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FB Chat With My Dragon-Boating Nephew T-Mac |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Tuesday, 12 May 2009 15:35 |
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Earlier this month, my 18-year-old nephew Taylor McGillis participated in the 6th Annual Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Races. The race is organized by the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute, which donates its proceeds to FACTors (Fighting Against Cancer Together), one of several cancer patient support programs in Tampa and the Florida Aquarium. It was his first time dragon boating. Below, is a Facebook chat I had with T-Mac.
4:06pm
Mike
Hey ready to chat?
4:06pm
Taylor
sure lets chas
4:06pm
Mike
So what was your impression of dragon boating?
4:07pm
Taylor
Are these answers going directly in your article?
4:07pm
Mike
Yes.
4:08pm
Mike
Well, my blog.
You there?
4:09pm
Taylor
okay then. I thought it was a great experience as both an athlete and a person. The atmosphere down there was incredble and knowing that everyone was there for the same reason of raising money for cancer was really special
4:09pm
Mike
What made you decide to do this?
4:10pm
Taylor
I'm not done with my first answer
4:10pm
Mike
Why'd you send it to me then?
4:10pm
Taylor
because you said "you there?"
4:10pm
Mike
Fair enough.
4:12pm
Taylor
From an athlete's perspective, it was like nothing I've ever done before. In no other sport does everything have to be done in such exact unison for there the team to succeed. If one person was paddling out of order, it threw everyone off. I've also never been so sore in my life the day after.
4:13pm
Mike
How long was the race?
4:14pm
Taylor
time wise or distance wise?
4:14pm
Mike
Distance.
4:15pm
Taylor
450 meters
4:16pm
Mike
That's it? And you were that sore?
4:17pm
Taylor
3 races
4:17pm
Mike
OK, I'll let it slide then. What place did you guys come in?
4:18pm
Taylor
Well, it's difficult to say. Your first race determined with level you were in
and there were 5 or 6 differet levels
4:19pm
Mike
How many people were in your boat?
4:19pm
Taylor
20
4:20pm
Mike
Wow. You guys must've been going fast. Was it hot out?
4:21pm
Taylor
sweltering
4:21pm
Mike
What's up with the one-word answers?
4:22pm
Taylor
Oh sorry, I thought these were just your personall questions
personal*
4:22pm
Mike
See this as an opportunity to prepare yourself for SportsCenter.
What made the races so hard?
4:25pm
Taylor
It's just greuling. Lining up with 4 other boats going balls to the wall for a little over two minutes.
Can you say balls to the wall?
4:26pm
Mike
Would Stuart Scott let you?
4:26pm
Taylor
I think so
4:27pm
Mike
He might have to bleep it out, though.
So, are you going to go dragon boating again?
4:29pm
Taylor
Probably not. The team was run through the school so if I did, it would be a with a different team. I could see myself doing it later on in life with some of my buddies
4:31pm
Mike
I heard you're going to play baseball in college. Where?
4:31pm
Taylor
hold on, pizzas here
4:31pm
Mike
You think I have all day or something?
4:31pm
Taylor
nevermind, false alarm
4:31pm
Mike
So, baseball in college?
4:32pm
Taylor
Yes. Saint Leo University
D2
Sunshine State Conference
They didn't give me any scholarship money, but he guaranteed I would be in uniform next year
4:33pm
Mike
Do they have a dragon boat team?
4:33pm
Taylor
haha, I don't think so. Maybe i'll start one
4:35pm
Mike
Good interview, T-Mac. Tell your family I say hello. |
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No PFDs! |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Friday, 01 May 2009 15:38 |
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Here's a funny little story—that could have turned tragic—to kick off your weekend. A Nashville High School teacher thought it would be a good idea to take the senior class on a canoe trip yesterday.
Great. Get the kids outside. Fresh air. Reward them for their four years of hard work (In my case, it was four years of sliding by, but you wouldn't know it by looking at my graduation picture).
So they put on the Harpeth River in a bunch of rented canoes. Then the weather turned and the kids panicked and started jumping in the river to swim to shore. In the end, 62 kids had to be rescued.
No one got hurt and all 62 kids were found, so no harm, right? Well, watch this news clip from WSMV-TV and wait until the reporter's last statement. No lifejackets! Say it ain't so! Obviously, this teacher is not a card-carrying member of the ACA, our parent company. If only she would have read this special section Paddler published for them before sending the teens off to (omg!) get their hair wet. |
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Andrew McAuley Tragedy Covered in Documentary |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Thursday, 30 April 2009 09:01 |
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I like reading stories that make me think, so I wanted to share this one I found in The Sydney Morning Herald about Andrew McAuley, the Australian adventurer whose solo attempt to kayak across the Tasman Sea resulted in his tragic death in 2007.
 McCauley was more than an adventurer to be revered for his boldness and guts. He was also a husband and a dad. He left behind a young son. McCauley is featured in a new documentary called Solo (Here's a trailer), which brings to mind the question of whether or not parents should be putting their lives at risk.
I started getting into outdoor sports 13 years ago when I was 26. Like the rest of us, the scenery, athleticism, and danger were extremely compelling. But when I turned 32, I became a dad. So, should I have stopped exploring situations that could turn for the worse?
I don't think I can answer that, still. But anybody who pushes himself in the outdoors has to make sure he is aware of the consequences because very bad things do happen. And when you're a parent, you have to decide what's more important—living your dream, or just living so you can be there for your kids.
Of course, you could die crossing the street, right? The Syndey Herald story also focuses on a married couple (Glenn Singleman and Heather Swan) with kids who are setting BASE jumping and wing-suit records. The father is quoted as saying, "I'm a doctor, and I see people die every single day when I go to work. Over a long time I've learned that all of us must die, and the most important thing is to learn how to live before we die."
I find a lot of wisdom in that statement. But is it really the most important thing? Is it more important than seeing your kids grow up and be healthy and happy?
Like a lot of you, I've been in a few potentially life-threatening situations and dangerous spots. In the end, I haven't regretted having had those experiences. But I've learned that they are not the most important things about the way I live my life.
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Shane's Logic on ALS Event |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Wednesday, 29 April 2009 10:52 |
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Liquidlogic employee Shane Benedict posts an excellent story to his blog about Jerry's Baddle, a bike/paddle competition to honor Jerry Beckwith, a North Carolina cyclist and kayaker who died from ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). The race is a fundraiser to raise awareness of ALS and draws a lot of great cyclists and paddlers the Hendersonville, North Carolina, event. If you've ever paddled N.C.'s famous Green River, or even if you haven't, you'll want to read this story and check out the photos and video. Jerry's Baddle began in 2006 and has raised more than $30,000 to fight ALS.
ALS is a fatal disease caused by the degeneration of motor neurons, the nerve cells in the central nervous system that control voluntary muscle movement. ALS causes muscle weakness and atrophy throughout the body. |
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There's Such Thing As Swine Flu? |
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Written by Mike Kord
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Monday, 27 April 2009 15:05 |
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 By now I'm sure you've heard about the outbreak of swine flu that will take over North America in about 45 minutes, so make sure you wash your hands, don't touch your eyes, and please, for the sake of your fellow coworkers, cough into your elbow. Seriously, this wikipedia entry says to cough into your elbow. I think they mean shirtsleeve or arm.
I'm going to risk sounding like an ignoramus, but I'd never even heard of swine flu until today, and then I saw four references to it by about 10 a.m. Apparently this isn't the first scare pig flu has caused. There was an outbreak in 1976 that scared 24% of Americans into getting vaccinated.
Here's a link to the CDCP that tells you more. Stay healthy. It's prime paddling season.
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