Like many kids, I grew up in a typical sports setting -- after-school days spent playing soccer and football in the fall, hockey and basketball in the winter, baseball in the spring and summer, and nights glued to the TV or radio, watching and listening to the big boys play. And though I still occasionally get out on the rink or the hardwood (am I the only person who thinks the terms "Over-35" and "hockey" are mutually exclusive?), most of my athletic pursuits these days might be considered "alternative." My wife, Lauri, will tell you that I spend far too much time on my bikes (um, yeah, that's plural), but I also enjoy snowshoeing, snowboarding, skiing, hiking, camping, windsurfing and, my newest hobby, rock climbing. The running joke in our household is that we need to save up for an addition, not for a home office, but to make room for all the toys.

My writing, in large part, reflects what I do. If I had to define a "specialty," it would be targeting a specific audience rather than a sport. I write for people with a larger-than-life spirit, men and women who might not be in their absolute physical prime but have the mindset of a 20-year-old and the financial wherewithal to pursue the exploits that fire their imaginations. The key, I think, is letting them know that, physically, they can do most anything our aforementioned 20-year-old can do, provided they get in decent shape first. They can rip a flatwater jibe off Cape Hatteras (or Aruba!), tip their snowboard over the edge of Tuckerman's Ravine, compete in a 24-hour mountain bike race, complete an off-road marathon, or scale Mount Hood (or the local climbing wall!).

The beauty of this approach is that it covers almost the entire spectrum of the readers I like connecting with, and particularly today's business reader who is looking for more from life that the 9-to-5 grind. I gravitate toward the sense of adventure, whether it's a specific place, person or pastime. As you'll see, many of my favorite assignments have a first person component. Simply, these are the stories that I enjoy reading the most, stories that inspire me to reach beyond my own limits. Still, I like to think I have a wide range of interests that allows me to report/write on a number of topics.

The idea behind the web site is simply to offer an electronic clip package, so folks can find samples of my work (here, I owe a tip of the hat to the editors who gave me permission to reprint these stories, since they essentially own them). As you'll see, I've been published in Men's Journal, Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Continental Airlines, Boston, CIO, Snow Country/Mountain Sports & Living, Outdoor Adventure, Outdoor Explorer, AMC Outdoors, Navigator,Robb Report/Showcase, Yankee, and several biking magazines, including Bike, Mountain Bike, and VeloNews, among others. I welcome the opportunity to discuss your editorial needs at anytime. Feel free to contact me either by phone (978.468.6003), e-mail (info@inspiredink.com), or regular postal carrier (11 Homestead Circle, S. Hamilton MA 01982). I look forward to hearing from you!

© 2002 Inspired Ink Communications