By: Lori McMullin, APR
Director of Business Operations &
Communications
Center for Business Excellence
On election
night, my husband and I decided to take a break from all of the political
tension and see a movie. At first, I
wasn’t too thrilled with his choice,
“Chasing Mavericks.” I mistakenly
thought it was a horse movie (oh, joy, I am not 12), and when I found out it
was a surfing movie, I wasn’t that much more excited. I was wrong.
Yes, there
were awesome waves and surfing action for those who crave the excitement. However, this true story had far more
significant meaning.
The story
revolves around a father/son-like relationship between local surfer and family
man Frosty Hesson and his pizza delivery kid neighbor Jay Moriarty. Moriarty, raised by his troubled mother,
finds sanctuary surfing in the waters off the coast of Santa Cruz, CA with a
board his absent father left behind.
Although, he is quite good, he is no match for the seasonal, nearby
Mavericks waves.
What are the Mavericks, you ask? After a strong winter storm in the
northern Pacific Ocean, Mavericks waves have been known to crest at over 25
feet and top out at over 80 feet. The break is caused by an unusually shaped
underwater rock formation.
Getting back to the point of my story, Hesson reluctantly
agrees to prepare Moriarty to take on the Mavericks. One would think preparation would primarily involve
surfing, but this is further from the truth.
Hesson gave Moriarty a, “Four Pillars Challenge,” which he had to agree
to.
This involved mental, emotional, physical and spiritual
(whatever that meant to Moriarty) components.
Moriarty had to write essays on what he observed while preparing for the
Mavericks. He learned to hold his breath for four minutes. He also had to face unresolved feelings about
his father. You get the idea.
Moriarty made it to the Mavericks that season and lived life
to the fullest until his untimely drowning in 2001 just one day shy of his 23rd
birthday. He owes much of who he became to a man who grew to become his real
father – Frosty Hesson. As Hesson’s wife
said, “Some sons are born to you…others occur to you."
In conclusion, “Chasing
Mavericks,” was a fantastic movie – a modern-day, “Karate Kid,” but even better.
Ironically, Elizabeth Shue plays Moriarty’s mother in the film.
So, as we approach a new year, we can all take on our own
pillars challenge, whatever it may be!
