Monthly Archives: June 2010

The new issue of the magazine is out, with my story on How Soccer Explains the Sports World. Check it out here. The video highlighting the six photo shoots is lots of fun, too.

Any way you say it, I’m excited. I mean, come on … who isn’t? If you love sports, and if you love drama, and if you love a great story–or even one of the three–then you love the World Cup. Today was Day 2 of the 2010 World Cup and I wanted nothing more than to be posted up in front of a television, American brew in hand, watching the USA take on England. Instead, I was standing in the rain on the corner of Augusta and Elston in Chicago, watching a BMX Dirt contest–and watching the game on my iPhone.

This past weekend (see previous post), I spent a lot of time talking to Jeremy Jones and Ralph Backstrom about why they do what they do. About fear and death and pushing limits and moving on after losing someone close to you to the mountains – the very place they turn for comfort and solace. Death happens much too often in the big-mountain world and Jones has dealt with it a lot in the past year. “I could use a lot less reality,” he told me.

“Every life comes with a story … and possibly a great adventure.” – Kobi Yamada, greeting card philosopher

When I created this site a few years ago, I did it for two reasons: to promote my first book, which was coming out at the time, and so I would have a place to write about my reporting adventures. Anyone who knows me knows I can’t go to the mailbox without also going on an adventure. They also know the only thing I love more than a good adventure is telling stories about a good adventure.