It is Thanksgiving week — and therefore a lovely time to not just eat turkey — but to give thanks. In a year that has delivered so much adversity and challenge, but has still been an opportunity for us to grow, our thanks this season are particularly heartfelt.

 

Kelli and I would like to sincerely thank the members of Team Purple Patch.  Like many businesses, we have faced our own share of challenge and adversity, with a center due to open in April, and a whole racing season evaporating in front of our eyes. We have asked our team to step up, evolve and reimagine almost every part of Purple Patch — all with a quest to help our athletes and customers navigate and thrive in this most turbulent year. They stepped up. They believe in our purpose and mission, and we rallied around with a mission to help.  This included completely rebuilding our approach to the training season, the development of Covid-19 specific training and live coaching, and the plan and execution of a full scholarship program to enable over 70 people most challenged by circumstance to take advantage of our education and training throughout 2020. A tripled workload to stay steady - but with a massive amount of meaning behind what we were doing as a team. We were thankful that we were in a position to help so many.

 

In addition to this, we also asked the team to come on a journey that included reimagining our support and services for the future, even creating a major 3 day, television-production level virtual event to cap the season. It was all a huge team effort and a great success. Perhaps the greatest achievement was the coming together of thew team and the whole Purple Patch community to change the lives of several young kids, via raising more than $100,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF) at Performance Reset.

 

Yes, Kelli and I are thankful for the whole team and the efforts of this year.  We are excited for the path ahead and are in major planning for what comes in 2021.  Kelli and I have asked the team to take a much deserved break over the Thanksgiving break, so expect a much lower response rate from Thursday to Monday as we collectively refresh our batteries and charge up for the work ahead.

 

And now, it is about you, the Purple Patch community. Our whole team are so thankful for your commitment over 2020, and how you stepped up to the plate to stay performance focused and navigate the challenge of the adversity. As I mentioned in March, what we do between then and January 2021 will determine the effectiveness of our super-charged drive toward our best individual and collective performance ever next year. Well done and thank you for not giving up on yourself and for sticking with us. We care deeply about you, and intend to continue to focus on improving the coaching, education and global programming over the coming year. Yes, as ambitious as we always are, we have big plans!

 

Please stay safe this week, and over the coming months.  A sensible approach to the coming months, which promise some tough and possibly sad moments, will see us emerge and ready to thrive. There is light at the end of the tunnel. We can have a season of events next year, and a start of a return back to more normal living, so stay seated and safe until the plane arrives at the jetway! We can see the light! We are almost there. Follow the guidelines, care for each other, be a great member of team humanity and we will all be OK.

 

Our very best for the holidays — normal service resumes next week!

 

Matt and Kelli