Tue, 27 January 2009
Rangi Smart was riding a small spur of his favorite single-track trail when he stumbled upon a perfectly designed mountain bike jump. A platform of two by fours and plywood launched a rider outward and 20-feet down the steep hillside. It was the kind of thing Rangi had only seen pro riders stomp on mountain bike videos. The 33-year-old math teacher thought to himself, “What kind of nut-job rides off something like that?” Then Rangi imagined that he was that nut-job. We can bide our time, wait patiently for our chance to shine, but more often than not, the moment chooses us. It’s our job to answer. Here’s to another year of big ideas, another year of slaying giants, bearing down, not giving up, chasing daylight, paddling in and fostering change. We bring you the hopes, dreams and goals of professional athletes, regular joes, parents, soldiers and students. Here’s to the dirtbags. Here’s to Mr. Smart. CLICK HERE TO LISTEN Comments[17]
|
- Way to go Rangi! You never asked me if you should do it, I would have said \'better go for it now\' We\'re all glad you survived the jump. Ya gotta show it to me sometime. Conquering our fears is one of the most important lessons life can teach us. Congrats on a job well done!
- This show is so inspiring obviously. There is is this section of a trail outside South Boulder where I always check for a new edition of the show and if there is one I always listen to it on this pretty climb and view of the Flatirons. Today the topic of your show is just what I needed to hear. Mr. Smart\'s big balls were very inspiring to me as well.
So my goals (the ones I have so far):
1) Learn to run for 10 miles under a 7 minute pace.
2) Run a trail race in honor of a special father like figure in my life who died from a cocaine overdose. Perhaps race some money for substance abuse.
3) Train smart and hard all year.
4) Finish as high as I can at the Imogene Pass Trail run in Telluride! - Mr. Smarts ride sounds BITCHIN!!!! What a stud... that takes real conhonehs. The best part of the whole podcast is when he got his sign that he should carry out the jump taunting his every move...\"A country boy can survive.\" This gives me hope and motivation that too, \"A country boy or girl can survive.\" Great accomplishment Mr. Smart... you\'re an inspiration to all of us:)
- This year I\'m going to be keeping up with the Joneses. My son, Lucas, just turned seven years and I\'ve told him for the las few years that we would climb that peak behind our house in his seventh year. We\'d stand at the top, revel at the view, write our names in the book, add rocks to the cairn and head home. We\'re going to start training right after i recover from recent knee surgery. It\'s named JONES PEAK.
- I spent yesterday moving four cords of wood- helpfully cut into five foot log lengths- with some of my students and friends. And the conversations that followed were so optimistic. My students weren\'t obsessing about all things negatively adolescent- but rather trying to craft a better world. \'Growin\' local just makes sense\' they were saying. \'We should recycle in Newfoundland- we need to get some butts movin\' on this.\' And they were talking too of the opportunities that fall into your lap when you\'re outside- more ski days, climbing, or even just running through the woods because you can. They\'re the dirtbags of tomorrow, going against the grain. So as my own family starts (a baby girl is due imminently!) I hope to encourage this in my interactions with students, friends and family. Because by being outside and doing we\'re reintroducing ourselves to the world, and therefore more committed to it! So kudos to everyone who wrote in. And kudos to you Fitz, the Dirtbag Diaries and what it represents. Representin\' from the edge of the continent in Newfoundland!
- I loved the music and the stories fitz. think another great goal would be happy with what life deals you...to avoid the grass is greener scenario. not say, one should settle by any means...but to be okay with what is going on around you. if it doesn\'t snow one year, you don\'t get depressed...you start running your ass off and love it or ski in shitty snow and appreciate the fact that you are outside and most suckers are stuck in cubicles. If you can\'t climb, you swim. if you can\'t work, you drink cheaper beer. just to enjoy what you do have..and be creative.
- To watch more sunrises. But I don\'t just mean, sit there and watch them happen, although, that is a good goal also. I just find that if I am up to see the sunrise, I know I am taking full advantage of the day, and often on a good adventure, like climbing a volcano. More Dawn Patrols in 2009!
- I think I will stay practical. I only want to be the first to establish climbing routes in Samoa. I could do that. Oh and I secretly want to spin. I mean literally just spin in circles like a little girl and laugh after falling dizzily to the ground. The perfect reason to start salsa dancing!
- So last year I made a few lofty goals that were pretty unreachable. They included climbing harder than my husband, and obtaining sponsorship by Skittles in hopes that they would send me all over the world to promote their delightful little colorful tasty jewels.
This year I will have nothing of the sort......This year I am planning my goals to be much more realistic.....
I am turning 30 this year... I have decided that this birthday has to be the best yet. My goal and plan is to attend Circus school. More specifically High Flying Trapeze school. First, I will fly to Vegas to get pumped up, and see my favorite show of all time Cirque Du Soleil- \"O\". Next I will make my way over to California to spend 3 amazing days learning to open my wings, in hopes that one day I will fly far away from the cubicle climber that I have become.
Here is to 2009.
- 2009 Goals: a) run a second half marathon faster, b) ski 32 days (I\'m already halfway!), c) stretch so that my body continues to function the best that it can, and d) read \"Silent Spring\".
Bonus: Saving $$ so that if I\'m unemployed again in November, I\'m buying an international plane ticket ~ I just have to figure out where. - Every year I sit down and draft out my goals -- I'm not type A or anything. This year though, it just hasn't happened. Not totally sure why. There are those that remain from last. I still haven't gotten that tattoo, and while I managed to give away five percent of my earnings to organizations that make a difference, I can't ever seem to make a contribution to my ROTH IRA. Maybe it's because writers don't really retire; they just get senile.
I guess this year, I know there will be mountains and the sting of alpine waters. There will laughter and sadness tempered by friendship. There will be hard work and playing hooky.
I guess my goal is to be still. To allow those serendipitous moments to happen. If I return to form as a 5.13 climber in the process -- sweet. If I manage to rip the shit out of the Fuhrer Finger on Ranier, cool. This year I'm searching for the peace that comes from being one with something much larger.
Post your comment:
