I’m not exactly sure when I became interested in the sport of track and field, but I can tell you exactly why I became interested. And, it definitely had nothing to do with the rich history or the roots in Ancient Greece.  

For me, it is the perfect balance of “individual and team.” I ran track in high school and had reasonable success as a hurdler, sprinter and long jumper. I think I broke our school record in the high hurdles during my senior year. No wait … because there is no chance of anyone finding out any differently, I’m positive that I broke the record … by a lot. I enjoyed competing in the individual events, but the relays were always the highlight of the meets for me. Therein lies the balance that sets the sport apart.

For that same reason, I was attracted to the agency world and the industry in general. There are opportunities to excel individually, but true success is defined by what is accomplished by the team as a whole.

About 12 years ago, my family hosted an exchange student from Iceland, Anna Friðrika Árnadóttir. She lived with us for a year and was a beast of a sprinter – fast, powerful and nationally ranked in Iceland. My interest in track was rejuvenated, and I decided to get more involved in the sport at some level.

Next thing I knew, I was taking the test to become a registered high school official/starter. Soon after, I took a similar test for USA Track & Field, which covers all levels including youth, collegiate and masters. Since then, I’ve started many meets at all levels, including collegiate championships, Junior Olympic competitions and high school state championships.

The parallels between track and field and agency life are fairly obvious, making it easy to draw comparisons. The “team” consists of individuals who focus on what they do best, yet all working together for a common goal. But what they do to contribute differs wildly from person to person, teammate to teammate. Success depends on individual talent, yes, but it’s critical that the talent is diverse and that the strengths lie in a variety of areas.

Think about it … a track team is comprised of sprinters, hurdlers, shot putters, high jumpers, middle distance runners, long jumpers, discus throwers, long distance runners, triple jumpers, pole vaulters, race walkers, hammer throwers, steeplechasers and combined event specialists.

In comparison, at Switch, we describe our company as “an uncommon collective of artists, writers, creators, makers, solvers and builders.”

And here’s the cool part for both the sport and agency – the success or failure of a team depends on the depth, diversity and strength of the varying disciplines to make a contribution. Balance.

Over the years, I was able to compete as well as spend time with athletes on the track as they competed. I’ve also had the pleasure of being around a core group of folks at Switch who bring their individual talents to work everyday. Talented, diverse and versatile. Yeah, I’ll run with that team.

To learn more about Craig’s track & field career or Switch’s team, please contact Craig at craigk@theswitch.us.