Eric Shanteau
Inspirational Gold Medal Olympian and Cancer Survivor
Eric Shanteau broke onto the national scene at the age of 16 when he swam at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Competing in the 200 and 400 IM against many of his heroes in swimming, Eric finished 10th and 11th respectively. Upon graduating high school two years later Eric became the first male in the history…
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Full Bio
Eric Shanteau broke onto the national scene at the age of 16 when he swam at the 2000 Olympic Trials. Competing in the 200 and 400 IM against many of his heroes in swimming, Eric finished 10th and 11th respectively. Upon graduating high school two years later Eric became the first male in the history of the USA Swimming Scholastic All-American Program to graduate with a 4.0 GPA and win a national title.
Eric went on to attend Auburn University where he completed his four years of eligibility undefeated in team competitions. During that time his time compiled 32 dual meet victories, 4 SEC titles, and 4 NCAA titles. Eric was a co captain his senior year as he finished out his flawless career at Auburn. Eric graduated in 2006 with a degree in Entrepreneurship and Family Business and was named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll and a CSCAA Academic All American. After graduating, Eric moved to Austin, TX to train with coach Eddie Reese in preparation for the 2008 Olympic Trials.
On June 19, 2008, just one week before he was to compete for a spot on the Olympic Team, Eric was diagnosed with testicular cancer. Eric was cleared to compete and went on to make the Olympic Team in the 200 breaststroke. After careful consideration Eric decided to delay treatment and stay on the team in order to fulfill his lifelong dream of competing in the Olympics. Despite battling cancer, Eric swam a personal best time at the Beijing Olympics. Upon returning home Eric underwent treatment and was officially declared cancer free on September 15, 2008. Since that time he has become a voice for young adult cancer awareness.
Less than a year after going through cancer, Eric would return to the pool and establish himself among the worlds elite. At the world championships in 2009 Eric broke the American Records in both the 100 and 200 meter breaststroke. He also broke the World Record and became a World Champion as part of the 4 x 100 Medley Relay. Eric currently trains under coach Dave Salo at the University of Southern California where he is looking toward the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Testimonials
Ernie was perfect for our Elders Conference at Little River Casino Resort in Manistee, Michigan. We will definitely be using PDA again!
LITTLE RIVER BAND OF OTTAWA INDIANS
Our speaker was great and the crowd enjoyed her! She was very engaging. Thank you again PDA for the great list of suggestions!
MEDTRONIC
Everything went great! and our speaker was wonderful! Thank you so much for all your help PDA! Looking forward to the next one.
UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – KANSAS CITY
I hope that this message finds you well. We had a phenomenal time with Atsuko this past Thursday. We wanted to just let you know how amazing she was. All those that were in attendance thoroughly enjoyed her and had nothing but amazing things to say about her. Thank you for working with us to make sure this happened!
BAYLOR UNIVERSITY CAMPUS
We had a fantastic day with Inge! She was very engaging with all those that attended. Her personal stories about the holocaust were very special and we were moved that she was willing to share them with everyone. Thank you again, PDA for all your hard work and dedication to make this program such a success!
SALT LAKE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Dear PDA Group, Thank you so much for your hard work in scheduling our speaker! From the moment we reached out to you the first time, you worked with us on all details and logistics and kept us up-to-date on the progress. Thank you for all your hard work on making our event such a success! We couldn't have done it without you and your team!
SAP COMPANY
Thank you again, Dr. Kimbrough, for a great presentation, our attendees are still talking about it!
CAMPUS LABS
Dr. Henry Lee's presentation was entertaining, insightful and wise. I, and everyone at Pfizer, especially appreciate the remarks you directed about following your passion and preparing yourself to excel. Thank you, everyone, at PDA for helping to make this happen!
PFIZER
The event was successful! I received many messages expressing how awesome, outstanding and inspiring Ms. Webb-Christburg's speech was."
DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. MEMORIAL BREAKFAST, BOSTON, MLK SPEAKER
Everything went well. Atsuko was very easy to work with and the students enjoyed her performance! Thank you again for your recommendation and I hope to work with you again in the future!
CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Dr. Novello left this morning after a very successful event on our campus! Thank you PDA Group for your help from the first phone to the last you were with us every step of the way.
GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY
Jordan Carlos was very very entertaining! A majority of students who answered the event survey indicated they really enjoyed Jordan and definitely will bring him back!
WESTERN CAROLINA UNIVERSITY
On behalf of myself and my organization Entertainment Unlimited the Campus Programming Board of Ferris State University, we thank you PDA and Dan for a successful event!! Dan was magnificent! Students really enjoyed the presentation. I know I did. Can't wait to bring in more programs with PDA Group.
FERRIS STATE UNIVERSITY
It was a great pleasure to work with PDA Group! The communication was always prompt, friendly and helpful. We loved the speakers and events we booked through Mr. Peter Walker (PDA Group).
WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
Thank you, Peter, for all your help, you'll be happy to know that the event went incredibly well! Aneesa Ferreira was by far one of the best speakers we've ever had!
FURMAN UNIVERSITY
Topics
- Bring your Goals to Life: Achieving the Top 1%
Eric Shanteau set a goal of becoming an Olympic swimmer at the age of 10. After narrowly missing the 2004 games, he qualified in 2008, only to discover he had cancer, and delayed his treatment in order to compete. He achieved his dream by winning a gold medal at the 2012 games as part of the medley relay team. Ranked in the top 1% of swimmers in the world from 2008 to 2012, Shanteau explains how to deal with change, what do when things are out of your control and how to persevere no matter what the odds. Shanteau challenges audiences to reach for their dreams not just by setting goals, but by making a plan to achieve those goals. He explains how learning to fail helps to achieve ultimate success and that visualization is an important process along the road to achieving the future you want. - Keeping My Head Above Water: Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Eric Shanteau’s cancer diagnosis was one of the biggest stories of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Shanteau takes his audience on a journey from the harsh reality of a cancer diagnosis to winning an Olympic gold medal. The ability to persevere under any circumstance is a quality Shanteau has had the opportunity to test time and again. In this presentation he demonstrates the power of a positive mindset and the importance of a never-quit attitude as key factors in his ability to always find the silver lining.
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Eric Shanteau - Cancer survivor, Olympic swimmer, and Motivational Speaker
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