The snow is melting, the weather is changing, and another batch of crew leaders are here in colorful Colorado to kick off the 2018 season! Woooh!
I'll start off with a little introduction... my name is Tina, and this will be my second year as a field coordinator with RMYC. My journey out west began in 2012 when I somewhat impulsively decided to quit school, rid myself of most of my belongings, and headed out to Steamboat Springs to begin my first season as a crew member with RMYC. I completed a summer and fall season as a member and became instantly hooked by the dirt-bag trail-kid lifestyle. I was in love with my surroundings and the culture that RMYC cultivated. I returned the following year as an assistant crew leader for a summer and fall season. In the years between my last season on crew and returning to RMYC last summer, I did some more traveling, learning and growing, but nothing ever amounted to the level of personal growth that I had experienced in those seasons on crew.
I am now back as a field coordinator for the second time, helping to train another set of leaders that will soon go off and have their own life-changing experiences alongside the rest of their crews. These few weeks of leadership training are a lot of fun for me because in addition to watching these leaders get pumped to receive their crew members and go out in the field, us field coordinators get to hop on projects and weekend rec trips with the leaders. For these few weeks it feels like we are one big happy crew family. This past weekend in particular was a lot of fun, learning leadership skills and energetic communications through working with horses and camping in the beautiful San Juan valley. As we gear up for the upcoming season, we sometimes find ourselves in a hectic state, trying to juggle many responsibilities and ensuring that everything is good to go before our crew members arrive. One big thing that I have learned in my time working with RMYC is to go with the flow and to always remain flexible and open to change. (Acceptance is the key to happiness!) Despite the sometimes stressful and chaotic moments during this month of training, it's moments like this past weekend that remind me why I am in the position I'm in and why I keep coming back for more.
Thanks for reading, excited to meet you all!
-Tina, FC
