I had the pleasure of meeting Whitaker in fall 2021 when he, Esera Tuaolo, Ed McDaniel and Robert Blanton joined military members from the Air Force, Army National Guard, Marines and Navy in Hastings to go through United Heroes League’s “Strapped” Confidence Course, which features 18 obstacles designed from basic training experiences.
I’ve thought about that visit many times over the years. The memories remain so vivid.
Participants dug deep and overcame. They achieved.
Whitaker met the course’s challenges with humor and courage.
Here are two excerpts from covering that visit.
The Island Hopper is a series of about 30 stumps in rows of three or four that require strategy and balance to negotiate.
“This one, you pick your logs and choose your path,” [retired Army Master Sgt. Guy] Sing said as he zipped through, adding, “It’s just that easy.”
By now, Whitaker had heard Sing’s use of the word “easy” a few times and encountered obstacles that he would not classify with the same terminology.
Everything was likely still burning from “Weaver,” the seventh obstacle, which requires going above and below a series of 19 4X4s that have been spaced to form a gable, when Whitaker clapped back jokingly, “That’s your favorite word, ‘Easy.’ It’s like, ‘It’s your first day? Here’s Randy Moss and Megatron (Calvin Johnson). Good luck.’ “
Sing also had a bird’s eye view while spotting the participants as they completed the Confidence Climb, which rises 40 feet into the air.
Whitaker has never really lacked confidence.
Once a corner, always a corner.
But football fields stretch horizontally, not vertically, and Whitaker confessed to an overwhelming fear of heights.
Equipped with the purple and white gloves he wore while playing for the Vikings, as well as some patriotic stars and stripes socks, Whitaker began his way up the gigantic ladder. He confronted his fear as people below provided encouragement and Sing gave tips for the important transition over the top rung.
When he firmly put his feet back on the ground, Whitaker trembled as he screamed, “In the famous words of my man Kevin Garnett, anything is possible!”
