I can literally trace the periods of my life by the places I've lived and the sports I played there.
As a youngster in Burnaby and Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, it was hockey (A LOT), soccer, lacrosse and skiing.
In my teens in Sonoma County, California, it was football, wrestling, surfing and hockey (A LOT less).
Raising a family in Florida, it was surfing (A LOT), skating, Ultimate Frisbee and still some hockey (believe it or not!). My surf travels took me from North Carolina to Chile, interspersed with missions to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Puerto Rico and Hawaii.
As my weather career took me to Colorado, it was skiing (A LOT), hiking, climbing, river rafting and... wait for it... more hockey!
In Palm Springs, California, it was golf (A LOT), skiing, surfing and finally, NO hockey. My ski travels from there were into the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains, pilgrimages to the Sierras, nostalgic trips back to Colorado and surgical strikes into British Columbia, where I attained my Level 1 avalanche training certification, opening the door to backcountry skiing in 2019.
At this point you may be wondering "Why is the weather guy taking so much about sports?" It took me years to make the connection: my entire life has been weather-dependent! I've learned a lot of hard lessons outdoors in the pursuit of recreation, and my curiosity became a passion for important stuff like learning how not to get struck by lightning, not drowning and not freezing to death. So far, so good.
My passion motivated me to attain a B.S. in Geosciences with a concentration in Broadcast and Operational Meteorology from Mississippi State University. I also hold a B.A. in Radio and Television with a minor in Writing and Rhetoric from the Nicholson School of Communication and Media at the University of Central Florida. Oh! I also have an A.A. from Eastern Florida State College, but now I'm just bragging. Well, if I threw in that I made the Dean's and President's lists, that would be bragging (and kind of tacky). I'm also a proud member of the National Weather Association and the American Meteorological Society.
In Canada, we watched a lot of Seattle television. I got all of my Sesame Street and Mr. Rogers from PBS. I remember J.P. Patches, the "Artesian" Rainier beer commercials and this silly spot for the Puyallup State Fair where a chicken dances to a folksy little ditty called "Do the Puyallup". I am a son of the Pacific Northwest. I caught my first fish - a rainbow trout - in the Skagit River. I understand and respect the legacy of KING 5 and I'm beyond honored to be a part of its present and future.
