‘Warrior Way’ brings positive contagious energy through webcasts
March 22, 2020
During this three week quarantine and break from school due to COVID-19, members of Warrior Nation have been creating new routines and finding ways to make the best of this unique situation. North’s athletic director, Wes Elifritz, has created a new addition to his daily routine: posting daily episodes of “The Warrior Way,” a web series he has created using the video conferencing app Zoom.
Each day Elifritz films a video of himself and a “special guest” to connect with others during this time of social distancing. Elifritz’s guests join him using Zoom, where they video chat from their homes and record the footage which is then uploaded to Zoom and then social media, for the community to watch.
“I’m gonna have a little video episode each day, where we can just connect through social media. My goal is to have a different guest alongside me each day … I want to connect with our coaches, our athletes [and] some teachers,” Elifritz said.
As of Sunday, there are five total episodes of “The Warrior Way,” featuring WCS Superintendent John Kellogg, North wrestling head coach and OCC champion David Grant, senior Brown University track and field commit Jaiden Stokes, junior state qualifying wrestler Jake Gooding and Elifritz himself.
Throughout the episodes, Elfritz addresses the state of the community and the uncertainty that many, particularly the members of the senior class, are facing due to the pandemic.
“Seniors: my one goal, [everyone’s] one goal, regardless of what happens … we want to all get together, no matter what, on Saturday May 23, at the Celeste Center to get you that diploma that you’ve worked so hard for. We want to get to prom, to enjoy our spring activities, concerts, games, post-season tournaments, but we want to get you most importantly, to graduation … We know this is devastating, but we want to get to May 23 together,” Elifritz said.
Elifritz asks his guests questions about how they feel about the quarantine and what they’re doing to stay safe and sane during this difficult time. Both Stokes and Gooding are continuing to put in the work for their respective sports while Kellogg and Grant are working from home like Elifritz.
“I’m trying to stay in as much as possible … I’ve started a couple new shows … I try to keep as much structure as possible … and try to get as much running in as possible,” Stokes said.
In addition to catching up with different members of Warrior Nation and addressing the current state of the country, Elifritz also shares a word of positive encouragement each day inspired by his favorite author Jon Gordon and his book “The Energy Bus.”
“The very first rule [of filling your life with positive energy is] ‘be the driver of your own bus.’ It’s all about taking responsibility. We are all in a very, very awful situation; our whole country is in an awful situation right now. But, to be the driver of your own bus and take responsibility [means saying] ‘no matter my circumstances I’m going to make the best of it,’” Elifritz said.
He goes on to prompt athletes and students to hold themselves and their friends accountable for getting their workouts in, completing school work and staying in touch during these tough times while spreading and maintaining a positive attitude.
“Be the driver of that bus with positive thoughts [and] positive energies because that’s all we have right now. Be there for eachother. Be there for those in your neighborhood that have been affected by this. Share uplifting words … touch base [and check in with those around you]. Don’t let these circumstances derail what you’ve got going on for you right now.”
Daily episodes of “The Warrior Way” can be found on the Westerville North Athletics Facebook page, on Twitter at @NorthWarriorsAD or on westervillenorthathletics.com.
