Former Tiger and Olympic Athlete Opens Local Inspection Business

By Sean Griffin


Claston Bernard propped his feet on an aluminum bench and looked out over the crowd of high school track athletes preparing for a meet at LSU’s track stadium. “High school is a unique time in an athlete’s life,” Bernard said about the young runners. “It brings memories back. I was just doing it because I loved it.”

He’s been on this track before, several times in fact. He started his college running career right here in the city where he not only trains as a professional athlete but runs a home inspection business.

Of course Bernard still loves his sport, but has turned that love into a career.

Bernard competes professionally in the decathlon. A decathlon takes place over two days with the 100-meter run, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter run on the first day and the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500-meter run on the second day.

Born in Jamaica
Bernard grew up in Saint Elizabeth, Jamaica and attended Munro High School. It was there that Bernard was introduced to the sport he quickly grew to love. He was a well-rounded athlete in high school and an exceptional high jumper.

“It was my coach who said ‘You can do a decathlon.’” Bernard said. “My coach figured if he could just get me interested in being a decathlete then the rest would be history.”

 
His coach was right. In 1998 he traveled to Annecy, France for the International Association of Athletics Federations World Junior Championships. He finished in 13th place at the World Juniors but won two of the ten events -- discus and high jump. Even more impressive was the fact that Bernard said it was only the second time he had actually competed in a decathlon.

The next step for Bernard was college, the step that brought him to Baton Rouge. LSU offered him a full scholarship to run as an LSU Tiger. He said he was excited about running for a program with such a fine reputation.

“The track team was great,” he said. “They had a lot of good athletes and they had a program that allowed me to grow as a decathlete to the level I needed to get to.”

Worthwhile Challenge
He said the competiveness of the athletes at LSU made it a worthwhile challenge. The program “went deep” for track, he said.

Bernard thrived in the purple and gold. He was named an SEC champion four years straight and helped the Tigers claim the 2002 NCAA National Championship. In the championship, he posted his personal best score in a decathlon with 8,094 points.

As a professional athlete Bernard has achieved much success representing Jamaica. After he was named SEC champion in the decathlon for his third-straight time, Bernard went on to win the Commonwealth Games. He competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2004 Athens Olympics where he finished 9th. Bernard also earned 9th place in the 2003 World Championships.

His experience competing in two Olympics is a feeling he says cannot equate to any other. “It’s an unbelievable feeling to be in that select few, and to say I’ve been there,” he said.

Mental Stamina
An issue with mental stamina led to disappointment in his placement at the Athens Olympics. Bernard was in contention to receive a medal, but faltered toward the end of the events. “If you’re not mentally fit you can’t do it,” he said. “Your mind can victimize you in lot of ways.”

Bernard admitted that losing mental focus can mean the difference between earning a medal and placing much lower.

But another challenge posed a greater hurdle for Bernard. In October 2006 he was involved in a car accident on his way back from Houston. He suffered injuries to his hips, shoulders and back, which forced him to take off from training and go through physical rehabilitation.

Benard bounced back fairly quickly – qualifying just out of the top level of decathletes for the Beijing Olympics – and feels even more driven to make it back to his past performance level. One factor in his favor is his age. Bernard is 29 years old and explained that 28 to 32 is the prime age range for decathletes.

“My focus now is on the 2012 Olympics,” Bernard said. “But I’d also like to focus a little more this year on my business.”

Home Inspection
Bernard decided to open his own home inspection business two years ago. He said he was greatly influenced by his father who worked as a contractor during Bernard’s childhood. At the age of 12, Bernard helped his father build homes and gained the “hands on” knowledge and experience of the trade.

After working for RR Donnelley: Commercial Property Inspection, Bernard decided to become his own boss in October 2007. Because of his strict training schedule he wanted to do something that would not tie him up every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

“I think running my own home inspection business allows me the flexibility to still train as a professional athlete,” Bernard said. “I train three to four hours every day for five or six days out of the week. This job allows me to keep up with my training.”

This flexibility is a great part of Bernard’s business, but the people of Baton Rouge are another reason he wants to stay here to start his company.

“It’s the people,” Bernard said. “I have met many wonderful people here in Baton Rouge.”