Sandy Scott getting ready to show Bill Shafer how fast a champion cyclist can fly!
With the airing of Growing Bolder Episode 101, a dream that began over a cup of coffee in Marc Middleton’s kitchen comes to fruition. It’s with this show that GB makes its debut on PBS stations to over 50 percent of America. And if first impressions are important, GB should be a winner.
With a profile on the amazing Sandy Scott to kick things off, the show sprints right out of the blocks straight to the head of the pack! You will love meeting this man. At the age of 70 he has a thirst for adventure that can only be quenched by competition at the highest level. When Sandy climbs onto the seat of his sleek racing bicycle he’s not interested in a leisurely ride through the park. Like air in your lungs and blood in your veins, he needs it. It explodes his senses. It proves he’s relevant, vibrant and alive. It gives the man has a swagger more than twice his size. It’s given him an infectious passion for life that’s impossible to resist. The more rigorous, arduous and dangerous it is, the more he likes it.
We like it, because his story speaks directly to you and me. Sandy didn’t start riding competitively until he was 64! Sure, all of us try new things from time to time, but when the slightest little thing gets us off track or off our routine, we’ll quit. Not Sandy. Not even flying over the handlebars and breaking his neck could fracture his focus.
Cycling changed his life completely, physically and mentally. He’s not just alive, he’s truly living. He doesn’t greet each new day, he charges out to meet it head on! The lesson from Sandy is that we can do it, too. There is something in all our lives that can reignite the spark, fill each day with joy and rekindle our passion. The formula is simple. What’s more difficult is the determination, courage and conviction necessary to seeing it through.
And that is the underlying theme of Growing Bolder. Each story, each person has found a way of regaining their passion for living. All were stuck in a rut, simply going through the motions. But all found something that helped them reignite the spark. Some found it through athletics, music, art, philanthropy, collecting or creating. It doesn’t really matter. What does is seeing how it can revitalize your life, enlighten your family and friends, and, through this show that began as an idea over that cup of coffee, inspire PBS viewers across the nation to start Growing Bolder.