Profile

The air was damp, the sun was playing hide-and-go-seek behind the dismal clouds, and the wind was blowing just enough to place a smile across my face. Suddenly a roar erupted all around me and I was snapped back to reality, a reality I am still baffled that I was fortunate enough to be apart of.  I gazed down at the pitch of the famed Old Trafford Stadium in Manchester, England as Abby Wombach placed a ball in the back of Korea Republic’s goal to put the United State’s Women’s Soccer team up 1-0 in round one of the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.  In that moment I felt connected to 30,000 other people. In that moment I felt I was meant to be amongst the sporting atmosphere for a long time.

As a child I wanted to have every occupation under the sun: a lawyer, a doctor, a FBI agent, a spy, a veterinarian, a pilot, a rock star, an archeologist, and Ryan Seacrest (who doesn’t want to be Ry Guy?).  The only consistency, what ever I end up doing, I want to talk to people. This may sound strange, but I have always been a chatterbox. “Talking to people” is not the most laudable goal, but it is a goal that I strive to achieve because I believe the key to my happiness belongs to the moments in which I am talking to people. Part one of my dream for the future complete: I want a job in which I am able to constantly talk to people. The second part came a little later in life.

In my family we joke that I am the son my father never had. Since age eight, I have missed exactly three Washington Redskins’ home football games. I started going with my father to the home games because I was thoroughly interested in the game.  What I found at FedEx Field was something much greater: connection. I love sporting events because they provide a blithe take of competition and feuds. Sports are life’s greatest metaphors. To me Washington Redskins’ games are chances to bond with my father without worry of what has happened in the past of what may be currently happening.

I was able to strengthen my love for sports in the summer of 2012 when I got the opportunity to attend the Summer Olympics in London. The week I spent at the Olympics was one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I learned that the world extends further than the confines of the United State’s boarders. I learned that when sharing a common interest people from all around the world are quite friendly. Most importantly, in July 2012, I learned that sports are the final piece to the puzzle of my future.

Amongst 30,000 other people I found a peace few ever find. I had an epiphany that day that I could use my voice to share the stories of those who are passionate about their sports and careers. Thanks to Abby Wombach and 30,000 others, I found my passion in the passion of others.