Gramicci had the true pleasure of being introduced to these two incredible individuals through our partnership with Chris Rutgers and the amazing work he is doing with his organization, Outdoor Outreach. Jesse Delgado and Ryan Hudson come from very different and diverse worlds but are now working on a journey together for a simple common goal…fulfill their own dreams. Gramicci is joining in to help them achieve their goals to becoming sponsored professional snowboarders. In the coming weeks and months we will be chronicling their adventures and keeping track of how they are progressing towards their goals. The following are brief introductions into the lives of a pair of determined souls who are destined to over come more than their fair share of life’s obstacles.
Ryan Hudson
My name is Ryan Hudson. I’m 21 years old and have been part of Outdoor Outreach for seven years. As far back as I can remember I grew up in and out of homeless shelters and schools, living both on the streets and in cars. There were brief moments in my life where we actually had a home, but these weren’t lasting moments. I remember being really young, maybe 8, and wandering around the city from late at night to early morning digging in trash cans and dumpsters in the back of apartments not knowing exactly what I was looking for. I’d see my mom with tears in her eyes every day.
When I was 15 I moved into Toussaint Teen Center, a homeless shelter for at-risk, underprivileged teens. That winter was the first time I met Chris Rutgers and learned about the Outdoor Outreach Program. They took a group of us up to Big Bear for a four day snowboard trip. It was there that I experienced my first time outside the big city and in the mountains, the first time in my life seeing and feeling snow, as well as my first time ever strapping into a snowboard. After a short lesson on stopping and turning I was given the chance to go up again and ride down without falling, which I accomplished very easily! Chris then knew how natural this sport had come to me and said, “Ok Ry, come with me!” He took me up a lift that went straight to the top and I thought to myself, “Dude, is he trying to kill me?” The whole way up he kept saying how good I’ve gotten in such a short time and how much he knew I could master this next run. His encouragement was a huge plus and was in fact all I needed to accomplish what I didn’t know I could do, the best I’ve ever done. Before this, I didn’t even know what snow felt like, though I knew after that day something was going to be different about my future.
That same season I was offered a position in the Leadership Program to help instruct kids in similar programs, and from similar backgrounds. This double whammy of both snowboarding as s job and helping others with history like mine was the perfect job for me. Every season for the next five seasons I spent most of my winter weekends in the mountains of Big Bear and Mammoth Mountain. I was learning new tricks, becoming more familiar with the sport, perfecting my own style and gaining the respect and gratefulness of other students. The Leadership Program was opening doors that had been shut my entire life. Being in my position was rewarding in so many ways you couldn’t count them with every limb, finger or toe on your body.
After I graduated high school I was given the opportunity to travel outside of California to live, work and snowboard every day in Utah. I’m planning to spend my winters in Utah working and focusing on becoming a professional snowboarder, and my summers back home in San Diego studying Graphic Design and Music, and working for Outdoor Outreach. I knew from the moment I began my work with Outdoor Outreach that my life was only going to move forward and I have Chris Rutgers to thank for that. Without him and his idea for this program I really don’t know where I’d be, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be the best place. Outdoor Outreach has given me, and those like me, the chance to grab hold of something out of our reach-a chance to be someone we had never imagined. Now I look back on my past and wonder if I wasn’t in those underprivileged situations would I be where I am today? Without the strong fighting will of my mother, the giving heart of Chris and Outdoor Outreach, and the guidance of the Toussaint Academy I would not be who I am. I believe that how we survive is what makes us who we are.
Jesse Delgado
I was born in Ukiah, CA a small town just a few hours north of San Francisco. I spent the early years of my childhood with my older brother and younger sister, riding bikes, hiking through the woods, or swimming in lakes and rivers. This was an average lifestyle for the typical nor-cal kid. In search of a “new start” outside of California my father, older brother and I moved to Tijuana to live with family. We would cross the border into San Diego to attend school every morning.
My father worked multiple jobs and long hours to support our family. I would spend most of my time either playing soccer with friends and family in Tijuana, or at the local boys and girls club waiting for my father to get off of work. A lot of things had begun to change. The transition from a “small town” vibe to the rough streets of Tijuana proved to be challenging. After dropping out of high school and graduating a court mandated drug program, I was given the opportunity to attend a snowboarding trip with Outdoor Outreach; A local non-profit organization whose mission is to empower at-risk and underprivileged youth to make positive lasting change in their lives.
In 2003 I was given the opportunity to become a Surfing/Snowboarding Instructor for Outdoor Outreach. This was the beginning of what would become my passion in life. In 2005 I moved to Alta Utah to work and live at a local ski lodge, the experience was life changing. I rode 110 days that season. Since then I have spent every winter, killing the slopes at Snowbird Ski Resort, and every summer teaching Surfing in San Diego.
I am moving to Alta for the 2009-2010 winter season. I will be training for the “North Face Masters” a big mountain competition for snowboarders. I am now a sponsored athlete and I am pursuing my dreams. Life for me right now is more exciting then ever and I am curious to see what the future holds.