was comfortable competing in the world of speed skating, but he was like a fish out of water when it came to ballroom dancing. He went for it anyway not knowing that it was his appearance on Season 4 of Dancing with the Stars in 2007 that would allow him to develop a  different side of himself. He brought the same level of commitment, focus and perseverance to the dance floor that he’d brought to the ice rink, and he was crowned the champion and rewarded with the mirror ball trophy.

Five years later Apolo Anton Ohno appeared again on DWTS Season 15’s All Star Show, whose cast included previous celebrity contestants and champions, who are all willing to endure the same grueling, intense rehearsal schedule in the hopes of winning.

LIFE LESSON: When we watch DWTS, we see the struggles and injuries that happen behind the scenes, but we don’t see the countless hours that go into making these dances look effortless and elegant on stage. Nothing worth having comes easy. So many people expect instant gratification or have a sense of entitlement. Do what you love with joy and determination, even if there is no guarantee you will succeed. The sense of accomplishment in trying is its own reward.

Ultimately, I can’t control if I win or lose. When it comes down to it, it’s not up to me. But if I come prepared and give 100 percent, then I can walk away from anything in life with my head held high. Maybe it just wasn’t my day; if it was, then I can celebrate. But if it wasn’t then I can learn from that and go on to the next thing.

“I learned that no matter what path or decision you take, you don’t know what the end result is going to be. You’re looking up at that big mountain, but you can’t see the peak because it’s hazy in the clouds. In life we don’t know what the future’s going to hold, but we know that there’s a mountain to climb and the only thing we can do is keep looking up and keep climbing.”

– Apolo Anton Ohno

We may not compete in the Olympics or appear on Dancing With the Stars, but we can live our own best life!

In Latin, the Olympic motto reads “Citius, Altius, Fortius – Communiter” which means “Faster, Higher, Stronger – Together”

You can read the full “Up Close and Personal with Apolo Anton Ohno” article here.