Team Summer Adventures: Chuck Hewitt

Catch up with PSIA-AASI National Team members as they share their summer adventures and how it keeps them on their game for winter. Here’s how AASI Snowboard Team member Chuck Hewitt spent his summer.

What’s been your go-to summer activity or big summer adventure?

Holding down a year-round 9-5 has brought a little different cadence to my summers than I’m accustomed to, but this summer has been good.

My son joined the local middle school mountain bike club, so I jumped in and became a coach for the team. I had a great time sharing my passion for all things bikes with the kids. It’s been great to see them build their skills along with their love for the sport.

What else was on your to-do list?

I tackled building a new deck on our house and some major landscaping projects with a little help from a friend or two. While it was a big project (our new deck is 55’ x 15’), and I anticipated it would take some time, I certainly spent a few more weekend and evening hours on this project than I expected.

We managed a few family camping trips and outings adventuring our way around the mountains of Colorado, the high deserts of Utah, and the canyons of Arizona. It’s always great to show our kids around all our favorite places scattered across the American West.

I managed to do a number on my left knee this summer. The MRI was “angry” and the outlook rather uncertain, but under the care of Dr. Thomas Hackett, head physician for the US Ski & Snowboard Team, based at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, I underwent a successful surgery on my meniscus and am tracking to be snowboarding without much restriction in time for fall training. Thanks Dr. Hackett!!

What did you learn?

Learning has been plentiful this summer across a wide variety of platforms. I have learned a lot about electrical engineering, product development, supply chains, quality assurance, and international business negotiation at work. I have learned a lot about landscaping, structural engineering, and deck construction at home. I have learned a lot about coaching kids on bikes and the subtle differences between teaching them technique vs coaching them to become physically and mentally stronger while working with the mountain bike team.

I have experienced first-hand both the mental and physical challenges that come with major injury and have had to learn how to work through these. I have learned, and am still learning, how to balance the demands of a fast paced and sometimes overreaching work life, with a secondary work life, while maintaining the importance of putting family first but still making some time for yourself. I also learned how to solve a Rubik’s Cube.