The Moments You Could Miss
Sweat for the Environment 2026
At 6:15 am on Saturday morning, I walked into my 12-year-old son’s room expecting to hear what most parents would expect that early on a weekend: “Maybe next time.”
Instead, he popped right out of bed.
It was Sweat for the Environment day, and this year he had asked if he could “work with Dad.” As we got ready, he told me he was nervous. He wanted to help. He wanted to be of value. At the same time, he did not want to get in the way.
That moment has stayed with me.
Before the first athlete arrived, before the music was up, before the first heat began, there he was—showing up with a genuine desire to contribute. Not to be the center of attention. Not to be praised. Just to be useful. Just to be part of something that mattered.
We arrived around 6:45 and started setting up. We pulled out tables for our nonprofit partners. We moved weights and equipment into place. We got the competition floor ready. He ran around looking for ways to help, asking what needed to be done, eager to be involved. I was beaming on the inside.
Not just because I got to spend the morning with my son, but because he was getting to see what impact looks like before anyone applauds for it. He was getting to see the effort behind the event. The quiet work. The intention. The people creating a space for something bigger than themselves.
That is one of the moments you could miss.
Later that morning, during the first event, I placed him at the turnaround point of the 800-meter run. Every athlete had to run out to him, pass him, and head back. His job was simple: cheer, encourage, and support.
I stood farther back on the course doing the same, and when the last athlete in each heat came through, we would run in with them. Watching him in that spot was one of the best parts of my day.
He got to witness effort up close. He saw athletes pushing hard, breathing heavy, trying to stay strong when things started to hurt. He saw some keep running and others stop to walk and gather themselves. He saw one athlete with cerebral palsy—half of their body affected—take on the full 800 meters with courage and grit. It was all there: struggle, determination, teamwork, and heart.
After that event, I asked him how he was doing.
“This is so awesome, Dad. I love this.”
I asked him what he loved about it.
“Watching people push themselves,” he said. “Being a part of encouraging them.”
That response hit me.
Because what people often remember most is not just what they did. It is how it felt to be part of something. It is the encouragement. The shared effort. The sense that you belong in the middle of it.
That is what makes Sweat for the Environment more than just an Earth Month community event.
It becomes a space where community and connection are not just talked about. They are experienced.
Another moment that could have easily passed by came when I asked my son to go around and talk with each of our nonprofit partners. I wanted him to learn what they were doing to help our planet and why their work mattered.
When he came back, he was genuinely energized.
“Dad, they are all helping our world in their own way,” he told me. “Saving fish and animals, protecting national parks, helping us farm better and make healthier food.” I loved hearing that.
Not because it was polished or profound, but because it was real. He was making the connection for himself. He was beginning to see that caring for the planet is not one kind of work. It takes many forms. Different people, different organizations, different efforts—all contributing in meaningful ways.
That is another moment easy to overlook. A short conversation at a table. A child asking questions. A nonprofit sharing its mission. But that is often where meaning takes root. That is where awareness becomes personal.
There were other moments too.
The coaches and team members who showed up fully—not just running logistics, but creating energy, encouragement, and welcome for everyone in the room.
The athletes who gave everything they had to each event, then paused to think carefully about who they were sweating for.
The conversations between participants and nonprofit partners that may have looked small from the outside, but carried something deeper: curiosity, care, and shared purpose. Those are the details that stay with me. Because what people are often seeking when they show up to an event like this is more than just fitness for a cause. They are looking for meaning. They are looking for belonging. They are looking for a way to connect their effort to something bigger than themselves.
At Experience Momentum, we believe deeply in the connection between the health of our bodies and the health of our planet. But on Saturday, I was reminded that there is another connection that matters just as much: the connection between purpose and relationship. Between what we care about and who we get to share it with.
That is why creating spaces like this matters.
It is not only about the competition. It is not only about Earth Month. It is not only about giving back through movement, though all of that matters. It is about creating experiences where people can feel effort, belonging, purpose, and hope all at once.
As a dad, this day hit me especially deeply. I have four kids, and some of our best memories together happen outside—skiing, biking, hiking, moving, exploring, being in nature. I think often about the kind of world we are handing to them. I want my kids to see that we did more than talk about it. I want them to see that we tried to do our part.
That may be what I am most grateful for coming out of this year’s Sweat for the Environment.
Yes, I am grateful for the athletes who showed up and pushed themselves. Yes, I am grateful for our team who brought the day to life. But I am also grateful for the moments many people would never see: the early setup, the nervous excitement of a kid who wanted to help, the encouragement on the course, the quiet conversations at nonprofit tables, the reminders that impact is often built in small acts of care.
We are also incredibly grateful for the nonprofit partners and community organizations who joined us and made the day possible:
EarthCorps
North Cascades Institute
Glacier Peak Institute
Puget Soundkeeper
Viva Farms
Washington National Park Fund
Sound Salmon Solutions
the Service Board
Each of these organizations represents something much bigger than a single day. They represent ongoing work, real impact, and a shared belief that community can be a force for good. Because of them, this was not just an event. It was something that continues beyond it.
As a leader, this year reinforced something I do not want to forget: the moments that shape us are often the ones that almost go unnoticed.
A kid wanting to be useful.
An athlete refusing to quit.
A conversation that sparks understanding.
A room full of people choosing to show up for something beyond themselves.
Those are the moments you could miss.
And those are the moments that matter most.
