Forced Family Fun

January 1st, 2025, a day of celebration, reflection, gratitude, and looking towards the future with hopeful feelings. I can’t help but think back to what quite possibly started it all, what set me on my path, what built the forge for which I’d craft my passions. My parents, kudos to them, coined the phrase, “Forced Family Fun”. Now to my sister and me this may have been whatever Dad and Mom wanted to do that was outdoor centric on on any given weekend day, but in the spirit of reflection I owe it to them to be open that it’s probably one of the defining things what made me, me.

Sure, to a 5 and 3 year old going for a hike in the Rockies could quite possibly be the most ick thing around. I mean, staying in to build legos and play, “GI Joe dates Barbie” sounded so much more enticing. But 25 years on, those moments are nothing but memories and photos of days long past. Happily though, the phrase “Forced Family Fun” echoes in my subconscious and conscious mind effortlessly.

I’d love to romanticize that the phrase turned mantra is the defining verbiage that built my own internal drive, motivation, and accountability, but maybe that’s just being the first born child and a lover of “touching grass”. Apparently my parents knew 5 year old me better than I did, shocker, because look at me now. The outside is my playground, where hopes and dreams are built, words turn to actions, and “fun and frolic” are now “training, racing, and adventuring”.

What started as learning to ride a bike and accidentally t-boning my Dad and sister on one of those third wheel bike attachments definitely served as a turning point for both my sister and I. Cycling might not be her preferred form of exercise, meanwhile I have a chain ring tattoo on my calf, 5 bikes, a summer of bike shop side-gig work, more than a handful of races over the years, and a well kitted home garage shop to keep my trusty steeds in working order.

What used to be my high school mind’s version of torture, running the neighborhood, is now my preferred method of getting my morning me time. I get to touch grass, and enjoying meditative solitude whilst also training for upcoming events.

Sure, it’s not so “forced” these days for me, but that’s the beautiful thing about it. My life, whether by my own choice or others, has always revolved around some shape or form of outdoor activity many have to FORCE themselves to do, and to be able to grow up with these experiences has only help furthered my love and passion for outdoor activity. Some days it’s healing for me, some days it’s tried and true training, some days it’s just downright shitty, but the work gets done, and whether I enjoyed it or not I always get the pleasure of reflecting that I touched grass, smelled fresh air, have an able and capable body to do amazing things with, and whoever* I’m with had fun.

*Whoever in this sense is oftentimes me, myself, and I, but other times it is my family, my friends, and my dogs. Maybe they might say it was type 2 fun, but hey, that is still fun!

So, what “forced family fun” makes your clock tick?

-Coach Tim

Patience, Peace, Presence