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New Boards

So, I know it is only August, but I pulled the trigger on another new pair of skis for the upcoming season. After looking at some reviews on- line, also from the Stockli rep, and consultation with my friend in Tahoe, I decided on another pair of Stockli Stormrider 88s. I have a quiver of Stockli skis but the 88 under foot is always my go to ski and I was happy to get another pair.

It is interesting that at this time of year, I start to get itchy for the new season. Buying a new pair of skis kind of jump starts you a little bit. I got our passes early, committed to ski trips, and in short- I am ready when the first flakes start to fall. However………………………..screeeech!!!!!! We still have the wonderful season of fall ahead.

Colors in the Laurel Highlands.

My one friend JR always looks at his watch and sees how long it will take for me to mention skiing on a mountain bike ride. For a guy who lives in Pittsburgh, skis locally, and gets two western trips a year, I get a fair amount of skiing. Not as many days as my friends who live out west, or in New England, but for a local guy- not bad. I always think Janet and I should be living in the mountains. She likes the beach better and alas there is the rub. But we both like Pittsburgh, our friends are here, and we are resolved to ski locally and travel. But that does not temper my enthusiasm for the sport- even in the summer. But again………………….screeeeeeech!!! The nicest time of the year around here is coming soon. But for now, the dog days of summer are to be enjoyed.

You never know what you will see in the fall on a mountain bike ride.

One of the good things about the late days of summer riding is that you are in pretty good shape for the shape that you are in. At 70, I am grateful for my health and when we are barreling down the trails on our bikes, I am usually one of the oldest guys. My Garmin Connect says I am 58, but I know better. The chronological advancement is not lost on me, but I try to stay with it. I want to be doing this for as long as possible and when discussing skis with my friend Eric in Tahoe, we both said we need to stay active. We both thank God for good health to enable us to ride and ski for many more years. It’s not like I am riding like I was when I was younger, but I can still ride and ski enjoyably. Eric and I keep each other honest as we both have lost friends. Other friends are slowing down but we try to keep rolling on the rubber wheels and on the slopes. We are starting to feel like the last of the Mohicans, but there are good days ahead………….if we keep at it. Updating equipment like skis and mountain bikes, help with that.

I am even ready for the ski tuning season with new vices from Swix, new files and diamond stones, and new bevels to accurately tune the edges. My friend Eric gave me a tutorial last spring when we were skiing together on tuning in the 21st century. I was still doing it the old way. But the new way with the bevels and getting the skis stone ground to a specific bevel is next level. I am totally prepared.

I mirrored Eric’s set up here in Tahoe.
Will be using bevels this year for the side edges
When it gets tough- use the Beast.
Our friend Freddy from Tahoe. He is in his 80s and still skis 4-5 days a week.

So, not to rush the season or anything, I am looking forward to fall riding. A bunch of us will be going in September to ride the new Monday Lick trail system in West Virginia and staying at the wonderful Jerico Pre-Civil War cabins there. Jan and I also will be heading to Maine for a fall coastal trip. But I will be looking for the FedEx driver every day to see if the new boards are being delivered. Hey- it’s fun getting excited about things. Thanks for reading.

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“He who hurries his footsteps errs” Proverbs 19:2

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Results Versus Process

You know, hindsight is 20/20 as they say and thinking back, I might have done things differently or maybe had a different perspective. Like youth sports with my son Jack. Now interestingly enough, I always played sports because my folks encouraged it- even though they were not athletic at all. I skied, swam, ice skated, played baseball, football, and played tennis and golf. Took lessons in all of them and really took to skiing and cycling which has stuck with me. But with this background, you can see how excited I was to get my son Jack into sports as a kid. He is now 30, and we laugh about the good old days, but I do have some thoughts on my zeal to encourage his basketball. Again- hindsight is 20/20.

Listening to a podcast with Peter Carlisle, the acclaimed sports agent who counts Michael Phelps and Simone Biles as clients, I was interested to hear his perspective on youth sports. He basically said that in today’s world, specialization is the only way to move from youth sports to high school sports. He was always a fan of diversity of experience for youth sports, and how important it is for kids to try a lot of sports and appreciate the process rather than the results. But in today’s world, if you have talent and want to move ahead with your sports endeavors, you have to specialize. He spoke of the differences in personalities of the kids who move ahead. There are the 80 percent of them who like to win. But the difference makers, in Peter’s perspective, are the 20 percent who hate to lose. He also said that it was more important for his own kids to have that diversity of experience. The ones who have the drive will achieve, as his own son plays college baseball. But he is also realistic in noting that only 6 percent of high school athletes move on to college sports, and an even smaller percentage ever go on to the pros. So, for most kids, the experience of sports and what it teaches you, is way more important than the results. Maybe not so for a guy like Michael Phelps, but for most kids, diversity of experience may be the key that will prepare them for challenges in life.

So, getting back to Jack, I always wanted him to ski with me and to perhaps ride a mountain bike with me, but he gravitated eventually to basketball and initially that was a challenge. I used to say” Basketball?” We ski in the winter, Jack.” But Janet always said,” it’s not about you, it is about Jack and his friends.” So I figured I would go all in on basketball and my own skiing came second as we moved along. We got Jack involved in grade school and high school basketball. But perhaps his best experience was AAU basketball with Daryn Freedman and eventually the DeJuan Blair All Stars with Darell Porter. Darell, a former all American from Pitt, asked me if I taught Jack how to play. I laughed and said I never saw the inside of a gym as I was a skier. I can’t even dribble. He laughed and said he would teach me everything I need to know, but he liked Jack’s three point shot.

Darelle Porter in his days at Pitt
King James AAU Tournament in Cleveland with the DeJuan Blair All Stars

Fast forward, Jack had a much better experience in AAU than he had in high school ball, and received very good training from Pete Strobl, who I engaged to teach Jack the finer points of the game. Pete’s Scoring Factory was a great experience, but it was my way of pushing the basketball a little too much. As time moved on, about Jack’s junior year, he had issues with his high school coach and the rose was off the bloom for basketball. Jack told me he didn’t want to play anymore, even though he would have been a starting player for his high school team. I asked him….” What about Friday night lights Jack?” ” You never get those days back.” He replied,” Dad- it means a lot more to you than it does to me.” Kind of disappointing at the time and I was not happy. But looking back, perhaps I pushed the issue too far. Not real sure, but thinking back, perhaps Peter Carlisle is right. The diversity of experience and the process of sports is way more important in most cases than the results. Unless you are a extraordinary talent.

In todays world, there is a lot of pressure to succeed. It starts ramping up in youth sports, gets serious in high school, and with all the NIL considerations and pressures in college sports, has become more of a business than an experience that prepares kids for life. Even though Jan and I gave Jack a lot of opportunities with many sports, it was the basketball that seemed to fit and my pressure for him to succeed, was perhaps detrimental. I would encourage any parent today to value the diversity of experience and get their kids into many sports. More to show them that sports can teach you discipline, camaraderie, and performance under a little bit of pressure. All traits that are important in life. If the kid has real talent, his or her cream will rise to the top. But parental pressure to succeed is a mistake. Easy for me to say now looking back 13 years or so.

As an epilogue, Jack loves to watch the NBA and plays in a YMCA pickup league. He still enjoys the game and uses it for exercise in his increasingly busy life. So, hopefully some of my past zeal gave him something to carry forward. But it will be interesting to see what Jack does and his perspective on things when he has a child someday. Will he get him or her into youth sports? We will see. He watched me when he was a younger athlete and maybe he will not make the same mistakes I made even though my intentions were noble. I guess looking back it is like the old adage of climbing Mt. Everest. Most climbers say it is the process rather than the result of summitting, that is the most rewarding. I probably should have had a more mature perspective on things when Jack was playing. But again…………hindsight is 20/20. Hoping Jack will say someday that it was a good overall experience rather than not. Thanks for reading.

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From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Mountain Bikes and Bluegrass Music
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From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

LOST!
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From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Baggies versus Lycra- a mature perspective to the debate.
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Happiness is Like a Perfume

Janet in her happy place

My mother always said, ” Happiness is like a perfume- you can’t sprinkle on others without getting a little on yourself.” Good line and so true. The other day I was listening to a podcast with Dr. Laurie Santos from Yale University on the subject of happiness. Lots of conversation about how happiness is a byproduct on how you choose to live your life. She spoke about the intensity of ivy league life and the fact that many students are not happy. One of the most popular courses at Yale is her class on Happiness, because so many students are trying to find the key. They have achieved the pinnacle of academic stature but because of the pressure to succeed, they are fundamentally unhappy and under a lot of stress.

The conversation went on to say that many highly successful people, like those in Hollywood for instance, are not happy because they are trying to fill their lives with things that really do not solve the fundamental problem of being …..unhappy. No matter how much success or money they have, their lives are unfulfilled, and they are always trying to fill the “Black Hole” with things that they think will make them happy. Dr. Santos believes that happiness is found when we concentrate on bettering the lives of others and can really appreciate helping someone else be happy. Happiness is a byproduct of our unselfish zeal to be there for someone else in their time of need. One of my mother’s other sayings was ” to have a friend is to be a friend.” Being a friend to someone or some cause can certainly trigger happiness, and self- centeredness will never fulfill that goal of filling the black hole.

My happy place of being with friends on a ski outing.

When I think of things that make me happy, I think about skiing and riding my mountain bike. I can be happy enjoying the outdoors, getting some exercise, and being with friends and my wife Janet. This definitely makes me happy, but there is more to it than just satisfying my need to be outside. That is all well and good, but the real happiness occurs when you go out of your way to help someone or some cause to which you feel attached. It’s kind of like the old Christmas saying, ” giving is better than receiving.” To see a child’s face on Christmas opening a gift, to see a person who has lost a loved one smile at you for showing up for them, to be there for someone in the hospital and see that smile, to volunteer for a cause and see the fruits of your labor help the cause. All of these things can trigger that byproduct of happiness and really, can satisfy that need that is often lost in self -centered behavior.

Sandi Hilton and Janet volunteering at Ronald McDonald House

Finally, Dr. Santos talked about being grateful for what you have. Sometimes the most downtrodden individuals in the world shock us with their grateful spirit for what they do have. Their happiness is evident in their smiles amidst some pretty dire circumstances. People who seemingly have a lot, are sometimes not grateful. There is always the need to want more, and their unhappiness is evident in their ungrateful spirit for how fortunate they really are. If you are stuck in the rut of always wanting more than you have, think more of what you do have and be grateful. We all fall into this rut at some point, and it is important to thank God for your health and your ability to do things and enjoy life. The black hole is not filled by things, or trips, or wealth. It is filled by happiness initiated by a generous spirit and a comfort in knowing that your lot in life is to be there for others.

I used to do a skit with a friend of mine at our church called ” The Black Hole.” Basically, it showed us talking about what we did to try to fill that hole and it was always recreation, trips to somewhere, more money, cars, big house, etc. The gist of the skit is that you can’t fill the black hole with things that you think will make you happy. The finish of the skit was to show that happiness and filling that hole begins with an unselfish attitude toward life and knowing that the only thing that really fills the hole is your faith in a God who loves you. Be grateful for what you have and be there for others, and you will fill the hole and genuinely be happy. If you get the chance Google Dr. Laurie Santos. She has some pretty good things to say and even though the commentary is basically secular, have a listen. Thanks for reading.

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From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

Hat Hair
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A Third Place

I was reading an interesting article this week about “A Third Place” in the latest issue of Outside Magazine. The Third Place is described as a place where people can meet and socialize with strangers, acquaintances, and friends. This would be outside the home ( first place), and the workplace ( second place). In our world, the “place” sometimes varies but the important thing is to meet and be held accountable for meeting. Take mountain biking for instance. We meet at different ” third places”, but the social interaction is there on the ride and also the post ride with libations and snacks in the parking lot. This was particularly important post-pandemic when we were all basically shut in and longing for a third place to meet and socialize. In our case, in an athletic endeavor.

In the winter, our third place oftentimes is the ski area. We have our standard places but also we make it a point to make a ” third place” not only the local area, but a vacation spot where we can ski together and socialize on the chair lift and also in an apre’s ski venue.

The local” third place.”

So what is the real importance of finding a place to exercise and gather socially outside the home or workplace? It is important to have an outlet to be with friends in an environment where we share an activity. The “place” is not as important as what we do in that place. Group exercise meetings fulfill the need to blow off some steam from the workplace and to get out of the house on a nice day or not so nice day depending on your level of intensity. Gloria Liu, in her article in Outside, says that” Third Places are posited as a solution for finding and building community during a time when Americans are increasingly alone. ” Coffee shops, bars, and other meeting places are not necessarily conducive to creating a community like a meeting place, where we are all held accountable to a mutual love of an athletic endeavor. Endorphins are released, people get excited, and make plans to meet again for a ride or a ski day. Thus the “third place” is actually a metaphor for a mutually enjoyed activity that fosters friendships and a community dedicated to health and fitness.

The “Third Place” has actually been quite important to me in that most of my good friends and social interactions have been found there. To me, it is important to have friends who hold you accountable no matter the circumstances. Weather, time constraints, etc. can all derail meetings, but when things are really clicking, you meet at that third place regularly and it becomes an important part of your lifestyle. It is not just something you do, it literally is who you are. Gloria Liu also says that the third place is one that you make, not just one you find. You become more involved. As you become a more senior member of a group, you volunteer to bring along the new people, introduce them to your other friends, and let them make new friends and be held accountable. This type of social interaction is not found necessarily in the workplace, or for many at home who perhaps are single or alone. But it is an important step in developing relationships that last a lifetime.

So, make it a point to make that weekly ride, meet friends who will ride with you daily. Perhaps a hiking or running group? There are many of them around if you search the internet. Find that third place for social interaction and become an integral, teaching part of that group. They can learn a lot from you, and you can learn a lot from them. And as I said in my last post, age really does not matter if your shared love is a sport that you can do for a lifetime. For me, riding, hiking, and skiing are those sports and I have found my “third places” for all of them. Thanks for reading.

Please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.

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From the Best of Chronicles of McCloskey

To be…….”Trans- Generational”
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Adventurefest 2025 Surviving the Storm

The prayerful starts.

I always post on Adventurefest every year because it is such a great gathering of Christian, outdoor oriented men. The Boyer’s Pond Campground serves as the venue, and Greg Nass and his team hit a home run every year with activities like mountain biking, hiking, fishing, Harley rides, and even a welding tutorial. But more importantly, some thought provoking messages by his talented roster of Assembly of God pastors. There is nothing like physical activities in the beautiful Laurel Highlands coupled with spiritual activities that complete the whole experience of being in God’s wonderful natural environment.

Friday- Upon arrival at Laurel Mountain in the afternoon, our group of mountain bikers assembled in the parking lot near the ski area to take on the challenging trails as a start to the weekend.

Shark’s prayerful start to the Laurel Mountain ride.
Some of the local residents of Wolf Rocks welcoming us to Laurel Mountain. Mom and newborn.

We dodged the rain, which came at the end of the ride, changed clothes and headed for a wonderful meal at The Fat Squirrel in Jennerstown. Heading to Boyer’s Pond in a rainstorm, we set up our tents and headed to the 3 Cs Church on the campground. We heard Pastor Michael Abreau tell us how a lot of us are like a ’64 Impala waiting to be restored. God is the master mechanic, and the potential renovation is available for all of us if we let Him into our lives. Great message to end the day and head back to the tents. Rained all night but we managed to stay dry with functioning rain flies on the tents.

Saturday morning- Awoke to coffee, served by Shark, and oatmeal served by yours truly, with Roger Evans from West Virginia providing an egg casserole. Good thing we had John Casuccio’s awning for his camper to get out of the torrential rain to eat. We headed to the Quemahoning Reservoir to take on the challenging trail system in deep mud and slime. We were caked, along with our bikes after the ride, but managed to finish in sunny conditions after starting out in in the pouring rain.

Living Evidence Ministries let the music worship in the 3 Cs Church after all the activities ended.

After a quick lunch and shower, we all headed to the 3 Cs Church again to hear a panel discussion with Pastors Jonathan Whyns, Paul Boseviert, Pete Gacialone, and Todd Pugh. They answered tough questions about faith and spirituality. Time well spent with 4 guys who know the answers or are at least willing to comment humbly on the subjects presented. The session ended with Pastor Jimmy Rivera from City Limits Assembly of God in Philadelphia giving us an exhortation on seeking the Lord and allowing him to search your soul. Jimmy spoke about the unlimited neediness of the soul matching the unlimited grace of God. God the Creator breathed a soul into all of us ,and will come looking for that soul someday. Really convicting, followed by a passionate prayer from Jimmy for all of those guys willing to come forward in humility. Jimmy and Mark “Shark” Sauers prayed individually for all the guys. Shark was a great MC for the event and we all said- he found his calling for sure.

Normal Joe’s worshipping their God.
The Shark with his kilt- doing what great MCs do. Bringing it to the group.

After another great meal at the Fat Squirrel, ( courtesy of Bill Belch), we headed back to the campground and the walk to the Cross. Friday and Saturday nights, Greg and his team set up time for guys to come forward at a wooden cross and give their testimonies. Then after their testimony, they hammer a nail into the cross signifying that they are giving it up to the Lord. Amazing stories of drug dealing, addiction, potential suicide, lost families and spouses, and how someone who inserted themselves into their lives saved them from ruin. Those evangelistic souls preached the saving message of Christianity to people who really needed it, and the fruits of their labor stood at the cross and pounded those nails.

Greg Nass speaking at the Cross

The cool thing about Adventurefest and the organization -Adventuremen.org, is the evidence of humility and grace. In this troubled world, people need prayer and that is why most guys come to the event. Sure, they want to experience the camping, the fellowship, the fun events, the fires, the breakfasts, and on and on. But they are all normal Joe’s trying to get along in life. Nothing condescending about them. They don’t have an “above it all” attitude. These guys want to hear a good message that means something in their lives. They want to hear about forgiveness and the grace available for believers. Greg and his team provide a wonderful experience in the wilds of the Laurel Highlands- rain or not. Who cares?

On a final note, we lost our buddy Bob Anderson last year who attended Adventurefest for the first time. He loved it, had a great time, and after wanting to get more involved, tragically passed away two weeks later on the trails that he loved. We always say Bob went from Adventurefest to Heaven. What a journey! Greg fashioned a screw with Bob’s initials, and I screwed that into the cross on Saturday night. What a nice tribute to a great guy that we all so deeply miss. But we surely know where he is, as we knew his path in life.

Bob Anderson- second from left. Adventurefest 2024

About to tackle the mud at the Q

So, not to get too preachy here, but if you have an urge or curiosity, come to Adventurefest next year. Always the weekend before Father’s Day. Great times in the woods with a bunch of guys who will ride Harleys with you, throw axes with you, fish with you, hike with you, mountain bike with you and most of all……..inspire you. http://www.adventurefest.org http://www.adventuremen.org Thanks for reading.

” I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” – Phillipians 4:13

Please follow the blog on http://www.chroniclesofmccloskey.com It helps me.