Many people don't know this about me but I never wanted to be a writer. Growing up I dreamed of trying so many things and they were all physical, athletic, exciting! As a little kid I sucked at sports but that didn't stop my imagination. I wanted to be an action movie star and a professional wrestler and a soldier and a martial artist. A middle school teacher snickered at my pronouncements and told me that I would have to pick only one. Even as a kid I vehemently disagreed. That teacher was the first of many naysayers who would try to lower my expectations. Other adults, fellow students and even friends mocked my ambitions. Granted I would often brag about all the things I was going to do and people don't like that. The best advice I ever got on the subject came from my Uncle David who said, "Do something first, then come tell me about it." Challenge accepted! Over the years I watched heartbroken as friends gave up on their dreams. My friend Mark took acting le...

 

It might sound like a lazy sales pitch but truth be told you can actually learn to throw axes fairly well in a short amount of time. My name is Alex Hutchinson and I'm what you might you call a Taskmaster. I dive into a new sport every couple years and get fairly good at them rather quickly. Why should you listen to me? I started as a kid doing team sports like soccer, baseball and basketball. As a teenager I dove into wrestling, boxing and martial arts. By my thirties I was driving hard in BMX racing and running. I spent several years mountain biking with some cyclocross on the side and even gave the Highland Games a try in my forties. Now at 50 years old I'm shoulder deep in my 12th sport. Alex and his track mates at Charlotte BMX As an adventure writer this type of immersion training was sort of my job and it taught me how to learn just about anything in a short period of time. Don't get me wrong I've never been a National or World Champion but I have earned enough t...