Stay-Focused Conducts Twenty-first Program!

The third program of summer 2010 brought five first-time divers together, along with two of our alums, Ryan Neiswender, who served as the mentor for the group, and Brian Siemann. We also had Jackson Rafter join us as our intern. First-time divers included Guthrie Lindquist, Amanda McGrory, Eliza McIntosh, Ryan Nelson, and Josh Swoverland.

Leading the Program

Joining the group were: Roger Muller, Founder/President of Stay-Focused, Trisha Yurochko, Stay-Focused Board member and diving regular, and Dr. Mark Lombardo, one of our medical advisors, and his wife Janet. Stay-Focused diving instructors Marty Banks, Chris Brandson, Tony Chisholm, John Frederick, Nick Lawton, Jaxx Kienas, and Sarah Lown all volunteered their time to instruct the new divers and ensure safe diving for the entire group. With news Jaxx had decided to expand her horizons and move to Fiji, the group wished her all the best going forward - Jaxx, you will be greatly missed!

Ryan Neiswender Advances to Open- Water Diver

At the completion of the program, Ryan Neiswender's SCUBA diving certification was advanced to Open-Water Diver, in recognition of his diving skills and experience! Way to go, Ryan!

Legacy Logs

At the end of each trip with first-time divers, it is customary for each diver to create a visual depiction of what the trip has meant to him or her. While all Legacy Logs are unique and special, there was a bit of competition in this group with Amanda creating perhaps the most visually stunning one ever, and Guthrie both surprising and impressing the group with his heartfelt poem. Nice job done by everyone!

Responsibility Code

As part of each trip, we either create or revisit our Responsibility Code, which simply outlines the rules of conduct we all agree to abide by during our time together. This group came up with the longest Responsibility Code ever! Here it is:

01. Be on time!
02. Be nice to one another
03. Help each other out
04. Stay hydrated!
05. Stay on task
06. Have fun!
07. Be safe
08. Leave no one out
09. Know your limits
10. Look good!
11. Dance like there's no tomorrow
12. Be serious/accountable
13. Be thankful
14. Respect your mentor and intern

Well, among the group, it's well known the mentor (and his roommate) stumbled early on and, despite claims it was the fault of the alarm clock or a missed wake-up call, took it like men. Throughout the week, they (and the group) did an excellent job of adhering to the tenets of the Responsibility Code they created.

DIVER

On each trip we also contemplate the acronym DIVER and assign words to each letter that reflect the collective opinion of the group. Here are the words this group chose:

D Divees (alternate plural for 'divers'?)
I Intriguing
V Vivacious
E Electrifying
R "Reg"

With R-reg, B-reg, G-reg, and "Swove who just dove" on the trip, the words assigned to the acronym DIVER kind of, sort of make sense - but, I think it's fair to say, you needed to be there.

Goals for 2010

At the end of the trip, each member of the group sets a goal for the remainder of the year. The goals are meant to be realistic, achievable, and measurable. Here they are:

Amanda: Reclaim world record in 5000 meter in Switzerland by summer 2011 - Wie Gehts!

Brian: Set US time standard in 400 meter.

Eliza: Maintain 4.0 GPA - 2010/11.

Guthrie: Make first team all-American in basketball - March 2011.

Jackson: Maintain a 10.0 GPA (this is different from the usual 4.0 scale - hey, he's the intern) - 2010/11.

Josh: Hit US time standard in track.

Ryan Neiswender: Like his buddy, Guthrie - make first team all-American in basketball - March 2011. Go R-reg and G-reg!

Ryan Nelson: Rank among the Top15 in the world in wheelchair tennis is 2011.

Good luck to all of you in achieving your goals!


Roger Muller
Founder/President
July/August 2010