NYR #3-Take the road less traveled
December 29, 2016
Throughout a players career with IWUHoops, they begin to value shared experiences with others more than accumulating possessions for themselves. That is why we have been everywhere from the Bahamas to Puerto Rico to New Zealand to the Dominican Republic. It is why we have hiked the Grand Canyon and gone on a cruise. It is through these experiences that memories are created and the bonds of brotherhood are strengthened, allowing each man in our program to grow closer to his potential.
IWUHoops recently returned from a trip to San Francisco and Hawaii. The experiences from the trip stretched the team to grow in new ways. Go behind the scenes as we count down the days to 2017, and accept the challenge to adopt some of these mentalities the team learned as your 'New Year's Resolution' for the coming year.
Read past New's Years Resolution blogs at the following links: NYR #4 NYR #5 NYR #6
“It’s private property. Even if it was open to the public, it’s nearly impossible to get there on your own because there is no path.”
As soon as the word ‘impossible’ was spoken, there was no doubt that Coach Tonagel, Coach Whaley, Paul Crisp and I were going to find a way to go where few non-natives have gone.
We stood at the bottom of the Waipi'o Valley, but we were well over a mile from the 1200 foot water fall. While the view was incredible where we stood, we knew we would leave the island unsatisfied if we did not get close enough to feel the intensity of the fall up close. Without an attempt to take the road less traveled, we knew we would not get to experience an unforgettable moment. As Coach T often says, ‘greatness favors the fearless.’
The next few hours would prove to be some of the most memorable of our lives. We found a native man named Jonny who lives off the land in the valley at a nearby house. Jonny farms the area and hunts wild boar (he kills over 200 per year! After some convincing, he agreed to take us to the falls in exchange for cash, but not without some warning about the challenge of the ‘path’ ahead.
The words ‘path’ or ‘road’ would be generous to describe the way to the water fall. We traversed a rainforest, climbed over slick boulders, crisscrossed a stream with chest high depth and had more ‘close calls’ than we care to admit. When it seemed like there was no way forward, Jonny used his machete to clear the way.
There are moments of temptation to turn back on every journey along a road less traveled. A fall off of a large boulder was one of those moments for me--I’d like to think Paul Crisp was slightly exaggerating when he said he thought I might crack my head and die as he watched it unfold! I know there were moments of similar doubt or concern in the other men I was with. It was in these moments where we were able to push each other on so we wouldn't miss out on what was ahead.
When we got to the end and stood at the base of the waterfall, we knew we were in a moment that we wouldn’t forget. The intensity of the water falling was too much to describe, and words do not do justice to the beauty of the surroundings. The thrill of sitting on the ledge behind the falls and then diving through can not be experienced sitting on a couch playing a video game or watching YouTube. The four of us had a shared experience that we will talk about for the rest of our lives
The road less traveled could take many forms:
-Maybe it is a career decision--a change of job that comes with great risk but potentially great reward, or choosing to turn down a promotion because you value relationships, family and influence more than reputation or salary.
-Maybe it is in relationships--choosing to forgive and love the person in your life who challenges you the most, perhaps a spouse, a sibling, a boss or an employee.
-Maybe it is financial--choosing to be generous with what you have rather hoarding possessions for yourself.
-Maybe it is in prayer--choosing to be someone who actually prays rather than just saying you value prayer or telling others that you will pray for them.
Whatever it is, the road less traveled will not be easy, and the end result is not guaranteed. Still, there is something special that happens when you take on a challenge with a group of people who have a common purpose. We see this each season with our team as we spend hours in prayer leading in to the year and then walk together through the ups and downs of the season. Sometimes we have swung for the fence and struck out, but other times we have gone all out and found ourselves on top of a ladder cutting down the nets. In either case, it sometimes the journey on the road that is as rewarding as the final destination.
What is the road less traveled you are feeling compelled to go down in 2017? Who are you going to be traveling down the path with? It won’t be easy, but regardless of the outcome, we have seen time and time again in our program that when the group commits to taking the road less traveled together, working relationships turn to deep friendships and teammates become lifelong brothers. Perhaps you will step out in faith and find this for yourself in 2017!
Jeff Clark, Associate Head Coach
