WEBVTT - I'll High Five to That with Roy Tuscany 0:00:08.680 --> 0:00:09.760 Welcome to the Good Stuff. 0:00:09.800 --> 0:00:11.959 I'm Jacob Shick and I'm joined by my co host 0:00:11.960 --> 0:00:13.160 and wife, Ashley Shick. 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.319 Jake is a third generation combat Marine and I'm a 0:00:16.360 --> 0:00:20.560 gold Star granddaughter. We work together to serve military veterans, 0:00:20.640 --> 0:00:24.360 first responders, frontline healthcare workers, and their families with mental 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.720 and emotional wellness through traditional and non traditional therapy. 0:00:27.760 --> 0:00:29.600 At One Tribe Foundation, we. 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:31.880 Believe everyone has a story to tell, not only about 0:00:31.880 --> 0:00:34.080 the peaks, but also the valleys they've been through to 0:00:34.080 --> 0:00:35.400 get them to where they are today. 0:00:36.000 --> 0:00:38.320 Each week, we invite a guest to tell us their story, 0:00:38.400 --> 0:00:40.640 to share with us the lessons they've learned that shaped 0:00:40.680 --> 0:00:42.599 who they are and what they're doing to pay it 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:43.920 forward and give back. 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:46.239 Our mission with this show is to dig deep into 0:00:46.240 --> 0:00:48.400 our guest journey so that we can celebrate the hope 0:00:48.440 --> 0:00:50.440 and inspiration their story has to offer. 0:00:50.720 --> 0:00:52.960 We're thrilled you're joining us again. 0:00:53.400 --> 0:00:54.720 Welcome to the Good Stuff. 0:00:56.240 --> 0:00:58.640 We're so excited for today's show because our guest is 0:00:58.760 --> 0:01:01.920 Roy Tuscany. He was a professional skier and is the 0:01:01.920 --> 0:01:04.800 founder of the High Fives Foundation, which provides hope and 0:01:04.840 --> 0:01:08.760 resources for athletes with life altering injuries. From all walks 0:01:08.760 --> 0:01:11.520 of life. He's such an inspiration to us on so 0:01:11.600 --> 0:01:13.959 many levels. He's a dear friend of ours and we 0:01:14.000 --> 0:01:16.760 are excited to bring our conversation with him to you today. 0:01:17.400 --> 0:01:20.160 From a skiing accident that left him paralyzed to excessive 0:01:20.240 --> 0:01:23.040 drinking and alcoholism, like so many of us at some 0:01:23.120 --> 0:01:25.200 point in our lives, he found himself in a very 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:28.040 dark place, and because of his strength to press on 0:01:28.240 --> 0:01:31.000 and through many lessons learned, he's now on a path 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:34.640 to live life to the fullest while being completely present. Now, 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:36.680 please keep in mind that Roy is a true friend. 0:01:36.720 --> 0:01:39.399 In this conversation, we drop more than one F bomb, 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:43.360 so if that is something you're sensitive to, please keep 0:01:43.360 --> 0:01:46.199 your ear muffs handy. But I promise you this story 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:47.080 will touch your soul. 0:01:53.680 --> 0:01:56.920 We are so excited today to have our good friend. 0:01:57.480 --> 0:02:01.440 He's the founder of High Fives Foundation, a father, a husband, 0:02:01.640 --> 0:02:04.960 and just a really great dude. Roy Tuscany, thank you 0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:06.960 so much for joining us here on the Good Stuff. 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:08.760 Oh good day to you. 0:02:08.800 --> 0:02:11.240 What a great name for a podcast too, And well, 0:02:11.520 --> 0:02:13.760 we'll make sure we use the word good a lot today, 0:02:13.800 --> 0:02:16.440 more than the words we sometimes find in our fun talks. 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:20.800 Absolutely Roy. I mean we go way back, like Cadillac 0:02:20.880 --> 0:02:24.720 seats and you know, man, my brother from another mother. 0:02:25.200 --> 0:02:27.799 We're so excited to share your story with our audience, 0:02:27.840 --> 0:02:29.880 which really starts in your childhood. 0:02:29.919 --> 0:02:30.960 You grew up in Vermont. 0:02:31.680 --> 0:02:32.120 I did. 0:02:32.160 --> 0:02:34.720 I grew up in Vermont. Every moment I was trying 0:02:34.720 --> 0:02:37.600 to be outside, and outdoors was everything. And we got 0:02:37.639 --> 0:02:39.000 a lot of snow. I remember as a kid, we 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:40.400 got way more snow than we got now. I think 0:02:40.400 --> 0:02:43.440 it was also so shorter. But I remember, like in 0:02:43.560 --> 0:02:45.800 third grade, my mom like I had nothing to do 0:02:45.840 --> 0:02:48.920 in the winter. I was terrible at basketball. I was 0:02:48.960 --> 0:02:52.679 about forty two pounds in third grade. And my mom's like, 0:02:52.720 --> 0:02:54.440 all right, you need to pick a sport, and you 0:02:54.480 --> 0:02:58.760 can pick this afternoon ski program or you can play hockey. 0:02:59.160 --> 0:03:01.800 And I remember that moment my mom said hockey, like 0:03:01.880 --> 0:03:04.280 I got this envision of like three dudes that in 0:03:04.360 --> 0:03:07.040 third grade were like the size of Jake, and I 0:03:07.120 --> 0:03:10.040 was like the math and I just remember just like 0:03:10.120 --> 0:03:12.440 the word like smear. That's all I could think about 0:03:12.520 --> 0:03:15.200 was smear, and I thought that's how hockey was gonna 0:03:15.240 --> 0:03:17.040 go for me. I mean, I'm a huge hockey fan now, 0:03:17.120 --> 0:03:19.760 like let's go Bruins and the VM Catamounts where I 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.480 went to college. I'm a huge follower of their hockey program. 0:03:22.720 --> 0:03:25.600 But God, hockey is not for me. 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:30.480 So you clearly chose skiing. And what a great thing 0:03:30.520 --> 0:03:33.040 that you did. Tell us about that. 0:03:33.639 --> 0:03:36.680 I remember going the first night and you know, third 0:03:36.680 --> 0:03:40.040 grader goes up there. All my buddies had skied, and 0:03:40.080 --> 0:03:41.880 I was like, oh, I'll just hang out with my friends, 0:03:41.920 --> 0:03:45.120 Like skiing can't be that hard, it can't be that challenging. 0:03:45.200 --> 0:03:48.600 I'd ice skated, I'd played basketball and baseball. I mean, 0:03:48.840 --> 0:03:51.080 what are we talking about here? And I got to 0:03:51.120 --> 0:03:53.560 the top of the lift and my buddies were like, 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:55.640 all right, let's go. And I was like in my 0:03:56.000 --> 0:03:59.520 like bamby legs, like knees are buckling in all that. 0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:01.760 And the next thing I know, I look up and 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.160 they're gone, and you know, I'm like, all right. 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:04.960 Cool, Like what should I do? 0:04:05.040 --> 0:04:07.800 And you know, being intuitive, I saw a sign that 0:04:07.840 --> 0:04:08.800 said practice slope. 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:12.160 I was like, oh, let's go practice. Like sounds good. 0:04:12.200 --> 0:04:14.400 Alan Iverson doesn't believe in it, but like I do. 0:04:15.240 --> 0:04:17.560 And you know, got to the top of the practice 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:19.920 slope and realized that it was the practice slope for 0:04:20.200 --> 0:04:22.680 ski racing, incredibly steep. 0:04:22.880 --> 0:04:23.080 You know. 0:04:23.120 --> 0:04:25.760 I barely got there, and I remember this vividly. And 0:04:25.800 --> 0:04:27.880 it's night skiing too, so it's dark, and it's like 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.000 so you go from like light to dark to light 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.800 to dark. So now sitting on top of this hill 0:04:33.000 --> 0:04:34.880 looking and I'm like, all right, I gotta make it 0:04:34.920 --> 0:04:36.920 down to the base. Like if I get there, I'm home, 0:04:36.960 --> 0:04:39.960 and like maybe skiing isn't for me. And I just 0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:43.480 pointed it, and you know, I was like, all right, 0:04:43.520 --> 0:04:46.240 I'll figure out how to stop. And I didn't, and 0:04:46.279 --> 0:04:49.080 I just went straight and the bamby legs like went away. 0:04:49.520 --> 0:04:51.560 I like got into this like structural standset. 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:53.920 Unfortunately, I think I froze and I couldn't get out 0:04:53.920 --> 0:04:56.880 of I took that positioning all the way into the 0:04:56.920 --> 0:04:59.240 base lodge. And I hit that base lodge at like 0:04:59.279 --> 0:05:02.360 forty miles how or like a linebacker, and like took 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:05.719 it sideways and like and then dropped to the ground 0:05:05.800 --> 0:05:08.280 and like I'm not even kidding, like cartoonish like snow 0:05:08.320 --> 0:05:09.520 from the roof like came. 0:05:09.400 --> 0:05:10.080 And fell on me. 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.480 And I remember looking up and my buddy's dad's there 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:15.640 and he like dust me off, and he's like, hey, 0:05:15.839 --> 0:05:17.760 you're coming with me, and he's like, I'm gonna make 0:05:17.800 --> 0:05:20.040 sure you understand how to ski, and he like dragged 0:05:20.080 --> 0:05:22.039 me over to the beginner area. And for the next 0:05:22.080 --> 0:05:25.919 like four weeks, I freaking pizza and French fried until 0:05:25.960 --> 0:05:28.599 I like escape, and then from there I just just 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:31.000 started skiing and loving it. But oh my gosh, that 0:05:31.200 --> 0:05:34.440 that first introduction was definitely. 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:38.800 Rough baptism by fire. Truly, that is amazing. 0:05:39.320 --> 0:05:41.279 You know, I could totally envision young. 0:05:41.200 --> 0:05:46.880 Roy and then down the mountain and then like, Okay, 0:05:47.200 --> 0:05:49.120 well this might hurt a little. 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:51.440 Bit, but this is also going to be my life's past, 0:05:51.520 --> 0:05:51.880 you know what. 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.719 And that's why I told the boys Roy all the time. 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:57.039 And you see him climbing on stuff or doing dumb stuff. 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:01.159 You know, you're dad, and it's like, hey, trust me 0:06:01.200 --> 0:06:03.520 when I tell you that at some point, gravity will 0:06:03.560 --> 0:06:04.320 inevitably win. 0:06:05.040 --> 0:06:07.599 Oh my god, I can't wait to you know, try 0:06:07.600 --> 0:06:10.920 to explain gravity to Gunner. The alliteration alone is nice, 0:06:10.960 --> 0:06:13.479 gravity Gunner. But I'll tell you what, Like I have 0:06:13.640 --> 0:06:17.279 tried so hard for so many years to defy gravity, 0:06:17.560 --> 0:06:18.680 and I will tell you what. 0:06:19.040 --> 0:06:21.599 It always wins gravity. 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.360 No matter what you do, it always wins, and like 0:06:24.760 --> 0:06:27.039 it has a decision of how hard it wants you 0:06:27.120 --> 0:06:30.200 to remember how powerful it is. It's it's like mother Ocean, 0:06:30.480 --> 0:06:32.279 like when you go out in the waves and like 0:06:32.279 --> 0:06:34.320 all of a sudden you're like, oh, this isn't so bad, 0:06:34.400 --> 0:06:36.760 and then like you're like, I love this, and then 0:06:36.760 --> 0:06:42.120 out of nowhere's rogue wave comes in. Oh gosh, what 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.720 just you have like sand coming out of every orifice. 0:06:44.800 --> 0:06:49.520 Really exactly clearly that day a love was born for skiing. 0:06:50.200 --> 0:06:54.080 Yeah, I mean it hit me literally like a hammer, Yeah, 0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:55.120 it really did. 0:06:55.160 --> 0:06:57.799 But I think it was really like that learning process 0:06:57.839 --> 0:07:00.480 and like I think, like I remember like how fast 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.560 it came once they gave me a couple techniques of 0:07:03.600 --> 0:07:07.039 little things to practice understand, and then from there, I mean, 0:07:07.360 --> 0:07:12.280 that's all I did. I mean legitimately, Like in high school, 0:07:12.400 --> 0:07:14.320 I didn't go to parties because I wanted to go 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:17.400 skiing on all the days. In college, like my schedules, 0:07:17.440 --> 0:07:20.160 I had classes on Tuesday Thursdays. I'd leave campus on 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.080 Thursdays and go ski everywhere. 0:07:22.560 --> 0:07:24.160 From you know, Friday to Monday. 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:26.880 And it was just like it was a vehicle to 0:07:26.960 --> 0:07:29.480 get me to a place that I wanted to go, 0:07:29.600 --> 0:07:31.960 and then ultimately, you know, chose where I went to 0:07:32.000 --> 0:07:36.120 college in Vermont and then immediately graduating college, moved out 0:07:36.160 --> 0:07:40.160 west to coach skiing at you know, this pristine mountain 0:07:40.200 --> 0:07:42.480 in an academy. And I'm not kidding you, Like I 0:07:42.600 --> 0:07:45.400 used to get to like up the line on the 0:07:45.440 --> 0:07:47.080 interstate being like, oh, I got to get to coach 0:07:47.120 --> 0:07:49.840 skiing today, Like oh, that's an important job. I'm like yeah, totally, 0:07:50.240 --> 0:07:52.240 And like I would cut the line, get to the 0:07:52.320 --> 0:07:54.280 mountain at like seven in the morning, and then like 0:07:54.360 --> 0:07:57.880 get to ride the lift and like ski untracked you know, 0:07:58.120 --> 0:08:03.120 perfect powder by myself for like an hour and a half. 0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:07.080 And like that's what that all was, Like, this whole 0:08:07.240 --> 0:08:09.360 journey of what it was all worth was. 0:08:09.280 --> 0:08:11.640 Like no matter where I am at life, like I. 0:08:11.880 --> 0:08:15.800 Always remember like those moments of absolute Christine and it 0:08:15.840 --> 0:08:18.600 took so long to get in. That's like that's like 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:20.680 a thing for life. Like you're not going to freaking 0:08:20.760 --> 0:08:23.640 find happiness tomorrow, Like you got to work towards this shit, 0:08:23.760 --> 0:08:26.040 and like you're not also going to find you know, 0:08:26.400 --> 0:08:30.120 feeling emotions until you realize like are you feeling emotions 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.440 or you're just like hopeless in life, Like there's so 0:08:32.520 --> 0:08:37.080 many things, but skiing, you know, skiing's given me and 0:08:37.120 --> 0:08:38.160 taken away everything. 0:08:38.280 --> 0:08:41.000 You know. It's like it's that weird fricking thing. 0:08:41.120 --> 0:08:44.400 I mean, it's very similar with you, Jake, Like you know, 0:08:44.480 --> 0:08:47.280 the military, it is everything, it's your family. But at 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:51.200 the same time it took everything, it also gave you everything. 0:08:51.360 --> 0:08:54.760 When you think about that, like do you celebrate it? 0:08:54.800 --> 0:08:56.400 Is it truly that love. 0:08:56.320 --> 0:08:59.360 Hate relationship like that you can actually be like, I 0:08:59.400 --> 0:09:00.600 know what love hate relationship? 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:01.040 It is here. 0:09:01.080 --> 0:09:04.560 It is well absolutely, and your mother clearly steered you 0:09:04.840 --> 0:09:07.480 correctly in giving you a choice. You have to have 0:09:07.559 --> 0:09:11.199 something to apply yourself to that young roy and you 0:09:11.320 --> 0:09:15.320 chose this path. Talk about growing up in that household, 0:09:16.080 --> 0:09:16.640 I think. 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:19.360 Like truthfully, skiing was like the best thing that ever 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:22.559 happened for my household. My parents got like a bit 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:26.199 of their freedom back. I mean, the mountain was my babysitter. 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.640 They would drop us off, you know in the morning, 0:09:28.679 --> 0:09:31.360 myself when I meet up with my other buddies, and 0:09:31.400 --> 0:09:33.200 then they knew it time to pick me up. And 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:37.040 it was like really simple, you know, like here's your 0:09:37.080 --> 0:09:39.800 money to run out, like you run out. 0:09:40.040 --> 0:09:41.000 I'll be here at this time. 0:09:41.000 --> 0:09:43.000 And it was before cell phones too, so it was 0:09:43.120 --> 0:09:46.959 very much like we'll see you at five o'clock right here, 0:09:47.200 --> 0:09:50.560 and it meant like show up here at five o'clock. 0:09:51.280 --> 0:09:53.640 And you know, looking back on it, and now, just 0:09:53.720 --> 0:09:56.760 like the little bit that I'm doing now and knowing 0:09:56.800 --> 0:09:59.400 it's gonna ramp up is gunner gets more involved in things. 0:09:59.400 --> 0:10:03.960 But gosh, my parents made a sacrifice, And like, you 0:10:04.000 --> 0:10:08.200 don't realize all the sacrifices you do until you become 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.080 a parent, and then you really realize how much of 0:10:11.080 --> 0:10:12.680 a little selfish, pricky. 0:10:12.320 --> 0:10:16.360 Person, right right, Why didn't you drop me at nine? 0:10:16.880 --> 0:10:20.640 Why other things to do like try to put food 0:10:20.679 --> 0:10:21.240 on the table. 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.040 Yeah, I agree, our parents really do sacrifice. And I 0:10:24.120 --> 0:10:27.120 tell you, bro with our boys them being in sports 0:10:27.200 --> 0:10:27.840 and having to get. 0:10:27.720 --> 0:10:30.359 All the equipment, you're able to really. 0:10:30.120 --> 0:10:33.280 Empathize and sympathize with what your parents go through as. 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:34.800 A parent so much. 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:37.400 Oh my goodness, So tell me what kind of student 0:10:37.400 --> 0:10:38.199 were you growing up? 0:10:38.600 --> 0:10:38.840 Oh? 0:10:38.960 --> 0:10:41.560 Man? I think, like you know, I'm obviously like dealing 0:10:41.559 --> 0:10:43.160 with it now and like I'll say it now, like 0:10:43.200 --> 0:10:45.160 therapy is the best shit in the world. Like, if 0:10:45.160 --> 0:10:47.959 you don't go to therapy, like then like I hope 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:51.240 you have an outlet that allows you to find your answers. 0:10:51.679 --> 0:10:54.960 It's so funny to look back at how much therapy 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:59.360 is figuring out the points that were beneficial and then 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:03.320 thinking out the points that unfortunately have caused some issues 0:11:03.679 --> 0:11:06.880 within who you are now, but recognizing them. But you know, 0:11:06.960 --> 0:11:10.120 as a student, like fuck, my dad did not let 0:11:10.160 --> 0:11:14.480 me have a chance at failing. He ensured in a 0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:19.800 very militaristic way that my homework was done that before 0:11:19.840 --> 0:11:23.720 a test. I like literally in high school before Like 0:11:23.800 --> 0:11:25.719 my dad knew when I had tests, I think more 0:11:25.760 --> 0:11:26.199 than I did. 0:11:26.240 --> 0:11:28.160 I don't know how, but like. 0:11:29.640 --> 0:11:32.480 I had to know the answers the night before before 0:11:32.520 --> 0:11:38.160 going even into the test, and like that created like, unfortunately, 0:11:38.400 --> 0:11:43.040 this ideal of perfectionism. It also created, you know, the 0:11:43.160 --> 0:11:45.160 idea that I should get everything right. 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:47.520 So there's two things. 0:11:47.360 --> 0:11:52.520 That I have to unfortunately unwind and figure out where 0:11:52.520 --> 0:11:54.960 are the boundaries to put those. But then it also 0:11:55.040 --> 0:11:59.480 gave me the ability to be everything I do. I'm 0:11:59.520 --> 0:12:02.160 that I'm not going to half ass anything, you know. 0:12:02.200 --> 0:12:03.720 It's just about the same. 0:12:04.400 --> 0:12:08.640 It's like a part of that is your work ethic 0:12:08.920 --> 0:12:11.800 is second to none. You were one of the hardest 0:12:11.800 --> 0:12:15.320 working human beings I know, like you grind to the degree, 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:20.000 and I think that's the caveat to the everything else 0:12:20.040 --> 0:12:22.439 you just said. You know, and just like you said earlier, 0:12:22.480 --> 0:12:24.559 you alluded to it, we got to take the good 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:25.040 with the bad. 0:12:25.679 --> 0:12:28.360 And I love that you said therapy. Yeah. 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:32.560 I mean, anyone who doesn't have a healthy outlet find one. 0:12:32.960 --> 0:12:34.280 It's such a necessity. 0:12:34.480 --> 0:12:38.000 It unlocks so many doors and it shed so much 0:12:38.080 --> 0:12:40.040 light on why we are who we are. 0:12:40.640 --> 0:12:43.520 But you just said the most important word there is healthy. 0:12:43.920 --> 0:12:48.520 What's healthy? Let's define that is healthy? Like how many 0:12:48.920 --> 0:12:51.280 bars you can visit in a day, and how many 0:12:51.400 --> 0:12:54.520 relationships you can create with bartenders, and how many people 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.720 like when you walk into it, Like you think in 0:12:57.800 --> 0:13:00.480 the moment that when you walk into a place and 0:13:00.520 --> 0:13:03.199 someone puts a shot in a beer down because they 0:13:03.360 --> 0:13:06.719 just know that's why you're there and that's who you are. 0:13:07.280 --> 0:13:08.560 Is that the identity you want? 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:12.040 I would hope not. And that's not love, by the way, 0:13:12.160 --> 0:13:16.920 that's called capitalism. They're not putting the beer and shot 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:19.839 down because they're like, I genuinely love this human being, 0:13:20.880 --> 0:13:22.800 and you and I both know because we're going to 0:13:22.880 --> 0:13:24.280 get into it how that goes. 0:13:24.360 --> 0:13:27.360 And I had well more than one watering hole that knews. 0:13:27.520 --> 0:13:28.720 Yeah exactly. 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:32.360 So where did that start for you? Roy? 0:13:32.720 --> 0:13:35.640 Where did your discovery of alcohol begin? 0:13:36.440 --> 0:13:40.240 I think like it's actually from again that strict household. 0:13:40.280 --> 0:13:41.080 You just brought that up. 0:13:41.120 --> 0:13:43.800 It's like I think my parents instead of like talking 0:13:43.840 --> 0:13:46.720 about their downfalls because now like looking at it, I 0:13:46.720 --> 0:13:48.920 think my dad got into trouble a lot as a 0:13:48.920 --> 0:13:51.720 young kid and drinking and he's never really talked about it. 0:13:51.920 --> 0:13:54.880 My mom like now looking back as like yeah, my 0:13:54.920 --> 0:14:00.319 mom was the life of the party, but now thinking 0:14:00.360 --> 0:14:03.640 about it, like holy shit, did my mom drink a lot? 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.920 And like what I thought was healthy, Like my mom 0:14:07.000 --> 0:14:10.120 loved jyd and Tonics. I as she got older, you know, 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:12.840 would recognize that like like some weeks there'd be like 0:14:12.920 --> 0:14:14.439 three empty Hendrix. 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.120 Bottles out at the house, you know, just. 0:14:16.040 --> 0:14:18.199 From her drinking at night. At first, you're like, oh, 0:14:18.240 --> 0:14:20.160 that's just how it is. And then later in your life, 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:23.080 wait a second, that's developing how I view it. And 0:14:23.120 --> 0:14:25.200 then you know, later when she got cancer, and she 0:14:25.240 --> 0:14:26.760 was drinking one of those night who gives a shake, 0:14:26.800 --> 0:14:27.200 do whatever the. 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:27.520 Hell you want. 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.200 I don't care, Like party on, party the hell on. 0:14:30.280 --> 0:14:32.360 If that's what you want, that's your outlet, I don't care. 0:14:32.840 --> 0:14:35.280 You know, now looking back on it, it's like, holy crap. 0:14:35.400 --> 0:14:38.520 My parents never talked to me about it. And you know, 0:14:38.560 --> 0:14:41.720 we won this state championship for running like we were 0:14:41.760 --> 0:14:45.560 this underdog kind of like Disney movie. Like literally, we 0:14:45.600 --> 0:14:47.640 had this awesome coach who's still like one of my 0:14:47.680 --> 0:14:50.520 biggest mentors and randomly shows up in my life at 0:14:50.560 --> 0:14:53.760 the most mint like literally almost still like a Disney movie. 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.800 Like it's not like we had this awesome training program. 0:14:56.880 --> 0:15:00.400 We were underfunded. We just ran every day, and we 0:15:00.520 --> 0:15:03.640 ran with this like approach that wasn't like running, like 0:15:03.880 --> 0:15:05.880 we would do mud runs where you'd like run through 0:15:05.880 --> 0:15:08.680 the mud and just get fricking destroyed and wrestle. We'd 0:15:08.720 --> 0:15:11.800 run through these old dead forests and knock down trees. 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.520 Like he added fun into running, but you had to 0:15:14.600 --> 0:15:16.560 run really far to get to the fun. 0:15:16.640 --> 0:15:18.120 And then once you had fun, then you had to 0:15:18.200 --> 0:15:18.680 run back. 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.560 And it was like it was this pride thing he 0:15:21.920 --> 0:15:24.920 instilled all this stuff, so Whin the state championship, we 0:15:25.080 --> 0:15:28.000 go to New England's highest ranked team in New England's 0:15:28.040 --> 0:15:30.960 we end up nationally ranked as the highest public dranked 0:15:31.000 --> 0:15:34.080 high school in America. Cross country running went from nothing 0:15:34.160 --> 0:15:37.280 to like like this blip on the map. So we'd 0:15:37.360 --> 0:15:41.920 go and celebrate this huge party. Like first time ever drinking. 0:15:42.280 --> 0:15:44.080 I drink a six pack and I didn't know I 0:15:44.160 --> 0:15:46.160 drank a six pack in literally twelve minutes. I thought 0:15:46.160 --> 0:15:48.280 it was like soda and I was like, oh, go go, go, 0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:49.120 go go, and then all of. 0:15:49.120 --> 0:15:51.960 A sudden, like just destroyed, and I was like, I 0:15:52.040 --> 0:15:52.960 need food. I need food. 0:15:53.000 --> 0:15:55.960 So we take my car, my buddy drives to sober Unfortunately, 0:15:55.960 --> 0:15:57.680 we have a missing light in the car. 0:15:58.280 --> 0:15:59.480 You know, we get pulled over. 0:16:00.080 --> 0:16:01.560 After we went to the store and I got like 0:16:01.640 --> 0:16:03.880 six orders of hal of Panio poppers. And let me 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:05.920 tell you something, hal Of Paniel popper is a six 0:16:05.960 --> 0:16:09.920 pack of hard apple cider and a cop are a 0:16:10.000 --> 0:16:13.440 bad mix. And I puked all over this cop. I 0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:17.560 ended up like hugging the cop and all this embarrassing shit. 0:16:18.240 --> 0:16:20.320 You know, it became a laughing stock of the school. 0:16:20.360 --> 0:16:23.440 That was my introduction to drinking. So that's introduction one. 0:16:24.320 --> 0:16:26.600 Don't drink. I'm like, drinking is not for me. 0:16:27.120 --> 0:16:29.600 How did it wind up? After you hug the cop? 0:16:29.920 --> 0:16:32.560 So at the cops mom because I'm from a small town. 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:36.200 The CoP's mom was the high school librarian, and like 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:41.160 we were the cross country team was very like nordurized 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:43.280 at the time, you know, like we're very recognized and 0:16:43.400 --> 0:16:45.920 like scene. And he just dropped me off in my parents' 0:16:45.960 --> 0:16:47.760 house and like, you know, told me not to have 0:16:47.920 --> 0:16:52.840 it happen again, you know, and on his shoes. Yeah, 0:16:52.880 --> 0:16:54.920 I had more puke on me though. I told him 0:16:54.920 --> 0:16:56.480 I loved him too, you know, it's awesome. 0:16:56.520 --> 0:16:57.000 Let me tell you. 0:16:57.520 --> 0:16:59.280 Okay, sorry, So then what happened? 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.200 So then, don't drink, win some more state championships, graduate 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:05.160 high school, still don't drink. 0:17:05.480 --> 0:17:09.480 Go to college. First weekend at college, let's start drinking again. 0:17:09.760 --> 0:17:13.160 Everyone's doing it. Let's go for it. Go to this party. 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:16.000 So first we can randomly meet the head of the 0:17:16.119 --> 0:17:20.040 unh you know, row team, and he's like, you want 0:17:20.040 --> 0:17:21.560 to take a shot, and I was like again, you know. 0:17:21.800 --> 0:17:24.440 Then we start going shot for shot and this dude's 0:17:24.480 --> 0:17:27.040 like four foot eleven and I'm like five foot eleven. 0:17:27.080 --> 0:17:28.680 I'm like, I got you buy a foot Like, what 0:17:28.840 --> 0:17:33.439 is this like stupidity? So anyways, I get drunk again. 0:17:33.880 --> 0:17:36.240 I go out back once again to puke. So now 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:38.960 you know, two times drinking puking, so obviously this is 0:17:38.960 --> 0:17:43.720 a good score. Consistent puke. This time, someone's like, you're 0:17:43.760 --> 0:17:46.680 coming with me? I turn around and push the person. 0:17:47.040 --> 0:17:47.760 It's a cop. 0:17:48.160 --> 0:17:50.520 I get thrown on the ground, I get hog tied, 0:17:51.080 --> 0:17:53.520 and I get brought to what was supposed to be 0:17:53.560 --> 0:17:56.359 the detox on campus, but it was, folks, it's opening weekend. 0:17:56.760 --> 0:17:58.800 So I had to go to the Dover State Prison 0:17:59.240 --> 0:18:02.560 and I got put in a prison cell with eighteen 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:07.160 other individuals that were like wild and crazy. They took 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:09.880 my shoelaces, my belt. I had to sit in there 0:18:09.920 --> 0:18:12.800 for like thirty eight hours until I blew a zero. 0:18:13.960 --> 0:18:18.040 And apparently that coup had no connection to your school librarian. 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:21.120 Yeah, it'd only been on campus for like a day. 0:18:21.280 --> 0:18:24.920 So had it met the librarian at UNH Yeah? Yeah, 0:18:24.960 --> 0:18:27.560 and me and drinking, Me and drinking went really well 0:18:27.640 --> 0:18:29.320 right out of the gate. But I think it really 0:18:29.359 --> 0:18:33.199 came from like a place of my parents, not you know, 0:18:33.800 --> 0:18:36.240 introducing it to me in a safe manner and me 0:18:36.320 --> 0:18:38.919 always thinking it was forbidden, and then given the keys, 0:18:38.960 --> 0:18:41.840 and I was like, it'd be like, you know, giving 0:18:41.840 --> 0:18:43.840 me the keys to a trophy truck, Like let's go 0:18:43.880 --> 0:18:45.600 see how fast we can go across the woods. 0:18:45.680 --> 0:18:48.320 Like I've seen it in videos. I can do it too. 0:18:48.640 --> 0:18:50.880 I definitely identify with that. Jake and I had very 0:18:50.920 --> 0:18:53.000