Page 10 - Flathead Living // Spring 2015

EDITOR’S NOTE
Everyone Needs a Fan
W hen Makena Morley won an international cross country championship in Scotland, our reporters began texting each other about the feat accomplished thousands of miles away. Like many fans, we cheer for local athletes and often pretend to know them a little better than we do. When our favorite team or player is competing, we refer to their
plight as “we” instead of “them.”
We say things like, “With our depth,
we’re going to be tough to beat.” And, “We have a shot at state if we stay healthy.”
When planning our cover story, I talked to contributing editor Myers Reece about the personal connection we have with the peo- ple we cheer for. He decided to pose some of our best local athletes a question, “What motivates you?”
By asking that, he hoped to connect them
a little closer to the rest of us, whether you
know them or not. Either way, as you’ll find
out, they’re not all that different. They vary
in age and have full-time jobs and are in
school. All of them are busy – just like you
and me. And despite achievements that most of us can’t match, we are similar in another area: We need fans, too.
I’m lucky to be surrounded by friends and family who root for me in just about everything. Myers, for example, began running before I did. He’s faster than me, better at basketball than me and I can count on one hand how many times I’ve beaten him in pool. But when I began running, he also became one of my biggest fans. He and others offered encouragement and cheered when I crossed the finish line.
Everyone needs fans, and not just the ones standing on the sidelines, sitting in the bleachers or watching television on their couch. There’s plenty to cheer for every day. There is someone who sets a personal best, whether running up a
Me, Myers and two bears following a race in Whitefish.
mountain or walking around the block. It may not make it into a magazine or highlight reel, but it’s just as important to them as it is to an elite athlete.
In this issue of Flathead Living, we hope to provide some motivation as the weather warms. We talked to Makena and other locals who push themselves further than most of us have. We can’t outrun or outswim them. But we can cheer for them, learn from them and set our own goals.
Spring is the perfect season to set out to accomplish something you thought you never could. No matter how small the feat, we should encourage each other along the way. After all, spring is also a perfect season to be a fan. And everyone needs a cheerleader. FL
Thanks for reading,
Kellyn Brown | editor in chief [email protected]
8 FLATHEAD LIVING | SPRING 2015