Updates

A Tiny Day in the Jackson Hole Backcountry from Tristan Greszko on Vimeo.

In my free time, I like looking up ski videos. Since skiing is one of my many passions, it tends to happen a lot. Often, I'll end up spending hours just watching video after video off of Vimeo or Newschoolers. They're cool, reflective, artistic, inspiring. They serve the producers' intentions ultimately and always, and I think that in many ways they are able to capture what words cannot. Better yet, they do it in a way that recognizes the present moment--by using modern filmography techniques and equipment, by telling a story, and by sharing it with the wider skiing community.

Staying focused on the present is hard, and that's why I'm coming back to blogging. Here. So here are some updates on things that I'm working on and where I'm hoping to go with them.

1. Managing a Pool.
For the past four summers, I've lifeguarded at Comstock Aquatics Center in Spokane, Washington. These four years have been some of the funnest, most enjoyable, craziest summers of my life, and I've loved every minute. This summer, I'll be taking my aquatics experience to a whole new level as I move to the position of Pool Manager at Shadle Aquatics Center in northwest Spokane. This means that I'll have my own staff, with four or five Aquatic Aides (cashiers), twenty-plus lifeguards and water safety instructors, and two assistant managers. I'll have new responsibilities, like dealing with unruly patrons and taking care of chemicals. I'll schedule the entire pool, and work with the Aquatics Supervisor to ensure that all programs are running smoothly. It's a major undertaking, but I'm super excited and am already planning inservices and trainings in my head. Hopefully I'll get more information when I'm back in Spokane for a training weekend at the end of May.

2. Interning for Retreats.
I'm super excited that next year I'll be interning in Campus Ministry as one of Santa Clara University's Campus Ministry interns for Retreats. Again, a great honor, and I was pleased and somewhat surprised to be selected. I'll be working with J.C. Landry to plan and organize numerous retreats for Santa Clara undergrads, graduate students, faculty, staff, and alumni. As someone who was super involved in retreats in high school, it means the world to be selected. This means that I'll be able to channel my passions into a place where I believe I can make a difference. Ironically, training conflicts will mean that I will be unable to participate or help lead the scuID Leadership Retreat, which is adapted from the retreat my group and I proposed as part of ELP, but on the plus side, I'll be able to stay involved in other ways to be divulged shortly.

Anyway, things are moving in a positive direction and I couldn't be more excited. For now, I'm just waiting...desperately...for summer. It will come, but I'm sure as soon as it starts, I'll be ready to start back up so I can get started in Campus Ministry. Strange how things like that work.