One small step for a team …

Going first is hard.

First drafts, first estimates, first time in a market, first time with a new system or material … going first is risky, dangerous and scary.

Lewis and Clark, Columbus and Magellan were all pioneers plowing new ground and charting courses through the unknown with the spirit of discovery and the desire to gather information and create a path for those who followed.

The book and movie titled “The Right Stuff” chronicled the brave individuals who were the first in the U.S.’ journey into space. Inspiring and daring, John Glenn, Alan Shepard, Chuck Yeager and others paved the way for future first-timers like Buzz Aldrin and Neil Armstrong.

People who go first show leadership or vulnerability when they are not 100% certain how things will turn out but step forward because it’s the right thing to do. Those who go first provide a map or example to refer to and information to rely upon so subsequent journeys are a little easier.

That’s why it is exciting six brave, young roofing workers have stepped forward and collectively said: “We’ll go first.”

They will be the first U.S. team competing in the World Championship of Young Roofers in Innsbruck, Austria, against professionals from all over the world.

Every two years for the past 37 years, nations have been sending their best young roofing workers to compete in the “Olympics” of roofing. The competition consists of steep-slope, metal, low-slope and façade events. For a variety of reasons, the U.S. has never sent a delegation to compete until now.

This year’s Team USA roster includes:

• Luke Freudiger and Adam Wilcher from The Durable Slate Company, Columbus, Ohio, who are competing in the steep-slope competition and being coached by John Chan.
• Kasey Green and Doug Rojos from Global Roofing Group, Phoenix, who are competing in the metal competition and being coached by Shawn Wood.
• Marco Espinoza and Alexander Gutierrez from KPost Company, Dallas, who are competing in the low-slope competition and being coached by Glauco Gutierrez.

Getting to this point has not been easy, and the competition they are facing is fierce.

The U.S. team will be installing roof systems while competing against 20 other nation teams. They will be using tools and materials that are foreign to them and an installation method not used by U.S. contractors.

So stepping forward and going first and being willing to compete in unknown territory is significant. But they are doing it to learn and plow a path for those who follow so it will be a little bit easier in two years for the next Team USA.

Thank you to these six competitors, their coaches and the NRCA member companies for stepping up, going first and being willing to chart the course.

That’s the right stuff.

MCKAY DANIELS is NRCA’s CEO.
mdaniels@nrca.net