Sam Golden stands at the side of the track, grinning below his sunglasses.
It is October 31, and he has embraced the Halloween spirit by donning the garb of an old-fashioned neighborhood milkman. His white polo shirt is tucked smartly into white pants, divided by a black belt. A black bow tie sits jauntily, if a little crookedly, below his collar. He holds a white six-pack container (reassuringly labeled "MILK") in his left hand. A matching white baseball cap, complete with "MILK" in Sharpie across the front, fits snugly on his head.
A tall young man, Golden is nonetheless dwarfed by the long white javelin he holds in his right hand, which soars another three feet above his head into a dangerous-looking point. In all, the ensemble is entirely monochromatic, with the exception of the nametag on Golden's chest that brings a tiny pop of color to the outfit.
(The javelin blocks the writing on the nametag. Perhaps it also says "MILK".)
-----
Kelly Sullivan chuckles as he recalls Golden's costume. "He's very lighthearted, really," says the head coach of Seattle U track and field. "The milkman outfit was funny, but that's just like him."
The two – Sullivan and Golden – met when Golden was just a sophomore, in Sullivan's first year at the helm of the track and field program. It didn't take long for Sullivan to realize that he had something special in Golden, who competes in both the javelin throw and the 400m hurdles. "I have a lot of respect for him," he admits. "He's modest, and downplays what he does a lot, but that combination of events is one of the hardest things you can do in track and field."
Golden, now a senior, is also the only student-athlete currently enrolled in Seattle U's ROTC program.
"His is a very unique situation," says Sullivan. "Not many private schools have ROTC programs in the first place, so Sam especially stands out here as a Division I athlete, full-time student, and cadet. Even one of those things is hard enough."
Not that anyone would know it. "He shows no chink in his armor," says Sullivan. "I've never seen him complain about any of it. The early mornings, the late nights…one minute he'll be with us at practice, then he's in his military gear and headed out to drill for the weekend. Regardless, he comes right back on Monday ready to go."
Assistant Coach Chad Pharis agrees with Sullivan's assessment. "He'll have just done a ruck hike for ROTC in the morning before a hard workout day, and he won't tell us," he says of Golden, shaking his head in good-natured exasperation. "He's tough as nails."
In 2019, Golden was named to the Western Athletic Conference's Top 20 performance list for both of his events in track and field, also making the Academic All-WAC Team. He is currently a second lieutenant in the ROTC program. Clearly, the hard work has paid off.
--
"I'm used to a busy schedule," admits Golden, briefly rubbing a hand along his jawline.
A native of Chimacum, Wash., Golden played basketball and football in high school, in addition to a two-year stint as track and field team captain. Now, he channels that energy into his studies, athletics and the ROTC program.
Golden's family was heavily involved with the military – his father was a member of the Navy, while his grandfather worked as a linguist in the Army – but it had little effect on his decision to enlist as a cadet. "It was more about the opportunities that ROTC provided, rather than a lifelong passion for the military," he says. "I was a little on-the-fence about going to college at all."
That changed when he visited Seattle U and happened to meet with the ROTC recruiters. "I wasn't in JROTC in high school, but they were still interested in me," says Golden. "They gave me the opportunity to do an overnight visit on campus, to see what life was like.
"Afterward, I figured that I could do this for four years and get my schooling paid for while I'm at it," he finishes with a smile that is somehow both sly and sheepish.
His true passion, he says, is languages. Growing up, Golden pored over maps and devoured history books with an unusual voraciousness for a young child. In his junior year of high school, he studied abroad in Spain for an entire year, which cemented his desire to pursue international relations as a career.
During the summer of 2019, Golden seized an opportunity to further that dream. He participated in Project Global Officer (Project GO), the Department of Defense's language acquisition program for ROTC cadets. He spent two months in Muscat, Oman, taking courses in Arabic and spending much of his time with a private language tutor.
"It's a very modern city," says Golden, eyebrows raising slightly as he recalls his initial surprise. "Muscat is located by a port – Mutrah – so it makes sense that it's more globalized and progressive than some of the areas further inland. It was really cool for me to see the contrast in how people live now versus how they lived before the modernization of the country."
Golden's two months in Oman continued to surprise him in a number of positive ways. "Everybody spoke English there, which was a relief," he chuckles. "At the beginning, my Arabic was not quite at the conversational level – I had only taken two years of it at Seattle U."
Regardless, just about everyone he encountered was very hospitable. "Omanis are some of the most friendly, polite people that I've ever met," Golden says. "It really helped me reflect on myself and how I treat others." He describes an instance where he and a friend visited a library in the scorching desert heat, only to find it closed. Instantly, the security guard offered to give the two a ride to the nearest air-conditioned mall. "Everyone is like that," remarks Golden. "A lot of the other cadets had similar experiences."
Although he expected a highly conservative society, Golden found that Oman is also very progressive in regard to women's rights and societal roles. "People there take a lot of pride in their country, but don't try to proselytize or put down other people because of their beliefs," he explains, noting that Omani law also forbids infringement upon rights to practice one's own religion. This invites a large number of immigrants from the surrounding countries, who come to work and raise families how they wish, creating a highly multicultural environment.
"The Middle East is such a dynamic region," muses Golden. The overall experience was not at all what he expected going in.
Sam Golden came back from Oman, perhaps, just a little bit different in his worldview.
Perhaps, in his mind, just a little bit better.
--
Once Golden graduates in June of 2020 with an international studies degree, he will have to continue serving in the Army Reserves on a part-time basis for eight years to pay back his scholarship. Besides that, he is keeping his options open. "I'd love to end up in the Foreign Service area of the Department of State, working in U.S.-Middle East relations," he says. "Going to Oman was such a great opportunity for me to see how things really are over there."
He pauses. "You do have to pass a number of tests to get in, though, so that would involve a little more school." His facial expression flickers slightly – he does not appear enthused at the idea – and Sam Golden considers his next words.
"Maybe not right off the bat," he decides, laughing.
After all, he has options.
It is October 31, and he has embraced the Halloween spirit by donning the garb of an old-fashioned neighborhood milkman. His white polo shirt is tucked smartly into white pants, divided by a black belt. A black bow tie sits jauntily, if a little crookedly, below his collar. He holds a white six-pack container (reassuringly labeled "MILK") in his left hand. A matching white baseball cap, complete with "MILK" in Sharpie across the front, fits snugly on his head.
A tall young man, Golden is nonetheless dwarfed by the long white javelin he holds in his right hand, which soars another three feet above his head into a dangerous-looking point. In all, the ensemble is entirely monochromatic, with the exception of the nametag on Golden's chest that brings a tiny pop of color to the outfit.
(The javelin blocks the writing on the nametag. Perhaps it also says "MILK".)
-----
Kelly Sullivan chuckles as he recalls Golden's costume. "He's very lighthearted, really," says the head coach of Seattle U track and field. "The milkman outfit was funny, but that's just like him."
The two – Sullivan and Golden – met when Golden was just a sophomore, in Sullivan's first year at the helm of the track and field program. It didn't take long for Sullivan to realize that he had something special in Golden, who competes in both the javelin throw and the 400m hurdles. "I have a lot of respect for him," he admits. "He's modest, and downplays what he does a lot, but that combination of events is one of the hardest things you can do in track and field."
Golden, now a senior, is also the only student-athlete currently enrolled in Seattle U's ROTC program.
"His is a very unique situation," says Sullivan. "Not many private schools have ROTC programs in the first place, so Sam especially stands out here as a Division I athlete, full-time student, and cadet. Even one of those things is hard enough."
Not that anyone would know it. "He shows no chink in his armor," says Sullivan. "I've never seen him complain about any of it. The early mornings, the late nights…one minute he'll be with us at practice, then he's in his military gear and headed out to drill for the weekend. Regardless, he comes right back on Monday ready to go."
Assistant Coach Chad Pharis agrees with Sullivan's assessment. "He'll have just done a ruck hike for ROTC in the morning before a hard workout day, and he won't tell us," he says of Golden, shaking his head in good-natured exasperation. "He's tough as nails."
In 2019, Golden was named to the Western Athletic Conference's Top 20 performance list for both of his events in track and field, also making the Academic All-WAC Team. He is currently a second lieutenant in the ROTC program. Clearly, the hard work has paid off.
--
"I'm used to a busy schedule," admits Golden, briefly rubbing a hand along his jawline.
A native of Chimacum, Wash., Golden played basketball and football in high school, in addition to a two-year stint as track and field team captain. Now, he channels that energy into his studies, athletics and the ROTC program.
Golden's family was heavily involved with the military – his father was a member of the Navy, while his grandfather worked as a linguist in the Army – but it had little effect on his decision to enlist as a cadet. "It was more about the opportunities that ROTC provided, rather than a lifelong passion for the military," he says. "I was a little on-the-fence about going to college at all."
That changed when he visited Seattle U and happened to meet with the ROTC recruiters. "I wasn't in JROTC in high school, but they were still interested in me," says Golden. "They gave me the opportunity to do an overnight visit on campus, to see what life was like.
"Afterward, I figured that I could do this for four years and get my schooling paid for while I'm at it," he finishes with a smile that is somehow both sly and sheepish.
His true passion, he says, is languages. Growing up, Golden pored over maps and devoured history books with an unusual voraciousness for a young child. In his junior year of high school, he studied abroad in Spain for an entire year, which cemented his desire to pursue international relations as a career.
During the summer of 2019, Golden seized an opportunity to further that dream. He participated in Project Global Officer (Project GO), the Department of Defense's language acquisition program for ROTC cadets. He spent two months in Muscat, Oman, taking courses in Arabic and spending much of his time with a private language tutor.
"It's a very modern city," says Golden, eyebrows raising slightly as he recalls his initial surprise. "Muscat is located by a port – Mutrah – so it makes sense that it's more globalized and progressive than some of the areas further inland. It was really cool for me to see the contrast in how people live now versus how they lived before the modernization of the country."
Golden's two months in Oman continued to surprise him in a number of positive ways. "Everybody spoke English there, which was a relief," he chuckles. "At the beginning, my Arabic was not quite at the conversational level – I had only taken two years of it at Seattle U."
Regardless, just about everyone he encountered was very hospitable. "Omanis are some of the most friendly, polite people that I've ever met," Golden says. "It really helped me reflect on myself and how I treat others." He describes an instance where he and a friend visited a library in the scorching desert heat, only to find it closed. Instantly, the security guard offered to give the two a ride to the nearest air-conditioned mall. "Everyone is like that," remarks Golden. "A lot of the other cadets had similar experiences."
Although he expected a highly conservative society, Golden found that Oman is also very progressive in regard to women's rights and societal roles. "People there take a lot of pride in their country, but don't try to proselytize or put down other people because of their beliefs," he explains, noting that Omani law also forbids infringement upon rights to practice one's own religion. This invites a large number of immigrants from the surrounding countries, who come to work and raise families how they wish, creating a highly multicultural environment.
"The Middle East is such a dynamic region," muses Golden. The overall experience was not at all what he expected going in.
Sam Golden came back from Oman, perhaps, just a little bit different in his worldview.
Perhaps, in his mind, just a little bit better.
--
Once Golden graduates in June of 2020 with an international studies degree, he will have to continue serving in the Army Reserves on a part-time basis for eight years to pay back his scholarship. Besides that, he is keeping his options open. "I'd love to end up in the Foreign Service area of the Department of State, working in U.S.-Middle East relations," he says. "Going to Oman was such a great opportunity for me to see how things really are over there."
He pauses. "You do have to pass a number of tests to get in, though, so that would involve a little more school." His facial expression flickers slightly – he does not appear enthused at the idea – and Sam Golden considers his next words.
"Maybe not right off the bat," he decides, laughing.
After all, he has options.