Klass Francisks Rozentals chatted about being an Olympic athlete, content creator, and social influencer in the digital age.
James Dean once said: “Dream as if you’ll live forever. Live as if you’ll die today.” This quote applies to Klass Franciska Rozentals, age 19.
Rozentals on his love for canoeing
Rozentals is drawn to canoeing for several reasons. “Canoeing is an interesting sport,” he said.
“I like the travel component and the freedom of the sport. I like to meet new people all the time from different nations, so I try to pick up a little from each culture, which is awesome; I love that,” he explained.
“I get to meet a lot of interesting friends, and I wind up with a wide range of friends from all over,” Rozentals added.
Daily motivations
Regarding his daily motivations, Rozentals said, “Just being better than I was yesterday. I struggle with motivation a lot. My brother, Kurts, and I both do the sport; he started doing it when he was younger, and then I saw him doing it, and then, I picked it up.”
“Canoeing wasn’t my first sports choice, but I became pretty decent, and I just kept going,” he admitted.
“My brother always has been very motivated; he is always striving to be the best and he is always wanting to achieve more. I tend to struggle more in those areas,” he noted.
“It is all about discipline and pushing myself. It is great that my brother is in the sport because he is always pushing me to do better,” he added.
Best lesson he has learned from sports
On the greatest lesson he has learned from sports, Rozentals reflected, “Competitive sports have taught me resilience, perseverance, and not to quit too soon. I am still working on that every now and then. Sports are good for me as a person because I am naturally very lazy.”
“If I didn’t have this sport or my family and friends around me to push me, then I think I would be sitting on a couch all day, which is the harsh truth,” Rozentals said with a sweet laugh.
Future plans
Regarding his future goals, he said, “Hopefully, to someday compete at the Olympic Games. Over the winter, we usually train really hard, and I am looking forward to Los Angeles.”
“It confuses me how sports are pushed so hard in schools, especially when I was younger, yet a lot of Olympic athletes can’t make a living in their sports. That’s a real hardship about competitive sports, especially if you don’t have sponsors,” he elaborated.
Rozentals continued, “I grew up with a single mom, so I am originally Latvian, but we moved to the U.K. when I was around six, so we picked up the sport of canoeing quite early, and because I hated soccer. My brother and I did multiple different sports, and we eventually found canoeing, which we both love.”
“You never realize how expensive training for a competitive sport is until you start it,” he noted.
Rozentals also stated that he studied engineering in college, and while he found it interesting, it was not really what he strived to do in life, and rightfully so.
The digital age
On being an athlete and social influencer in the digital age, Rozentals said, “It’s interesting. Most of my content on social media I have to do shirtless, otherwise I won’t get any views. That is just how it is. I only started social media six months ago because I was homeless for a big portion of my career.”
“Even though I was an immigrant in the U.K., I got very social very fast,” he said. “I had my hammock, and I would sleep on a construction site.”
“The older I got and the more I traveled, the easier talking to other people became, so I built so many connections just being myself. Presently, I feel more confident in myself,” he explained.
“I decided to do social media because I am confident in my body, and I was fortunate enough that people like my content,” he said. “I decided to try it because I have the confidence in myself, and I don’t really mind what other people say. Fortunately, it has worked out.”
“While I have an Olympic dream, at times, I still struggle with the hard work aspect of it,” he added.
Rozentals on the disparity of pay for Olympic athletes
“The amount of money that the majority of Olympic athletes make these days is ridiculous; at best, most make a regular salary (that most people make),” he noted.
“You can be in the top one percent in the world, but the money you get doesn’t reflect that; this is why social media is so important these days,” he said.
“We are so lucky to have social media in the 21st century as athletes because otherwise I would still be broke… with my backpack on and my hammock, which was an important lesson to remember,” he elaborated.
“As a social influencer, I was so grateful that I was able to get to the position I am in, in such a short period of time even though some people may find it unethical, but you’ve got to do what you need to do sometimes,” he noted.
“I have the world’s greatest editor (my girlfriend), and the world’s greatest production team,” he expressed. “Otherwise, we are so happy, and life is great for us right now.”
Career-defining moments
Klass is a firm believer that adversity makes us stronger. “I thought about quitting the s port multiple times in the past,” he admitted. “Every time I wanted to stop, I realized that I have the potential to build my work ethic, and even though it’s hard, I’ve stuck with it.”
“My brother is such a big motivator for me because he is such a hard worker,” he added.
Favorite motto to live by
His favorite motto to live by is the following: “if it’s not a problem in a year, then it’s not a real problem.”
“That’s the motto I live by most, which can sometimes get me in trouble, but most of the times, it works,” he said.
Advice for young and emerging athletes and content creators
For young and emerging athletes and content creators, he said, “You have to find your niche. Trends are important, especially now more than ever. Everybody follows the trends. If you are driving down a road and you see a cow, you will probably drive past it because it’s just a cow (because you’ve seen a cow before).”
“If you drive down the road and you see a purple cow, you will be surprised, and you will stop and you will tell all your friends about it because it’s a purple cow. My best advice would be to follow the trends but make them your own and find your own niche,” he elaborated.
“Post like you are famous from day one, you are never going to grow if you don’t post like you are supposed to be on the app. Don’t have imposter syndrome. Just act like you are supposed to be there,” he acknowledged.
Best advice that he has ever been given
When asked about the best advice he has ever been given, he revealed, “If it’s not a problem in a year, then it’s not a real problem.”
“I think this quote is the best advice I’ve ever been given,” he admitted. “When I was younger and when I moved, I didn’t have many friends growing up.”
“I can always pretty much be happy unless it is a problem in a year,” he said. “Apart from that, I can mostly be happy all the time. That’s the best advice that I have been given.”
Proudest moments
His proudest moment included hitting over 50,000 followers on social media, as well as financial liberation. “Also, being able to be financially free. That was a huge one for me,” he said.
Stage of his life
On the title of the current chapter of his life, Rozentals revealed, “Work hard, play hard.”
Superpower of choice
His superpower of choice would be to “understand people’s emotions.” “I struggle with that every now and then,” he said. “Also, I would understand people’s hardships.”
Success
Regarding his definition of the word success, Rozentals said, “Being able to be happy as much as possible. It’s all about pushing myself and finding that balance and being resilient with it.”
“My end-goal would be to move my social media to art. I’ve always loved my art. Hopefully, I can really push myself and find that determination to keep going as an artist and eventually make it into a bigger thing. Being able to design my own clothing brand would be a dream,” he acknowledged.
“If you have multiple goals, and you achieve them, they may lead to success. Also, success is health, wealth, love, and happiness. I am pretty much happy and fulfilled,” he added.
Closing thoughts for his fans and followers
For his fans and supporters, Rozentals said, “Not everything is as it seems on social media. Social media, to an extent, is acting in a way.”
“Not everything you see is real. It’s smoke and mirrors. You are presenting a lifestyle that people wish they could have but it’s not actually that,” he noted.
“Mostly, I strive for fulfillment and happiness. I want to see a transformation within myself and reach where I want to be,” Rozentals concluded.
To learn more about Klass Francisks Rozentals, follow him on Instagram.
