BLISTER Podcast

Today we are talking with our friend, Sanjay Rawal, about his new film, Gather. Sanjay is a fantastic story teller and a maker of films that might seem to have a pretty specific focus, but actually have wide-ranging applicability and relevance.

And this is most definitely true of his latest film, Gather, which Sanjay directed, and Renan Ozturk served as the cinematographer.

Gather tells the story of the growing food sovereignty movement among Native American tribes across the U.S. — which is a historical and a current cultural development that I suspect too many of us know too little about. I promise that this film will make you re-evaluate your own relationship to food and land and a lot of other things.

Gather can be found here and viewed online this Thursday, June 11th through June 20th, and you can get news about the film and future releases on social media @gatherfilm.

Other podcast conversations we’ve had with Sanjay and Renan Ozturk:

• Sanjay Rawal, Off The Couch, ep. 2
• Sanjay Rawal, Off The Couch, ep. 33
• Renan Ozturk, Blister Podcast, ep. 70

TOPICS & TIMES

• What is Gather about? (2:47)
• Sanjay’s other films (5:33)
• How did you get involved with this story? (7:22)
• The broader relevance of Gather (15:50)
• Urban farming & other food systems (23:27)
• How Gather is shifting perspectives (27:46)
• Protest & “appropriate” forms of protest (32:01)
• What’s your ideal outcome from this film? (42:53)

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Clare Gallagher just won the Western States 100-Mile Endurance Race, and she did so in spectacular fashion. And normally, that is all the introduction we’d need here, since winning Western States is a very big deal. But there happens to be a whole lot more to this particular story.

Because right before this race, Clare accepted an invitation from Tommy Caldwell to go on an expedition to the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge to raise awareness of and opposition to plans to give oil and gas companies the right to drill in the coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge.

But backpacking and mountaineering around the wild landscape of Alaska is not how professional runners typically spend time right before their biggest race of the year.

So in addition to diving into the details of her epic Western States win, we discuss with Clare why she was willing to go to Alaska; why she runs; and how wins at Western States — or her 2016 win of the Leadville 100, or her FKT of the Zion Traverse last year — all work to create a larger platform to talk about the things that matter most to her.

TAKE ACTION:

Text 40649 now or CLICK HERE to submit a comment to your representative asking them to protect the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge by voting to pass The Arctic Cultural and Coastal Plain Protection Act.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Recovering from a huge effort at Western States (2:57)
• Race Recap: day of the race & the first 80 miles (8:03)
• On the intense last 6 miles of the race (10:02)
• Mile 93 — 2017 vs. 2019 (13:13)
• Clare’s expedition to Alaska prior to the race (18:45)
• Winning, Losing, & Competitiveness (29:11)
• Clare’s background (34:37)
• Her future (49:43)

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Today we’re talking with New York Times sportswriter, Karen Crouse, about her new book, Norwich.

Norwich is a tiny town in Vermont that has produced eleven Olympians, and Karen’s extremely well-written book looks into how it is that this little town has managed to produce so many successful athletes.

But Karen is also exploring far bigger, universal questions about the relationship of athletic achievement and personal well-being, and really, I think her book Norwich is best understood as a blueprint for how to raise and train athletes to be more than mere medal-winning machines. Norwich is a book about community, about parenting, and how to go about helping kids become fully-developed people who are well positioned to lead happy, healthy lives.

Karen and I also discuss the current state of the Olympic Games, since Karen has been to and has covered a bunch of them and will be at the Olympics again next month, and she and I talk about how her time spent with all-time achievers like Michael Phelps and Tiger Woods has informed her thoughts on the price of greatness.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• How do you sum up what this book is about? (1:55)
• How do you view the state of the Olympics today? (4:17)
• Some of the principles of Norwich that are worth emulating / cultivating (8:51)
• Takeaways from the experience of Olympic moguls skier, Hannah Kearney (13:53)
• Ford Sayre & Norwich’s culture of volunteering (23:38)
• Replicating elsewhere the connection between Dartmouth College & Norwich (28:09)
• Praising Effort vs. Praising Results (31:07)
• Cultivating Happiness, Cultivating Greatness (on Michael Phelps, Tiger Woods, & Hannah Kearney) (34:04)
• Placing the Person before the Performer - shifting our priorities (51:14)

Connect with Karen on Twitter at: @bykaren

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Xavier de le Rue is a 3-time World Freeride Champion, a 4-time boarder-cross World Champion, and he has pushed the boundaries of big mountain riding so far, it is basically impossible to overstate his significance and influence. (Or his total badassery.) He also happens to be one of the smartest and most reflective skiers or boarders out there.

Among other things, Xavier and I talk about his philosophy of life and risk taking; why he thinks that riding faster = riding safer; the current state of the snowboarding industry; some of his former and current film projects; and what’s next for him.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Where are you currently? (1:59)
• Snowboarding, Surfing, and Why XV hates traditional Fitness Programs (2:54)
• XV on risk, death, “progression,” and his film White Noise (5:27)
• Do you look at the younger version of yourself and think, “The risks I was taking then were stupid”? (13:59)
• Why Xavier gets nervous before every line he rides (17:25)
• When things start getting intense, do you get serious, or do you try to keep things light? (25:47)
• Who were your heroes growing up? Who were you drawing inspiration from? (28:23)
• The importance of boarder cross for XV; why he is disappointed in the current state of it; and what he might do about it (32:56)
• Why XV thinks riding faster = riding safer in the mountains (36:44)
• What do you think of the current state of snowboarding? (39:54)
• What XV is currently reading, and why he doesn’t watch many snowboard movies (45:32)
• XV’s DIY Project, and why he has moved away from more traditional films to his current projects (49:09)
• Xavier’s board — how it was designed to be ridden, and whether his taste in boards has changed over the years (54:17)
• Which of your films is your favorite? Is there one that you think is most representative of your riding? (56:53)

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Cody and Jonathan discuss some of the outdoor-industry-related news of the past month, including the NFL(?); the massive increase in Epic Pass sales; the name change to “Palisades Tahoe”; whether you should shower; our best ideas for your next adventure; some of our all-time favorite TV characters; and more.

TOPICS & TIMES:

• Fifty Project: new episode (4:29)
• The NFL & the outdoor industry? (11:24)
• Name change: “Palisades Tahoe” (22:10)
• Tesla & the Nambe Pueblo (32:34)
• Should you shower? (39:01)
• Gabby Petito & media reaction (44:08)
• Massive increase in Epic Pass sales (52:11)
• Amazon’s Astro robot (59:52)
• California / single-family zoning (1:06:07)
• Town of Breckenridge & short-term rentals (1:10:28)
• Hiking 1100+ miles to summit all CO 14ers (1:13:40)
• Cody & JE’s ideas for your next adventure (1:14:42)
• What We’re Reading & Watching (1:20:46)
• The Big Burn (1:20:57)
• Jonathan’s favorite TV characters (1:23:09)
• Cody’s favorite TV characters (1:25:10)

RELATED LINKS

• This Week’s Gear Giveaway
• Gear Giveaway / Newsletter Signup
• Become a Blister Member / Get our new Buyer’s Guide
• Register for the 2022 Blister Summit

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