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The AT Wolfpack was born out of a need to communicate and commiserate.
The founding members join the SMB to discuss the origin, what is has become, and where they think it might grow into.
What’s the deal with these late-night Wolfpack zoom calls?
With fewer people we get a little deeper in our feelings…or maybe just discussing the state of AT
Someone joins today, what can they expect to cover tonight?
In the word of Josh Dawsey – “Zooms are like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are gonna get”
Paul – we may start talking about ankle sprains, jump to Bar-B-Que then to concussions on to whiskey, then back to ankle sprains. And they are all related somehow.
How did this start?
Thomas and Ed were meeting with people on ATTalks and then COVID sent Tom home without the internet.
They needed something to get them together and then… Ed sent out a tweet to see who would be interested and 40+ people responded.
What have been the benefits?
Connection – lots of people have connected as they have traveled with teams, for personal reasons or related to moves.
We are building a network of ATs whose main connection is friendship.
It is a safe space. Some ATs have jumped in, taken the mic for a rant for 10 minutes, ended up in tears, received some connection and virtual hugs, and then been able to move on.
Jumping into a group of 100+ ATs can be intimidating. Speak to that person
Sit back and watch, or just jump right in.
Plenty of people sit and listen and watch until they have something to say or add.
Nobody is looking for perfection or a professional presentation.
Jeremy is an example:
- Jumped on a call after a run and left the camera on…shirtless
- Used thy massage gun on one of the kids with only the mic on and said “you can use this on my feet next” then you hear the massage gun.
- Laying on the couch with the baby shirtless for the skin to skin contact.
I set the bar pretty low…of course so that others will feel welcome..”At least I wasn’t shirtless like Jeremy…”
What have you struggled with in growing or maintaining it?
Getting back to work has made it slightly more difficult as Tuesday and Thursday nights tend to be game nights for ATs.
There is not a structure or leader, just the more active members help to keep it regulated.
Where is it headed?
To Orlando for NATA 2021 then who knows.
Contact Us
Paul Rupp – https://twitter.com/OaktonHSATP
Thomas – https://twitter.com/thomasjbarkoski
Ed – https://twitter.com/EdWozATC
Jeremy – MrJeremyJackson on FB and Twitter
SMB Supporters
Frio Hydration – Superior Hydration products.
Donate and get some swag (like Patreon but for the school)
HOIST – No matter your reason for dehydration DRINK HOIST
MedBridge Education – Use “TheSMB” to save some, be entered in a drawing for a second year free, and support the podcast.
Marc Pro – Use “THESMB” to recover better.
