One small shave for man, one giant leap for moustache-kind
We sent Jon Montgomery’s moustache to space
On September 29th, a small crowd gathered in upstate New York to bid Olympic Gold medalist tobogganer, and Canadian TV host, Jon Montgomery’s facial follicles a safe journey into another dimension. One brave moustache dared to go where no Mo has gone before – out of this world on a mission to raise awareness for men’s health.
For Jon Montgomery partnering with Movember was a no brainer
It took me about two seconds to say yes to this opportunity. However, this wasn’t my first foray into Growing for Movember. During my Tobogganing days a fellow slider suggested that we grow moustaches for a good cause and a bit of fun. This was back in 2004, just one year after the movement began with a few guys in Melbourne. The impetus was fellas growing stubble on their top lip through the month of November and forming really tangible connections to the cause. Now, we fast forward twenty years and consider what happens in an individual’s life and how people’s awareness about mental health has shifted, especially when it comes to men. People like my father didn’t grow up talking about their feelings. They weren’t shown that as means by which one can achieve balance, fulfillment, and ultimate health in their life. We’re making progress, but we still have work ahead of us. When I think of what my father went through with prostate cancer - even knowing that it’s highly survivable - Movember has so much more connective tissue to me now than it did in 2004. I watched what my father had to do to overcome mental and physical adversity, and that experience has made the Movember movement full circle for me. So, when the opportunity to get involved came around this time, it was a no brainer.
On luck, sports, and mental health
For me, Skeleton racing was a means to an end. I was really desperate to become a national team athlete, but through a stroke of luck, I ended up falling in love with it. I tried a lot of different sports before I chanced upon Skeleton racing. You name it, I tried it. I’m lucky that I happened to fall in love with something that ended up being my vehicle, and I loved every aspect of Skeleton racing. It felt like a privilege to be able to do this. The fun I had racing, allowed me to weather the storm in times of adversity, the fun carried me through. My mental health was peaking, it was probably the time in my life when I was the healthiest mentally. We were fortunate to have incredible sports psychologists who helped us develop strategies to realize optimal performance. These men were instrumental in getting me to know that I had the goods to be my best on the day that mattered most and get myself mentally prepared.
Failure is inevitable, but it doesn’t define us
Remember that you aren’t your failures. You are not going to be defined by not making the national team or going to the Olympics, but what you will know is that you gave everything of yourself through this experience and what you learn here can be applied to the next thing that you feel passionately about. What you can take away from this experience is worth the entire journey; but you won’t be defined by the outcome, good or bad. Sometimes you have to will yourself forward. I don’t always win, and I’m not always going to. I will have grace with myself when I stumble and fall.
The privilege of being in people’s company
As a television host and public personality, communication is super important. It’s paramount to understand what is being asked of you, know that you can deliver and meet the expectations that people have for you. I’m fortunate, I’ve had very few moments where it’s been a struggle, because I do feel privileged that I get to be anywhere that I’ve been asked to be. Whether it’s Movember, Amazing Race, or another speaking engagement, I always feel incredibly privileged to be in these people’s company.
A man’s health radiates outward
It’s important to get involved, because everybody knows a man, and a man’s health radiates outward from the individual to the people who his life touches. So, if we can help men get healthy that’s a great start. When we can narrow our focus to a group of individuals who others can identify with, we can focus on supporting each other’s health, and that’s a great way to begin building better communities. I think the best way to do it is what Movember is known for. Taking the cause seriously while not taking ourselves too seriously. Wear the moustache for the month of November – what might be initially embarrassing for you might surprise you. Feeding into a community and not taking yourself too seriously are the benchmarks of Movember, and I’m proud to be a part of it. I feel that I’ve got a debt of obligation to the community at large. I’ve been given an awful lot from Canadians, that if I didn’t do anything to make this place a little better than I found it; I’d be remiss.