In building a community, there is a common ground upon which
we gather. The KETTLE PRT draws out our
inner athlete but also pulls people together who share something deeper than
fitness. The nature of the competition
may appear extraordinarily challenging for some—and this is no accident. I can’t tell you how many people I have approached
to participate who legitimately laugh out loud at the hilarious notion they
could ever do such a thing. For one, I
would only ask someone who I see is ready to light that spark inside, who may not realize how strong they are, who deserves to stand in their power and become their
OWN source of inspiration. That shows up more often and in more people than one might think...at least for me.
Some continue to laugh, some are simply not interested, and
some choose to “Rise to the Occasion”. I
wrote these words on the home page of our website, because this is the truth of what the KETTLE PRT asks of you. There will always only be person who “wins”
first place; and there will always be someone who comes in “last”. But these are mere details of what is really occurring
at our event. Every person who sets foot
into that room has chosen to rise. Chosen to be better at something than they
were before. Chosen to be motivated and
challenged and not give up on themselves because they once felt they weren’t
going to be “good enough”. (That feeling, ugh, the bane of our human existence!) The PRT tells each and every athlete that their
best is always enough and deserves to be evoked, praised, illuminated.
The ebb and flow of growing a community can sometimes leave
me questioning whether I am doing the right thing…whether my energy is worth
the immense effort it takes to coordinate so many people, manage constant
growing pains of a website, maintain interaction of the community, and simply pull
off the competition itself. With
anything there are ups and downs, and when the business of the PRT faces issues,
I can get lost in the fear. But each
event, when the room begins to fill with palpable excitement, laughter, and
nerves, all doubts fade away. I am exhilarated.
I am humbled. I am reminded why I am here, why we are all
here. We are rising to the occasion to be
inspired and in that, to inspire one another.
There is an undeniable lift in a room when everyone shares
an energy that is motivated, excited, playful. My faith is continually restored by this powerful
community as I see the heart of the PRT reflected back to me. Forming the PRT has invited me to lead in ways
that have not been entirely comfortable; and in parallel, the competition invites
others to do the same. We are being
tested, not just to be strong, but to be resilient, supportive, inspiring,
motivating. We are stepping up to
witness something greater of ourselves. Each person certainly shines brightly on
their own—but you ask anyone in that room, and they will tell you, they shine
brighter together. The support of a
community helps us achieve even more than we could or would do separately. The nature of the PRT draws us into this
collective, providing a greater source of energy to tap into and rise higher
than we ever expected. I haven’t done
the math, but when I have witnessed every single person in a room PR (achieve a
new personal record) in every single PRT event, I pay homage to its truth. The bigger the dream, the bigger a community I
need to support it.
I tear up multiple times each event, without fail, awestruck
by the purity of perseverance. When everything
else falls away, the core of each person and what they are willing to give is absolutely
breathtaking. I am humbled to witness
the transformation that takes place at the PRT.
To see a room full humans celebrate themselves simply for who they are
and how proud they are to be that person, I am restored. Everyone in that room is a leader by design
and if I can help them see even the smallest fragment of their power, the PRT
has succeeded its mission.
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