I grew up in the DC area, and lived there for 26 years of my life. During that time, a big portion of my life was spent as a competitive springboard diver (from 7 years old, through college, to 23 years old). After graduating college, I left diving behind and went straight into the work world as an athletic trainer (diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports injuries) in a physical therapy clinic, and for after-school sports at a high school. Four years later, my job got new management, and I made the decision to leave. Being bold, I decided to change career paths, and explore the world of show diving (there are companies that hire out divers, acrobats, dancers, gymnasts, etc--think Cirque du Soleil). In Summer 2017, I performed in my first show and it hooked me immediately. In Winter of 2018, I moved to California with a former show diver I'd met on a show contract, and for a good portion of 2018, I traveled around the USA, performing in shows as my job! In 2019, I signed with a more permanent company/show in South Carolina, in a show involving gymnastics tumbling, chinese pole, russian swing, trampoline wall, dance, and sword fighting, and of course diving. During 2020 lockdown, I went back to healthcare, working in an internal medicine clinic, but now that shows have started to make a comeback (safely), I’m back on the road. Basically, I'm the real-life story of the kid who ran off to join the circus (just WAY late in life), and I'm loving every minute of it!

That's my recent story in a nutshell. But aside from that, I am pretty open to any new experience. For about two years, I was pretty active in the improv community; I tend to pick up odd skills/hobbies such as juggling, slacklining, unicycling, knitting, disc golf, photography, yoga, soccer, etc on a whim. Anything that catches my attention and piques my interest is probably something I'll try very soon afterward. One big thing I did back in 2016 was take 30 days off of work, packed a tent on the back of my bicycle, rode (solo) across the country as far as I could in that amount of time (~1700 miles from DC to Dallas), pitched my tent in strangers' backyards each night (with their permission, of course--this was before I knew about couchsurfing), and made it back to tell the tale. Why think about doing things when you can just do them instead? Thinking gives you time to back out, and may leave you with the feeling of "what would have happened if I had just...?"

Anyway, this bio's getting a bit long. Hopefully I seem like a good enough guy to hang out with, and maybe we could get to know each other a little better. Cheers!

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

Travel is awesome! Meeting new people is awesome! Sharing the experience in good company is just icing on the cake.

I love exploring and seeing new places and interacting with the locals of that area...

...and when I'm not the one traveling (rather, hosting), at least I can learn from someone who *is* traveling.

Interests

• arts
• photography
• cooking
• athlete
• traveling
• juggling
• cycling
• sports
• soccer
• travel
• slackline
• circus
• diving
• improv
• disc golf
• circus arts
• cirque

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

Rode my bicycle (solo) across the United States, while camping in strangers' backyards when I couldn't find a campsite/other place to pitch my tent for the evening.

What I Can Share with Hosts

A safe, welcoming place to stay. Stories! Lots of good conversation, a different perspective, and hopefully a few laughs over a cold beer. ...oh, and a good home-cooked meal. Like...you don't even know . . . I can cook.

(Edit: Sorry, I read that as “What I can offer AS a host”...but still applies pretty accurately, nonetheless)

Countries I’ve Visited

Canada, England, France, United States

Countries I’ve Lived In

United States