A True Olympian: Mattern recognized for outstanding community service

The word "Olympian" is a title reserved for those who make it to the top-level of their respective sport, a title reserved for heroes; but what does it really mean to be an Olympian?

To Cody Mattern, 2008 Olympic Games fencing coach and alternate, 2004 Olympian and Army World Class Athlete, being an Olympian goes beyond competition.

"Being an Olympian means giving back to the people who helped you get to the top of your game; it means igniting passion for sport and humanity in others; and it means using your experience to make someone else's life a little bit better," Mattern said.

For not only possessing this attitude, but for acting on it, Mattern today received a special honor from the Armed Forces - the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal - at Ft. Carson in Colorado Springs, Colo. This award is reserved for members of the Armed Forces of the United States who perform outstanding volunteer service that supports a community over time.

"It's really an honor to receive this recognition," Mattern said. "But, I don't volunteer to be recognized. I volunteer because I enjoy giving back, because it makes sense and because it makes me feel good to be able to use what I already have to help someone else."

Originally from Portland, Ore., Mattern, 28, joined the Army in 2006 after he heard about the World Class Athlete Program (WCAP), which provides soldier-athletes with the support and training needed to compete and succeed in national and international competitions leading to the Olympic and Paralympic Games. After six months of basic training and finishing No. 1 in his class, Mattern was invited to the WCAP program and moved into the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs, which conveniently neighbors the Ft. Carson military base, in Feb. 2007.

"I learned very quickly that Cody was someone I could go to if I needed help with a community event," Sherry Von Riesen, OTC Coordinator of Athlete Services and Programs, said. "It's now to the point that I don't even have to ask Cody to participate in events; instead, he asks me what he can do to help. He's a hero and doesn't even know it. By volunteering, he's found the path that spreads his passion for sport, his passion for life, to the world."

A fencer for the last 14 years, Mattern started volunteering in the realm where he was most comfortable - the fencing strip. By coaching at a local club and attending local clinics, Mattern's passion for coaching was cemented by these first experiences as a volunteer coach.

"I've worked with kids for a long time," said Mattern. "Not only do I enjoy the instant feedback I get from them, but it's rewarding for me to share my experiences with people who haven't yet been exposed to the opportunities I've been fortunate enough to have."

While Mattern continues to volunteer his time as a fencing coach, he also participates in local elementary school visits, mentors patients at Memorial Children's Hospital and attends community events whenever his practice and competition schedule allows. His most recent act of volunteerism was at a Fantasy Flight event at Colorado Springs airport this Saturday. At this event, Cody helped to inspire 55 local children on an airplane headed to the "North Pole" - which was constructed in one of the airport's hangars.

"Cody is so passionate about sport and the difference it can make in people's lives," Alicia McConnell, OTC Athlete Services and Program Director said. "His passion for sport shows whenever he talks about it, whether it's giving a tour or speaking to kids at a school, his passion for the Olympic Movement helps others get excited for what the Olympics is all about. I also think this award is a reflection of the recent strides our training center has made in becoming more involved in the Colorado Springs community - perhaps more than ever before."

Mattern attributes much of his community involvement to Von Riesen who has been lovingly dubbed "Mama Sherry" by OTC resident athletes.

"All of the resident athletes live in a universe that is a three-block radius, and 90 percent of our day, whether training, lifting, eating or sleeping, is devoted to making us better athletes," Mattern said. "And while it's sometimes difficult to see beyond our practices and obligations on complex, Sherry finds us ways to branch out. She helps us to be able to help."

One of the most rewarding opportunities Mattern has had as a resident athlete was to befriend the late Ian Lyons, a 13-year-old boy who was battling a rare and aggressive form of cancer known as Aveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma at Memorial Children's Hospital in Colorado Springs.

"Cody was the first resident athlete I brought to meet Ian, and it was like they had known each other forever" Von Riesen said. "Ian was always pretty quiet around the athletes, but with Cody it was different - they had a special relationship."

Ian, who was made an honorary resident athlete after the hospital reached out to the OTC to support Ian in his struggle for health, lost his battle on April 27, 2009.

"Although Ian was never well enough for a formal fencing lesson like I had promised, we did things that he was able to do, like finger fence," Mattern said.  "My experience with Ian taught me a lot about how to live and the impact he made on my life is truly lasting and something I'll never forget."

With his sights now set on the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Mattern plans to volunteer in the Colorado Springs community and elsewhere throughout his training.

"Volunteering has become a part of who I am," Mattern said. "I can't imagine not helping out in my free time."

It is a part of who he is as an athlete, as a person, as an Olympian.

Tags: Athens 2004 Olympic Games, Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Cody Mattern, Fantasy Flight, Ian Lyons, London 2012 Olympic Games, US Fencing, Vanessa Virbitsky, WCAP, World Class Athlete Program