Cause Driven Athleticism

This week I want to say thank you to my friends on Facebook and in Swain and Bryson City who have supported this through their donations. As mentioned, I'm now working on the fundraising aspects of the project and ask all of you who are planning to support the project through your donations, to do so now. Also, thanks to the Smoky Mountain Times for their great article on the project. It was good to hear a few of my students mention it today in school. It is these students who will benefit from this project. Please take a moment to invest in our future and theirs with your support.

"We all have our set of skills to make real change in the world."

Last October, as I was starting to put this idea together in some sort of concrete fashion, I was talking with a long time friend and one of my earliest paddling mentors about the project. It was a good conversation, but he said something that surprised me. He didn't understand the connection of the paddling trip to the cause it supports. He gladly supports the cause and would make a donation, but the actual trip didn't seem to be connected to the cause. How are scholarships connected to paddling? It was a good question, or comment and led me to think through the connection of the athletic effort to the cause. Since that time, I've asked myself the same thing many times. It is such a long (both time and distance) effort, why couldn't I just ask for donation support? I wouldn't be away from the family and friends as long and my time prior to launch could be spent on fund-raising instead of finding sponsorships, logistics and trip preparation. Here's what I've thought through in regards to "Cause Driven Athleticism" and why they enrich all of our lives in such meaningful ways.

First, the cause is something worth promoting and the athletic endeavor helps bring attention to it. Some projects support causes that are locally important, while others are national, or international. For instance, look at Lance Armstrong. Perhaps the greatest cause driven athlete today with his Live Strong concept. Without his 7 Tour de France wins, how much would he have raised for cancer research? I have no idea, but his idea of combining athletics with a truly worthy cause sparked a lot of worthwhile attention and fund-raising for sure.

Secondly, people love to listen to a good story. Stories of adventure, of overcoming obstacles, or stories of super human effort. Again, it's a promotion thing, but the story of doing something that few people in the world would/could do is captivating. If you can bring a good story to the cause, people will support the cause.

Next, the athletic component allows networks to be created and strengthened. Through this project, I've met, supported, phoned, emailed, twittered, facebooked and corresponded with a ton of other athletes about the project, or sponsorship, or logistical help. The ability to talk and listen has been astronomically enlarged with todays media. The communication is enriched by the athletics and hence the message of the cause is enriched.

Lastly, cause driven athleticism works because people care and support others who put a huge effort into finishing something good. If the cause is a good cause and if the athletic effort is great, people tend to root for you. For instance, a first time marathon runners effort and training to finish is huge. For most, the object is not to win, but finish. It takes great effort and people can understand and relate to accomplishing goals through great effort. Again, the huge effort required to reach the goals of the project are matched with the effort required for the athletic side of the project.

Here are a few of the Cause Driven Paddling Athletes that I've met along the path of this project.

1. Brad Ludden: A world-renown kayaker who was on the 2008 Cosmos Bachelor of the Year list, has taken his celebrity and athleticism to lay a foundation of philanthropic endeavors. He founded “First Descents”, a charitable organization that puts on kayaking camps for young adults with cancer. He knew his sport could give that powerful sense of life, success and confidence to people who had lost so much to cancer.
www.firstdescents.org
He has his own blog that speaks about other cause driven athletes, some paddlers, some not. Either way they are amazing causes and athletes: http://www.athletesgiving.org/

2. Joe Forrester is attempting a solo kayak descent of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers to raise awareness of Parkinson's Disease. Launching in late May 2009, he will be traveling from Montana to New Orleans to raise $20,000 for the National Parkinson Foundation. I've spoken to Joe a couple times and look forward to following his story and trip.
http://www.paddlingforparkinsons.com/pfp/index.aspx

3. Montana resident Norman Miller completed his Wake of Discovery Expedition's 3600-mile westward journey in September 2004. Following in Lewis and Clarks paddle strokes and footsteps, he departed in March of 2004to paddle solo the length of the Missouri River to Montana. From there he backpacked over the continental divide to the Columbia River watershed where he once again took to his paddle for the final leg to the Pacific Ocean which he arrived almost 6 months later. He paddled with support from American Rivers and in support of the Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation

4. Team River Runner (TRR) was initially established to help active duty military personnel wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan who were recovering at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. TRR gives military veterans and their family members an opportunity to find health, healing, and new challenges through whitewater boating and other paddling sports. The benefits of TRR have as much to do with social support, finding emotional strength and re-creating personal identity as they do with athletic activity. Wounded service members have endured many months of surgeries, physical therapy, prosthetic fittings, and other life adjustments. Against this backdrop, those who are able welcome a chance to pick up a new challenge, and get out of the daily routine of a hospital for a day. All are attracted to whitewater kayaking because it offers an exciting way to recover their health, strength, and connection to nature.
Check out Troy Crawford's story. He bravely served our country in the middle east and in doing so was severely wounded. After a lengthy recovery, Troy discovered the sport of kayaking. It allowed him to fill many of the voids in his life after his injury and also became an avenue for him to give back to other wounded soldiers. Troy is now a certified whitewater kayak instructor and teaches for Team River Runner.
http://www.teamriverrunner.org



5. I've written about Roz Savage before and I follow her twitter and Facebook updates as well. Rowing across the Pacific? Crazy? Follow her and you'll see a truly driven athlete promoting her cause. http://www.rozsavage.com/