As some of you may know, On June 25, 26 and 27 I was a competitor in the 2010 Adventure Teem Challenge. The first time I had ever heard of this race was just three weeks prior to the event. This is when I was asked to be on a team. Although I had never been Mountain Biking or White Water Rafting, I decided to take the challenge and go for it. I must say that it was one of the most gratifying events I have ever had the pleasure to be a part of. I found the ATC to be an incredible opportunity for handicapped and able bodied athletes to truly test their endurance, strength and will to succeed. As a blind man I found the mix of Mountain Biking, Zip Line, White Water Rafting and Trail Running/Hiking, exhilarating. The entire program from start to finish was top notch and getting to experience the Rocky Mountains in this manner was amazing! All of the legs of the race were well thought out and ran extremely well. I felt the element of danger only added excitement and was augmented by the close attention to safety. The two day competition is extremely challenging for both the handicapped and able bodied teammates alike, but this is what helps make the experience so valuable. The team (Cisco/EyeCandy) I was on worked together to find ways to persevere through each new adversity. We built bonds and friendships that I believe will last a lifetime. In many ways we were all surprised at what we could achieve together. John, Ted, Tim and Neal were awesome guys and exceptional athletes. We laughed, sweat and suffered our way into second place. We were beat by Lumber Liquidators (Eric Weihenmeyers team) by 24 minutes. We had a couple of mishaps including missing a couple of check in points and breaking a chain on the tandem bike. Those kinds of things just helped keep it more interesting. I personally look for activities that challenge the status quo, well this fit that description. I would highly recommend the Adventure Team Challenge to anyone. Things like this event help reinvent what is and is not a handicap. The rewards are far reaching and inspirational to all. I am truly looking forward to next years ATC! Sincere Thanks to all involved in the Adventure Team Challenge! Mike Armstrong, /The Drum Sensei,
Hey All, I wanted to let everyone know about another adventure that I am heading out on. Two weeks ago I was asked to join the Cisco Adventure Team for the World Team Challenge. This is a race through the Rocky Mountains consisting of; rock climbing, hiking, trail running, white water rafting and mountain biking. Of course I accepted. I am leaving early Friday morning and will be getting back on Sunday night. If you get a chance check out all the other crazy things I have going on at blindmotivation.com. .Mike the Drum Sensei.
Hey All we are headlining our first gig at Martini Ranch on this Friday, June 4th. It would be awesome to see you there. I recently picked up a second kick drum for my Tama Kit. It really sounds sweet. If you come to this show please let me know what you think of it. Thanks for your support! Mike /The Drum Sensei,
Hey in case you haven’t heard, we are playing tomorrow night 5/21 at Mardi Gras. It is in Scottsdale and we start about ten. We hope to see you there! Mike the Drum/Sensei,
Hey All, We will be playing a show this Friday at Martini Ranch at 9. It is located in Old Town Scottsdale. It should be pretty sick. We are opening up for an amazing band called Vayden. If you can make it, we would love to see you there! Mike (Drum Sensei) -
hello everyone,
you can now receive echotribe updates (i.e. next show dates/etc) delivered straight to your cellular device! Just text: “echotribe” to 41411 and you will join the Echotribe street team. Just a disclaimer though - you will receive an “ad” text message following any update we send. Standard text rates apply (whatever your cell plan rates are). Hope to see you as part of our “texting” community!
