Graham Weaver

I worked all the way back. I talked myself into getting there at like 5.30 in the morning. You know the punchline. I get there. There's nobody there. There was no one there at 536, 7. No one ever showed up because Land Warrior was a euphemism for you just got cut. Yeah, you got cut. I stayed in road and I met this guy who was training for the national team, Mike Tatey.

I worked all the way back. I talked myself into getting there at like 5.30 in the morning. You know the punchline. I get there. There's nobody there. There was no one there at 536, 7. No one ever showed up because Land Warrior was a euphemism for you just got cut. Yeah, you got cut. I stayed in road and I met this guy who was training for the national team, Mike Tatey.

And he and I were the only two guys in the morning at the Princeton Boathouse. And he ignored me. He's a legend. He coached the US Olympic team. He went on to coach the US Olympic team to a gold. And I didn't know any of this at the time. I just saw this tall, skinny guy just hammering this erg. And eventually he kind of took me under the wing a little bit.

And he and I were the only two guys in the morning at the Princeton Boathouse. And he ignored me. He's a legend. He coached the US Olympic team. He went on to coach the US Olympic team to a gold. And I didn't know any of this at the time. I just saw this tall, skinny guy just hammering this erg. And eventually he kind of took me under the wing a little bit.

after I showed up at 5.30 in the morning for like three weeks in a row, he's like, okay, this kid really means, he really is going to do this. And he taught me a little bit. So anyway, progress forward, I get better, a little bit better my freshman year, better my sophomore year. By my junior year, I had one of the top times, maybe the top time on the 2K rowing machine on the team.

after I showed up at 5.30 in the morning for like three weeks in a row, he's like, okay, this kid really means, he really is going to do this. And he taught me a little bit. So anyway, progress forward, I get better, a little bit better my freshman year, better my sophomore year. By my junior year, I had one of the top times, maybe the top time on the 2K rowing machine on the team.

And then by senior year, I was captain, we won nationals. And so it was just, everything came together. But it was just a really linear expression of If I put in a certain number of hours, this is what Mike Tatey said. He said, here's the formula. It's really simple. Sit on this machine and row as long as you can, slightly below your aerobic threshold. Basically, you'll hit your goals.

And then by senior year, I was captain, we won nationals. And so it was just, everything came together. But it was just a really linear expression of If I put in a certain number of hours, this is what Mike Tatey said. He said, here's the formula. It's really simple. Sit on this machine and row as long as you can, slightly below your aerobic threshold. Basically, you'll hit your goals.

I was like, that's it? He's like, yeah, that's it. He was very simple. And I just did that.

I was like, that's it? He's like, yeah, that's it. He was very simple. And I just did that.

And it worked. It just required a lot of hours. Is there anything else between ages 12 and 22 that without which you would be a wildly different person?

And it worked. It just required a lot of hours. Is there anything else between ages 12 and 22 that without which you would be a wildly different person?

I'll just say a couple things about my dad real quick. So my dad started a veterinary practice about the time I was born. He and his father went in. My grandfather's a veterinarian too. They started this practice called Weaver Animal Hospital in our hometown. And they had a falling out of some kind. I don't know what happened. I never heard the whole story, but my dad like stormed out.

I'll just say a couple things about my dad real quick. So my dad started a veterinary practice about the time I was born. He and his father went in. My grandfather's a veterinarian too. They started this practice called Weaver Animal Hospital in our hometown. And they had a falling out of some kind. I don't know what happened. I never heard the whole story, but my dad like stormed out.

Well, he has a mortgage and three kids and we have no money. The only money we had coming in was he would take emergency calls at like two in the morning. So his little beeper would go off and he would get up, drive to the office, fix the dog's leg and go back. And he did that. for 25 years. And I think the bad news was he was really never around.

Well, he has a mortgage and three kids and we have no money. The only money we had coming in was he would take emergency calls at like two in the morning. So his little beeper would go off and he would get up, drive to the office, fix the dog's leg and go back. And he did that. for 25 years. And I think the bad news was he was really never around.

We didn't have a great close relationship when I was growing up. But I think that ended up having a big impression on me because if you were to ask him about his practice, he ended up building this really, really successful veterinary practice, but he just did it one emergency call at a time over a long period of time. And I think that really stuck with me.

We didn't have a great close relationship when I was growing up. But I think that ended up having a big impression on me because if you were to ask him about his practice, he ended up building this really, really successful veterinary practice, but he just did it one emergency call at a time over a long period of time. And I think that really stuck with me.

I don't think I realized that at the time, but that was a lot of what Alpine looks like. He would say it took way longer than he thought, and he built something much bigger than he thought. And I would say almost the exact same thing about my business. I never really put that together until many, many years later that I was watching that as a kid.

I don't think I realized that at the time, but that was a lot of what Alpine looks like. He would say it took way longer than he thought, and he built something much bigger than he thought. And I would say almost the exact same thing about my business. I never really put that together until many, many years later that I was watching that as a kid.