从赛德到赛场:奥运冠军在牛津大学商学院的成功之旅

学术   2024-07-28 07:00   英国  

在最近的八届奥运会中,每一年都能在赛场上看到牛津大学赛德商学院学生校友的身影,这次在巴黎也不例外。

Saïd Business School students and alumni have competed at each of the last eight Olympic games, and Paris will be no exception.

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从赛德到赛场


自从1996年(赛德商学院成立之年),穆罕默德·阿里点燃火炬、前美国总统比尔·克林顿宣布亚特兰大奥运会开幕以来,奥运会发生了巨变。滑板、霹雳舞和冲浪现在已经与350多种体育项目一起,纳入奥运会竞技项目之中,美国也已迎来送往了四任总统。但始终不变的是,牛津大学赛德商学院的学生和校友在过去的八届奥运会上都有参赛。牛津赛德社群成员摘得的奖牌总数包括七枚金牌、三枚银牌和四枚铜牌,甚至超过了一些国家;考虑到参赛运动员的数量只有21名,这样的成绩尤显亮眼。或许,其中最著名的是因Facebook而闻名的温克尔沃斯双胞胎兄弟(比特币Gemeni交易所创始人)——尽管严格来说,他们在2008年北京奥运会上参赛时,距离他们进入牛津赛德攻读MBA还有一年。



赛德商学院的奥运选手中,有18位都是划船运动员。他们来自世界各地,包括百慕大、美国、新西兰、澳大利亚、荷兰、瑞士和英国。此外,还有三位运动员参加了铁人三项、橄榄球和游泳比赛,他们分别来自斐济/美国和南非。


今年也不例外。两届奥运会划船选手安德斯·魏斯(牛津赛德2017-18)据称将成为美国队的一员,参加巴黎奥运会。这位31岁的运动员曾在入读牛津赛德之前和之后,出现在东京和里约奥运会的赛场上。另一位将参加巴黎奥运会的学生会在秋季入学。


牛津赛德MBA的校友名单非常耀眼——他们在完成这一享誉全球的课程后,现正在如电影和金融等各个领域中,处于领袖地位。课程吸引了来自世界各地的最聪明、最优秀的人才。即将入学的汤姆·麦金托什已获得东京奥运会金牌,还将在巴黎争取再一次的优胜。

From Oxford to the Olympics 


The Olympics have changed dramatically since President Bill Clinton opened the Atlanta Games in 1996 with Muhammed Ali lighting the cauldron. Skateboarding, breakdancing, and surfing are now included among more than 350 sports, and there have been four US presidents in the intervening years. But one thing that has remained consistent is that students and alumni from Oxford University's Saïd Business School have competed at each of the last eight games. And the School community's medal haul - seven gold, three silver, and four bronze - is more than some countries, especially impressive for just 21 athletes. Perhaps the most famous among them - the Winklevoss twins of Facebook fame - though technically they competed in Beijing 2008, a year before they came to Oxford Saïd to study their MBA.



Eighteen of the School’s Olympians have been rowers. They have come from far and wide, with Bermuda, USA, New Zealand, Australia, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and GB all represented. And three athletes have competed in Triathlon, Rugby, and Swimming—from Fiji/USA and South Africa.


This year is no different. Anders Weiss, the two-time Olympian rower (Oxford Saïd 2017-18), is understood to be part of the USA team for Paris. The 31-year-old competed in the Tokyo and Rio Games—before and after his time at Oxford Saïd. Also going to Paris is a student who arrives in the autumn.


Oxford Saïd’s MBA program has a glittering list of alumni who have undertaken the prestigious course and are now leading in various businesses, from film to finance, on every conceivable path. It attracts the brightest and the best from around the world. Tom Mackintosh, an incoming MBA student, has a very good claim to be both bright and best, having already won an Olympic Gold Medal in Tokyo. He will be competing for a second in Paris.

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汤姆·麦金托什:为什么来牛津?


汤姆下周将前往巴黎参赛,他受到父亲乔克的启发,从高中时开始划船;乔克曾是学校的划船选手,与他分享了“励志”的竞技划船生涯。汤姆敢于迎难而上——这位新西兰年轻人追随父亲的脚步,终于在日本的作为八人艇中的一员参赛;这一次,他将在法国参加单人划艇比赛。


“对划船而言,这是一种截然不同的体验,”他说,“我从大船换成了小船,从单桨换成了双桨。这是一个巨大的挑战,但我非常享受这个过程。”


与此同时,汤姆也一直在思考赛艇运动生涯后的生活。与一些运动不同,划船的收入并不高。除了国际比赛,他还在新西兰成功地完成了商务类课程,并一直希望在商业环境中工作或者创业。他还热衷于发表励志演讲——当然这只是业余爱好。


他认为,在巴黎参赛之后攻读牛津MBA“将是绝佳的技能提升途径”——自然地,他很可能会参加明年的牛剑划船比赛(对牛津来说这是好事,对剑桥则不然)。汤姆将他在国际比赛中学到的成功经验,以及能借鉴运用的技能,视作对未来商业生涯至关重要的资本:“我非常希望在一家企业工作,成为高效团队中的一员,创造真正的业绩。” 


毫无疑问,他将心想事成。

Why Oxford?


Tom, who goes to the French capital next week, started rowing in high school, inspired by his father Jock, who had competed as a school rower and told 'inspirational' stories about the [hard] life of competitive rowing. Tom does not do things because they are easy, and the young New Zealander followed his father into a boat, ending up rowing in the Kiwi Eight boat in Japan. This time, he will be competing in a single scull in France.

'It’s about as different as it gets in rowing,' he says. 'I have gone from a big boat to a small boat and from one oar to two. It’s been a steep learning curve, and I’m enjoying the ride.'

But typically, Tom has also always thought about life after rowing. Unlike some sports, it is not highly remunerated. Alongside competing internationally, he has successfully undertaken courses in commerce and business in his homeland and always wanted to work in business, either for himself or in a commercial setting. He also enjoys motivational speaking—although that is just a sideline.

Coming to do the Oxford MBA after Paris, he says, 'will be a really good way to upskill'—although [happily for Oxford but not Cambridge], it looks likely he will be taking part in the boat race next year. Tom sees the success and transferable skills he has learned in international competition as fundamental to his future in business: 'I’d really like to work in a business as part of a high functioning team delivering real results.' 

And you just know he will.
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罗茜·波帕:“我很期待几天后为我的前队友和竞争对手们加油。”


从远动员转型商界的成功已有先例——并非每位运动来牛津都会继续赛艇。


在赢得奥运金牌后,你会做什么?当然是来牛津赛德!在2020年东京奥运会金牌得主、澳大利亚女子无舵手四人赛项目的奥运冠军和奥运会纪录保持者罗茜·波帕看来,两者之间有很多相似之处。


罗茜将在巴黎奥运会开始时完成她的MBA课程。但三年前,在推迟的东京奥运会上,她还与队友并肩站在领奖台上。有遗憾吗?想重返赛场去划船吗?


“绝对没有,”罗茜笑着说道,她在比赛时每周训练六到七天,每天八小时。


“我很高兴在2022年选择了退役,”她坚定地说,“我在这项运动中竭尽全力,留下了无悔的回忆。我怀念所有美好的部分,没有什么比得上代表自己国家的最高水平,与最亲密的队友一起参与竞技的感觉——但这就够了。”


“奥运会是一个非常紧张和独特的体验,我很期待几天后为我的前队友和竞争对手们加油。”


罗茜没有在牛津参与赛艇。那并不是她来到牛津的动机。她决定专注研究生课程,完全沉浸在学术中,并把注意力集中在未来的职业生涯上。当她初访牛津时,她就知道自己找到了归宿:“我很想融入到一个高绩效的环境中,与有着完全不同背景和经验的人在一起——这就是吸引我来到牛津的原因。”

'I am looking forward to supporting my past teammates and competitors in a few days’ time.'


This is a path already traveled—although not everyone comes to Oxford for the rowing. 

What do you do when you have won Olympic gold? Come to Oxford Saïd, of course. According to Tokyo 2020 Gold Medallist Rosie Popa, who is an Olympic Champion and Olympic Record Holder in the Australian Women’s Coxless Four event, there are more than a few similarities.

Rosie is set to complete her MBA just as the Paris Olympic Games start. But three years ago, at the delayed Tokyo games, she stood alongside her teammates on the podium. Any regrets? Any thoughts of going back to rowing?

'Absolutely not,' laughs Rosie, who used to train eight hours a day, six to seven days a week when she was competing at the highest level.

"I feel very contented to have retired in 2022," she says firmly. "I left no stone unturned and gave everything I had as an athlete in the sport. I miss all the good parts; there is nothing like competing at the top level, representing your country with some of your closest teammates whom you trust and respect more than anyone else, but that’s as it should be."

"The Olympics is an extremely intense and unique experience, and I am looking forward to supporting my past teammates and competitors in a few days’ time."

Rosie has not rowed at Oxford. That was not her motivation for coming here. She says she decided she wanted to embark on graduate study and completely immerse herself in academia and focus her attention on her career. When she initially visited Oxford, she knew she had found her place: "I really wanted to be part of a high-performance environment with like-minded people but who have come from completely different backgrounds and experiences to me – and that was what drew me to Oxford."
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曾经精英运动员的经历,令她在牛津赛德受益匪浅。


罗茜解释道,作为顶级赛艇运动员时掌握的时间管理、压力管理和专注力等经验,在求学中非常有用。


“你可以从每一段经历中学有所得,”她解释道,“但从我的角度来看,体育成就给了你尝试新事物的信心。我一直有意识地避免误入‘冒名顶替综合症’的陷阱,专注于我需要做的事情,并被其他人的成功所激励,而不是被吓倒。”


罗茜热爱她在牛津的时光,在这里她遇到了许多“令人惊叹且多元不同的人”。在竞技体育之后,她转向了另一个赛道,投身到另一个高绩效的环境中。


“这真是一个充满智慧的环境,”罗茜兴奋地说,“即使在商学院之外,我也乐于见到大家如何思考,以及分享各自的观点。这改变了我的思维方式。我喜欢这里在保留悠久传统的同时,还充满了变革创新。”


现在,罗茜已经进入了另一个高绩效的环境——加入一家知名车企从事汽车制造业。她目前正作为牛津可持续发展目标影响实验室学者,在宝马集团实习。


她担任领导力和文化项目的负责人,以支持宝马集团的可持续循环运营创新战略:“我喜欢看到其他高绩效团队和人才的工作方式。他们之间都有着显著的共性,这些经历也进一步突显了从体育可以借鉴到到生活其它领域的技能。我希望我的行动和我选择的道路,能够成为其他运动员在退役后进入生活新阶段时的灵感来源。”


2024年8月,牛津赛德MBA课程的招生官将在上海、北京和香港举办宣讲活动,解答申请疑问,分享录取信息,详情请阅读下文:

Being an elite sportsperson has really helped at Oxford Saïd.


Rosie explains that lessons she learned as a top rower—such as time management, stress management, and focus—have been invaluable at the School.


"You can learn from every experience," she explains. "But from my perspective, sporting success gives you the confidence to try things. I’ve been very conscious to not get drawn into having imposter syndrome, focusing on what I need to do, and being energized, not intimidated, by other people’s success."


Rosie has loved her time at Oxford, meeting so many "amazing and diverse people." After sport, it was a sharp pivot to a different sort of high-performance environment.


"It’s a very intellectual environment," says Rosie enthusiastically. "Even beyond the business school, I love the way people think about and share their ideas. It’s changed my way of thinking. I love that it is so innovative alongside the old traditions."


Rosie has jumped into another form of high-performing environment—car manufacturing with one of the more recognizable companies. She is currently in the middle of an internship at BMW Group as an Oxford SDG Impact Lab Fellow.


She holds the role of Project Lead in a Leadership and Culture project to support BMW Group’s innovation strategy for sustainable circular operations: "I love seeing how other high-performing teams and workforces operate. There are very strong commonalities between them all, and this experience has continued to highlight how many transferable skills there are from sport into other avenues of life. I hope through my actions and the way I have decided to carve my own path to be a source of inspiration to other athletes as they enter the next phase of their life once retiring from elite sport."


In August 2024, Oxford MBA recruitment and admission team is coming to meet you in Shanghai, Beijing, and Hong Kong, answering questions and sharing information about the application process - read the following articles for more details:
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在你的city遇见牛津:MBA招生官8月来上海/北京/香港跟你见面啦





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