Ms. Namita Nayyar:
Who has been your greatest influence and motivator in your success in the field of your career?
Ms. Katherine Reutter-Adamek:
My high school coach, Mike McDonnell. He was the first one who ever taught me about mental toughness. He’s become a great friend and gives me the advice I need to hear even to this day.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
In 2013, due to constant injuries, you announced your retirement at the age of 24. What made you take this huge decision? How did life change after that?
Ms. Katherine Reutter-Adamek:
In 2013 I had been dealing with almost constant injury since late 2009. My physical, mental, and emotional capacity to deal with pain was completely exhausted. After yet another set back in 2013 I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore.
I moved to Milwaukee to coach at the Pettit National Ice Center.
Ms. Namita Nayyar:
In mid-2016, you announced your return to competition with the goal of competing in the 2018 Olympics. How has your preparation been going so far?
Ms. Katherine Reutter-Adamek:
Preparing for 2018 has not gone at all as expected. I underestimated how hard it would be to get back into top physical shape. I also had a lot to learn about training a 28~29 year old body as opposed to a 20~21 year old body. A concussion in Jan 2017 also kept me off the ice for 5 months and was a huge set back in my preparation.
What has helped my preparation the most was choosing to stay in Milwaukee to train with the team I had built at the Pettit National Ice Center. The coach who replaced me, Hongyang Wang, is the best coach I could have asked for and has helped me through every high and low perfectly.
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