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The CC - I Went on CBC to Talk About Bikes… and Ended Up Defending My Fertility
I Went on CBC to Talk About Bikes… and Ended Up Defending My Fertility“Live in fifteen seconds.” In 1995 a CBC producer called, inviting me to join Vicki Gabereau in her studio. I asked how I could prepare, and the producer told me not to worry. “She’ll just focus on Rocky Mountain and your success with mountain bikes.” An assistant got me seated at the table in front of the mike, carefully positioning my headphones. I was relaxed, I had done this many times. As the interview went on, she asked why Rocky Mountain designed an “all-terrain” bike. I told her how its versatility over skinny-wheeled 10-speeds allowed people to ride on rough terrain. We were almost out of time, when suddenly we took a hard right turn. Vicki veered, and I was left hanging; completely unprepared. “Do you wear Lycra shorts when you ride?” She asked. I was so confused, “Did I really hear that? What does this have to do with mountain bikes?” “Uh, um, Yes.” I stuttered. “There’s a study by Dr Irwin Goldstein….” She described him and his findings; “Sitting on a hard saddle for a few hours is a precursor to infertility.” “Uh, ok…” I stumbled, with no idea of where we were going. “You’re a young man, don’t you worry about the decrease in your sperm count?” She confronted me. “No…I’m not too worried about my sperm count, Vicki.” I stammered a reply. “Really? You’re not concerned? Grayson, there are links between the use of Lycra and the temperature of the testicles. This could cause infertility.” “Yeah. Well, I have four kids….” I was embarrassed at how off track this had gone. But Vicki, through it all managed to stay straight-faced-serious, as if this was quite normal. “Oh, I guess we are out of time…” Efficiently, she closed down the interview and thanked me for coming to her studio. As I cycled back to the office, I ruminated over how I ended up defending my fertility instead of the creative work of designing our mountain bikes. My staff had been listening, and seemed to only talk about my sperm count. They certainly didn’t try to hide their glee at my discomfort. For Vicki, it wasn’t the Rocky story that mattered, it was what surfaced when I was caught unprepared. That was “Gabereau.” Life has its own way of dragging me off-script. It leaves me exposed, sometimes embarrassed. But usually that’s where I stop performing, and find new realities about myself. I would love to connect with you on LinkedIn and Facebook See you next week, Grayson Did someone forward you this email? Get weekly reflections straight to your inbox by subscribing to The Compassionate Competitor. Want to share this issue via text, social media, or email? Just copy and paste this link: [ARCHIVE URL GOES HERE] |
Grayson Bain
Join us if you're yearning for business insights peppered with adventure, humanity, and a dash of humility. It’s more than success; it’s about significance.
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