Meet Kevin — Active Duty Navy, Virginia Beach Ambassador, and 2024 Channel Crossing participant. Even though he didn’t know it at the time, the Channel Crossing would mark an epic change in his life.
“I had settled on a direction of no longer physically challenging myself… Mentally there were a lot of traumas I had compartmentalized. Spiritually, I realized I had let myself drift.”
The Channel Crossing was much more than just a physical test. It became both a mental and spiritual challenge as well.
“Crossing the channel reconnected the bridge between my physical and mental state and resparked my spiritual outlook. In the days, weeks, and months that followed the Channel Crossing, I began to piece together what it meant to me. Some of the lessons came quickly and were surface level ‘I need to be in better shape’ or ‘I can do hard things.’ Others came about in a slow, steady build up.
“The lightbulb turned on for me about two months after, the soreness had left, and the high of accomplishing such an event had gone away, but the realizations and lessons were just beginning.
“Digging deeper into my heart and soul, and through deep personal reflection, I recognized that the Crossing was a spiritual mirror. ‘What kind of man, husband, friend, leader, and member of the tribe do I want to be?’ ‘What direction do I want my life to go?’ By looking into that spiritual mirror that is the Channel Crossing, it led me to decisions and action to make changes.”
After the reflection, in the weeks that followed, Kevin began making intentional changes.
“I decided to stop drinking and asked for help. I had been using alcohol as a means to hide from my true self, to mask pain both physical and mental and by doing so neglecting the spirit.”
“When people ask me about the Crossing and what it was like, I often will say that it brought me home. My dry wit can’t help but chuckle because you cross this big body of water, and we landed in the spot where my Dad taught me to surf. But what I really mean is the Pacific held up a mirror… and I decided that it was time to make my way back to be the man that I, my wife, family and friends know I am.”
Another takeaway Kevin had from the Crossing was the camaraderie he found with other OpenWater paddlers.
“I walked away realizing that there were so many more out there like me. We are all in our own spiritual crossing. I began to feel worthy again of love and fellowship. Many of the people I have met on this journey are the reason I am standing where I am.”
Now, Kevin leads as an OpenWater Ambassador in Virginia Beach, mentoring others as they take on their own crossings. The VB crew recently crossed the Chesapeake Bay, which was 14-miles of challenging water. It was a wonderful time of fellowship, grit, and determination.
“Our crew here in Virginia Beach is awesome and they are a huge reason I was able to go through the program and rekindle that love of being on the water. The mentorship they’ve given me as a leader, husband, friend, and waterman is something I am thankful for every day.”