Personal Profile by Zakary Kaiser

What am I good at?

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:23:04 UTC

I do really well at BMX racing and other sports. Any sport I commit my time to, I can eventually become good at. My training coach told me recently that I have really learned how to be good in the gym by being safe and calm around the equipment. I am good at being disciplined and consistent with my training for sports and in doing school work. I am also good with people. I am pretty comfortable talking in a group and interacting with other people.

What are your interests? Passions?

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:23:27 UTC

I am interested in taking care of my body and my mind so I can be healthy and strong. I am always passionate about staying healthy by eating well, sleeping well, stretching, and exercising. I see myself in the future in a career where I help others take care of themselves, like as a physiotherapist. I am passionate about my sport, BMX. I train every day to be the best. I have been riding my bike for 12 years now. I have a big passion and dream of eventually going to the Olympics, hopefully in Los Angeles in 2028.

What is important to me?

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:26:46 UTC

Doing well in school to eventually get a good job in the future is important for me. I also think it is important for me to be the best at what I do so that I can join Team Canada. To do that, I train hard and actually push myself towards a goal instead of having no goals or ambitions. Another thing that is important to me is getting bigger and stronger so that I can develop myself on and off the BMX track.

How will you continue to develop your career and life choices? What are your personal next steps with reference to future employment?

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:28:54 UTC

In my personal life, I will continue to get more knowledgeable at the gym, on my bike, and by keeping myself healthy so that I can build myself a routine where I can stay consistent and motivated for the harder choices later on in my life. At school, I will continue to work on doing good quality work to get the grades that will allow me to be accepted into the program that I want. I hope that during my career I will be able to share what I learned in my personal life.

You should have 10-15 suggestions on your tip sheet

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:32:26 UTC

Stress management: I will continue to work with my mental health coach when I need it.
Financial literacy: The best way to learn about this is to read about it in books where it teaches you tips and tricks. A good book for that is The Wealthy Barber.
Organization: I will keep my room clean so that I can also keep my head clear and not cluttered. I've read online that you tend to have a lot on your mind if your room is messy.
Work habits: Be coachable and take criticism well. It will help me both in my sport and in my work life later on.
Communicating effectively: I will practice communicating better when I coach kids because they may not understand what I am trying to tell them yet. This skill is going to be useful later in my life when I work.
Time management: I will use my calendar and reminders on my computer and phone because I often forget to do things and I rely on my parents to remind me.
Setting priorities: It is hard to say no to my friends when they ask me to hang out. Most of the time, I have training, so I usually have to say no. It used to be hard to say no because they would start arguing with me that I didn’t need to go train. Peer pressure is hard to deal with.
Time management: Switching to online school helped me get away from distractions when doing work online because I don’t have anyone to bother me or distract me. When I was at school, there would be a million distractions pulling me away from getting my work done.
Adaptability and flexibility: Pushing myself out of my comfort zone in my sport has helped me get over the fear of jumping big jumps on big tracks.
Adaptability and flexibility: When my coach tells me to change something when I ride, I try to do it because it helps me get better. Doing what he says sometimes makes me uncomfortable, and I am getting better at that.
Organization: I like to organize all of my training sheets into a spreadsheet so that I can see if I am getting better overtime.
Perseverance: When I am not feeling well and I don’t want to do my homework or go and train, I do it anyway, because that is how you progress and get better. Pushing through the hard times.

What do you value? How does it influence your decision making? Provide an example (from your school, work and/or personal life).

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:33:16 UTC

I value my time. I don’t like when people waste my time. I have to manage my time because I don’t have much spare time during the day. I go to the gym, I have my BMX training, and I do my school work every day. It influences my decision-making by developing a sense of knowing if this person values my time or not, and if they don’t, I step away. For example, one time my friend asked me if I was free. I said I had some training to do, but I could wake up early and get it done so that I could have spare time. I got my work all done, and I was getting ready to leave. Right when I was about to go over to his house, he said that he didn’t feel well rested because he stayed up too late the night before. I was so mad because he asked me, I did not ask him, and he deliberately stayed up knowing that we were going to hang out the next day. Now I have an unbalanced day because I woke up early. Anyway, I now had a whole day free, so I trained.

I value respect as well. I know everybody says that at the end of the day, you should be the bigger person in certain situations, but when I have had to be the bigger person so many times, it gets very annoying. You feel like you need to start getting the respect you deserve. I am done not sticking up for what I believe is important to me so I can be a bigger person.

Example: Yesterday, I had a doctor's appointment, and the track was an hour and a half away. I was about 30 minutes late. I was warming up on the track because my coach told me to do a couple of warm-up laps. There is more than one group on the track, and the other group of very young kids was already doing their drills. I was not aware of this until later. I am a very experienced rider, so I don’t have trouble getting around the kids. So I did two laps, and apparently I was cutting in front of the little kids. Later on in practice, we were doing the pro set, and there were little kids at the end of the straightaway, and my coach told me to do a half lap. That is what I did, and then after a few turns, some girl about my age walked up to me and was being very rude, as if my coach didn’t tell me to do a half lap. She was telling me to slow down half way through the track when I was going at least 30 miles per hour. I responded to her like I usually do, but apparently I had been super rude and unprofessional. That is what my friend told me when I asked what her problem was. This is an example of how people think they have the audacity to come up to me and tell me what to do when they aren’t even the head coach, especially when the head coach told me to do it a certain way and I have someone yelling at me to do the opposite.

What motivates you (locus of control)? How does this influence your decision making? Provide an example (from your school, work and/or personal life).

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:33:36 UTC

I believe I have an internal locus of control because my motivation comes from within me. When I was young, I was always the biggest kid in my grade. I am guessing, from how I see it now, that the other kids were intimidated because I was always playing rough. This led to my being left out of certain activities in school. This became hard over the years because I just wanted to be accepted. Finally, in grade 9, kids started to like me, but they were doing bad things and would always tell me that I would go nowhere with my sport, I would be nobody. I reminded myself every day that I didn’t want to go out and do something stupid that would allow those kids to win in that argument. They were basically going down the path of not amounting to much other than being popular in high school. I was not going to follow them, I would make my own way.

Example:

Ever since I was a kid, I wanted to thrive, be the best, and be recognized as someone great, so I became very critical of myself. I would push myself to achieve my best, and coming in second or third was not my best. Whenever I see that I am not pushing myself to my max, I remind myself that if you want to be average like everyone else, go hang out with your old friends. This drove me to be the person I am today, looking at myself in the mirror before bed and asking myself, Did I Get Better Today? Slowly, over time, I started to see major progress. I now feel the glory of winning, and I am known as the guy other people are watching out for on the track.

How resilient are you? How does your resiliency influence your decisions? Provide an example (from your school, work and/or personal life).

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:33:51 UTC

I definitely think that I have built resilience over the years. I used to complain a lot about going to the gym or to the BMX track, but now I love it. If you do something you truly like doing, that is how you become good at it. You don’t have to be there, you want to be there, and that’s how you get an advantage compared to people who have the mindset of having to be there to be good. It has influenced my decisions over time because I see the results, and it makes me want to go out there and see how far I can push myself and where I can end up if I get after it every day.

Example:

I recently did a race where my finish was not what I expected. I was mad and in a bad mood. I used meditation and breathing control to help me refocus for the next day. I got over my bad result and came out strong the next day.

Are there any other factors that influence your decision making? Other factors may include family values and parental expectations; the influence of friends and of the communities to which one belongs; cultural identity; gender or gender identity; financial circumstances; potential future earnings; systemic and structural barriers and opportunities; personal preferences with respect to career/life balance.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:34:08 UTC

My parents expect me to do the work in practice, but once race day comes, they don’t necessarily care how I do because there is a factor of luck in the mix when racing BMX. My parents both came from very poor families where they didn’t have much. They worked really hard to get where they are today, and they consider themselves hard workers, so they expect me to want to go after what I want as well. They push me to do my homework, and for sports, they remind me every time I don’t want to do something that it won’t get handed to me. I need to work for what I want, and I can’t expect them to be there for me forever. They have also shown me some of the tricks they learned to build their resilience. So I could say that they definitely helped me build my resilience.

Through my BMX Team Ontario position, I get help from a sports psychologist, a nutritionist, and a strength trainer. All of these people help me build my resilience too.

You may want to consider some social, political, or environmental issues and/or challenges that you feel strongly about. What contributions do you want to make to your local, regional, and/or global communities?

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:34:22 UTC

I think that my regional community needs to invest in more low-key sports, such as BMX. The USA is thriving because their country helps build big tracks and locations. In Canada, it is pathetic how few tracks and support there is compared to other countries. They don’t see the BMX community as important because we don’t have that big of an audience. I believe that if they invest more in it, we could get more exposure for our sport. I would love to see our sport expand in Ontario and even Canada. Canada’s weather makes it hard for us to ride all year. We have to travel south to be able to keep racing at a high level. Helping with that is another way that Canada could support young riders chasing their dreams.

Fill out the following chart with examples of things you have done.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-14 17:35:26 UTC

MY CREDENTIALS

School achievements:

I have always done well. Passing all my classes with success.

Hobbies:

Playing basketball with friends at local courts. I go on bike rides with friends around my neighborhood. Going on drives and listening to music.

Awards, badges, certificates:

I finished 3rd at the World Championship for 16 boys in 2024. I am the National Age Group #3 for 16 boys in the USA. I am 5 times Canadian Champions winner in my respective age group. I am a 2 time junior development winner in Canada (age group 14 to 16 boys). This earned 5 national race wins in the USA in my career. I got second place at the Greatest Race On Earth in the USA in 2023 in my age group.

Teams, clubs, groups:

I played on an Ottawa South Basketball team in Grade 5, as well as last year. I played on my 8th grade volleyball team. I played basketball on the 8th grade team as well.

Special skills (e.g., languages, musical ability, knowledge of software, etc.):

I can speak both French and English very well.

Volunteer activities:

I volunteer most of my time at the BMX track, where I help the little kids get better at their sport. I volunteered at a track meet last year for my school. I also helped the UCI committee to get all the racing plates ready this year at the World Championship.

Participation in household responsibilities (such as mowing the lawn):

I clean the dishes, I do the laundry, I take out the trash. I also help my dad by mowing the law and trimming the bushes.

Other (ie. traveling):

I have been to 7 countries in my life. Most of them were for a BMX race, which I find pretty cool.

Each piece must be accompanied by an explanation of what the credential is (5 W’s) with a pictureExplain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-18 13:03:07 UTC

What is this credential is (5 W’s: who, what, where, why, when & how?)

This is a picture of me at the BMX World Championships after finishing my racing. I am holding a trophy for finishing third in the world for 16-year-old boys. My category had 123 riders from around the world. This race happened in Rock Hill, South Carolina. It was the world championships that happen at a different place every year. There was a whole week dedicated to all racing categories. It was on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, and it was on the 4th day of racing. How you qualify is by finishing in the top eight at the Canadian championships the year before, which I won. Canada only sends 16 riders per age group.

Explain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)

This is very important to me because I made myself a goal of getting a world plate before I turned 17. When you turn 17, your BMX license changes from a challenge to a championship license, which means you are now part of the championship group. This group has only 2 people sent from Canada, so it is really hard to be able to go. I really wanted to get a world plate before winning the championship.

Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

This credential assists me in my career because, ever since I got it, I have gained more experience in how to control my stress at races. Nothing is as big as that race, so other races are small and easy. This will also motivate me to train seriously because I want to get another one next year. Setting a long-term goal will keep me focused on my priorities.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-18 13:12:07 UTC

What is this credential is (5 W’s: who, what, where, why, when, & how?)

I have won all of these BMX Canadian Championship medals in the past few years. These are the medals that you win when you finish first in a race called the BMX Canadian Championships. This means that you are the best in Canada. These races were all at different places. Three of them were in Drummondville, Quebec. The other two were in Calgary, Alberta. This race is done every year to crown the best Canadian BMX racer for each age group. The race is often held in July or August. You race three qualifying races, and then, based on how many points you have, the person with the fewest points gets to pick their gate first. This goes on until the final race for the medal.

Explain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)

It has value because I would like to have as many of those medals as possible to then be known as the person with the most Canadian championship medals. They show me how my race skills are getting better. They remind me of all the work I did to get them.

Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

This has helped me because it gives me recognition from BMX racers. That recognition helps me be more confident on race days and when trying to get BMX sponsors. I am able to ask them for help and use my medals as a way of showing them my value to them. This also helps me learn the skill of working to get ahead and go the extra mile. If I can get more of these medals, I can show I am a really consistent racer worth investing in. The soft skill of selling myself is uncomfortable for me, so I need to have some things to show my value.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-18 13:16:46 UTC

What is this credential is (5 W’s: who, what, where, why, when & how?)

I won these two trophies. These are CANADA BMX Junior Development Champion trophies for boys ages 14–16. Only the champion of this series gets a trophy. The right one is from the year 2022, when I won it as a 14-year-old. The second one is from the year 2023, when I was 15. They do this so that the riders in this age group, who will be junior elites in the upcoming years, get noticed by the national team coach. This series starts in July and ends at the end of August.

Explain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)

It is very valuable to me because I am the first person to win two of these titles in a row. I won it against a group of strong racers that included my older brother, so I am quite proud of this.

Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

This has gotten me a lot of exposure from the national team coach to show him that I am a very consistent and courageous racer who can win many races over the course of many months. Not all racers are courageous, and that is what the national coach is looking for. Getting these two trophies makes me want to get the third to complete the set, and I work hard toward getting the third trophy. I like to finish what I start, so the third trophy is a nice way to show my job is done in Junior Devo.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-18 13:21:06 UTC

What is this credential is (5 W’s: who, what, where, why, when & how?)

This is a BMX Grands Trophy. This is from the biggest race of the year, where all the work on the USA circuit pays off and you see where you stand. Last year, I made it to the finals and got second place. This was in Tulsa, Oklahoma. This is the last race where you go and see how you place here to add to your points. However, your standing after this race will determine your NAG standing (National Age Group). This race is always at the same barn at the same time of year, in November. I trained very hard before this race, I gave it all I got, and with a little bit of luck, I pulled through and got 2nd. My race bike was stolen the week before this race from the campground where we were staying. I had to get a second bike ready to race with and train on it for 2 days to be ready to race.

Explain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)

It means a lot to me because I have always wanted to make the podium at this race. The year before, I didn’t even make the finals, so making the finals was a huge deal for me.

Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

Winning this trophy after the crazy week I had with my bike being stolen really taught me a lot about being resilient and moving forward after a big setback. I was so mad that my bike was stolen that I had to take the next day and meditate with music to help my emotions and anger calm down. When I got my replacement bike, we worked to get it set up right, and then I went to work to practice with it in the parking lot to get ready to race.

zakarykaiser — 2024-06-18 13:23:10 UTC

What is this credential is (5 W’s: who, what, where, why, when & how?)

I won this and made 40 dollars on a Saturday race day. It is an award for being the first person out of the first corner in a BMX racing final. It was at one of my local tracks, this one was in Gatineau. It was to give back to the racer, to recognize good racers, and to make the race a bit more exciting for everyone. They don’t give out many of these for my age group, and this was the last one that summer. It was in July 2023. This check is for pictures on the podium, and I got the $40 as cash.

Explain the value it adds to your life (why is it important?)

It has value because it is my first big check that I have won. These are more common for the Pro and Elite racers at our races, so getting one was special.

Explain how this credential assists you in your career journey by helping you learn or work on skills ( ie. essential skills, soft and hard skills). Give a minimum of 2 skills.

It is cool to have in my room, and it reminds me of how cool it is to hang up awards on the wall. If I want to get these as a pro racer, I must be dedicated to my training. It is also a reminder for me when I coach to use awards to make kids try their best. I just coached at a BMX birthday party, and I finished the party off with a race and a trophy that I donated. The kids loved it, and even the ones who were scared wanted to race for that trophy.