This past Thursday on February 21 SUU Outdoors first Adventure Speaker Series hosted local business owner, David Whitmore, on Thursday, Feb. 21. As the current owner of Cedar Sport shop and a former SUU student, Whitmore got attendees very interested in learning about the outdoors.
Whitmore engaged the present students by playing outdoor Jeopardy to win free items from Cedar Sports. He had the audience split into two teams and pick from the following categories: plants and animals, local recreation, safety and survival, and outdoor gear. When a team got an answer correct, he gave a personal story from that specific category.
Alongside Jeopardy, Whitmore offered two challenges for the teams; To do a track stand on a mountain bike and to put on a climbing harness with a “figure eight knot”. The tasks were especially fun to watch as everyone began rooting for their team.
One of the stories Whitmore told about opening his small business and trying to find a job. He suggested three types of people in the job pool:wanderers, hunters, and foragers.
He urged students to resist being wanderers, who wait around hoping that a job or an opportunity will fall into place. Instead, they were instructed to be hunters and foragers. To go out and find things and know exactly what they want while keeping it in their sights. Students should actively seek new experiences and opportunities.
Whitmore also shared inspiring stories which moved his audience. He shared the story of how he got earned his Wilderness First Responder certification. According to Whitmore, for the test, he was given a hypothetical scenario to rescue his wife. However, regardless of what he did, his wife would die.
Whitmore became emotional in remembrance. “In that moment, I forgot that it was a simulation and I was just flooded with emotions,” he said.
The SUU Outdoors Adventure Speaker Series is free and open to all students. The series will continue by welcoming Alumna, Megan Taylor, this Thursday Feb. 28. at noon in the SUU Outdoors basecamp (next to Chik-fil-a).
Story By: Jessica Hanneman
oudoors@suunews.net
Photo Courtesy of: SUU Outdoors
