CityView Magazine

46 | July/August 2017 Cape Fear Regional Theatre Buy online at www.cfrt.org or call 910-323-4233 Season and Patron Tickets are on sale now! Enhance your business with our Facebook expertise J ames Morgan will be spear- heading CityView's new digi- tal marketing movement and assisting clients with their social media strategies. Please contact him at 910.824.4652 to schedule an ap- pointment or stop by our office at 2533 Raeford Road in Fayetteville. Chair and a professor in the Department of Management, Marketing, and Entrepreneurship at Fayetteville State University. "Kai has a knack for public speaking, networking and interacting with people," his mother said. "He also carries himself in a professional manner, with so many young aspiring athletes looking up to him. ese traits are great for business." Babson College, it so happens, is located near Boston, where Messer lives. "Kai is the little, not so little brother I never had," Messer said. And, in Boston, the "little, not so little brother" has his sights set on something bigger. e Olympics at's right, Kai Lightner, who has accomplished just about everything you can in rock climbing now has a new goal: competing in the Olympics in 2020, the first time the sport will be included in the games. "It's a natural progression to be in the Olympics," Kai said. "If the Olympics were held tomorrow, I would have a good shot at being selected, but I still have three years to go." In Massachusetts, Kai will have plenty of time to train with Messer. "When he gets to college here, things will definitely change in terms of training," Messer said. "With the Olympics moving in, we will be working together more than ever. We have an amazing team of trainers, physios, and coaches assembled eagerly awaiting his arrival and ready to get to work. It'll be the first time he's had a team like this in the same place as him so I'm excited to see what we can do!" Messer says, "I've competed at every level and traveled around the world for the sport. e only thing I've been more passionate about in my climbing career is helping others become better at climbing." It's obvious that his coaching passion has benefitted Lightner. "I couldn't have done it without Shane," Kai said. "He's been essential to the whole process. He put me on my first climbing wall and has been there for all of my major competitions ever since. He has calmed me down when I was really nervous and got me excited and hyped up for my competitions." Until his arrival at Babson College, Kai plans to climb in France, Germany, Italy, Austria, the United Kingdom, Slovenia, and China. Before he le for his travels, Kai delivered his valedictorian speech, imparting two of the big lessons that his journey as a professional climber has taught him. e first idea, that kids should not be afraid to take "the path less travelled," was followed by his second idea, that you should "never let anyone tell you what you are or are not capable of accomplishing. Smart planning, hard work, and dedication can triumph over most obstacles." "Kai was teased a lot as a kid for choosing a sport that was very uncommon in our community," Constance said. "Nonetheless, it was his passion, so he followed his instincts, and it has completely changed his life. He likes to motivate kids to be brave and resist their fear of being different, following their dreams instead." Judging from the results, Kai didn't allow obstacles to get in his way – he simply climbed over them and above them instead. CV

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