Outdoor sports and recreation make up a massive pool of American hobbies, totaling in consumers spending $887 billion every year. People love kayak vacations, zipline tours, ATV riding, and really any adventure vacations that take them out of the monotony of everyday life.
When everyday life, responsibilities, and adventure sports get thrown into the same bag, you’ve got the recipe for some great storytelling.
New York City and the greater tri-state area are generally associated with urban landscapes that don’t conjure ideas that vibe with outdoor adventure sports. That is until a man named Scott Holt was late to a meeting. Rather than opt for tunnels, Uber, train, or taxi, he hopped on his paddleboard in a full suit and paddled standing across the Hudson River from Jersey City to Manhattan.
People were amused and astonished at the feat. Personally, we’re not sure whether to be proud, worried, or a little bit of both. He was caught first on video by a woman who, like most others, was taking the ferry to work. Needless to say, it went viral on social media shortly thereafter.
The aquatic commute took him about a half-hour, whereupon he was greeted by a “very confused cop and an irate Water Taxi captain”.
“The Waterway guy was straight out of a movie, screaming, ‘Are you trying to [expletive] die out here?’ He was being helpful but cursing me out at the same time,” Holt recounted.
He didn’t get in trouble and ended up making his meeting on time. With his sights set on becoming a comedian, the meeting was with a potential manager. His comedic outlook on things also helped him laugh off that the meeting didn’t go very well. He regretted none of the nautical nonsense that brought him there and says, “If it’s making people laugh, it’s a good thing.”
Kayak vacations and any other outings that take you beyond the proverbial regular commute are great ways to break the norm and be outdoors. We’re definitely not recommending you paddle across the Hudson River, but we know Scott Holt learned to paddleboard somewhere and he’s living proof that outdoor sports have real-world relevance. Plus, not many people get to tell a story like that.