Finnegan MacBurn- Biography [2/2]

[DizzyWithLogic 43]

We continue our student athlete biographical series with… Ice Hockey

 

Calculated Balance

By Valerie Pavilonis 

 

Finnegan MacBurn plays defense for our beloved Bulldogs but we'll find out that's not all there is to him as we explore his personal history. Here's what I discovered during our in-depth interview.

 

 

VP- Finn you grew up in an affluent environment in one of the wealthiest zip codes in America, Los Altos Hills, California. What was that like?

FM- I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities my upbringing afforded me. I hope to continue giving back to those who are less fortunate than myself. To be honest it's easy to lose sight of just how lucky you are when you're in such a privileged position in life. Gratitude is something I have found I need to keep as a guiding principle in order to not lose touch with those who were not born into wealth.

 

VP- Did your parents encourage you to play sports growing up?

FM- Well my parents always preached the importance of development of every aspect of being a human being. They stressed three core elements of personal development mind, body, and spirit. They also didn't want me to focus too much on one thing. It's much more common these days to see younger children become one sport athletes and they felt this could be detrimental. For example, if a young man choose to become a pitcher for a baseball team and ends up needing Tommy John's surgery before college. What does that mean for the young man's further development? Does he have other activities and interests to help fill the void? How many of his friends and acquaintances only know him through this one activity? My parents didn't want me to face the kinds of personal hardships this situation would put me in. Sorry I went on a little tangent there.

VP- Oh no that's great. So you knew from a young age you wanted to be well rounded and develop different aspects of your life? Or was that just what your parents stressed?

FM- I saw the value of what my parents meant right from a young age.

 

Ethereal Essence

VP- Spiritual development what does that mean to you? How do you practice that?

FM- Spiritual development includes my meditation and Tai chi practices. I wake up every morning and run through one of my routines before anything else, even my morning run. I learned Tai chi from my uncle who runs a dojo for many different martial arts disciplines. I still study under him when I have time. He's very good at sensing when I need to talk, be quiet, or just work off energy.

I guess you can include my surfing trips with my older brothers. I often find myself reflecting on things when I'm waiting on the right wave; Then clearing my mind and focusing on the ride once I catch one. I also study art with my mother and have lengthy discussions on motivations and emotions involved with the creation of different pieces and also what observers take from the piece intentionally or misinterpreted.

 

 

Finnegan doesn't like to talk about it but he also volunteers for a soup kitchen once a week. He has done so since he was twelve years old. I found out from his former high school hockey coach. This routine actually became a little tricky to comply with during his time at Salisbury School. Ultimately it created a new program at the school, The Strength Giver's. A group of students athletes that volunteer time each week to give back to the less fortunate in the community.

When I asked him about this Finnegan seemed embarrassed and side stepped the direct topic while still addressing the question with an artfulness many politicians would envy. 

 

VP- Would you include The Strength Giver's program as a part of your spiritual development?

FM- Time is the most precious commodity any human being posses. I believe where you choose to spend your time defines who you are as a person. Time naturally implies action in the present moment as opposed to planning which inevitably occurs in the future. Mental energy expended without action to follow it up is just wishfulness. It may be indicative of convictions or passions of a person but without action it has no impact on the world. I strive to have a positive impact on the world.

 

 

Mind Over Matter

VP- So what is this I hear about you becoming a grandmaster chess champion?

FM- Well I did get pretty close when I was younger and did travel to tournaments. However you have to get to a certain score and the regulations only allow scores within a 3 year period. And no I don't plan on pursuing the grandmaster title. I do enjoy playing though, for fun, I feel you can learn quite a bit about someone while you play them.

VP- Speaking of learning about someone while playing. I understand you majored in Psychology. Is that right?

FM- Yeah, well actually I double majored, Psychology and Economics.

VP- Impressive congratulations. Your also pretty good with your hands as well from what I understand.

FM- What do you mean?

VP- Well I spoke to your father abo...

FM- Oh our build projects! Oh you talked to him really? And he told you about that huh? Well yeah we built a few drones together. 

VP- Really because from what I heard that was all your handiwork.

FM- Well sure my hands turned the screws so to speak but whenever I needed help with something he and I would talk through it together. It was a way to ensure we got to spend time with one another despite our busy schedules.

VP- Did that became easier when you started your internships at AMD during the summers?

FM- Boy you found out everything didn't you? For most of the summers during high school I interned at Advanced Micro Devices. Which was good experience even if it was mostly data collating, fetching sandwiches, and whatnot. I actually didn't see much of my Dad except for our commute. Once I started college he encouraged me to branch out and pursue other professional interests. 

VP- You mean XTex?

FM- (nodding affirmatively) That's where XTex comes from. I started it with the idea of incorporating advanced technologies into hockey equipment. Right now, during school, I have a great team in place running the day to day activities with whom I stay in touch constantly.

 

 

Here I found I had touched upon another topic I couldn't get Finn to speak about. He stonewalled me when I asked about his company XTex being on file as a nonprofit. All my attempts to confirm this through his business partners were denied.

 

Temple of the Body

VP- Why don't you tell me a little more about your figure skating instead.

FM- Finally something I suspected you would ask about. I figure skated all the time when I was younger. From the ages of 8 to 12 is the period of time I was really competitive in pairs and traveled to all the major tournaments. I chalk up most of my success to my partner Polina Edmunds. She is a phenomenal skater and a really good friend, we still text with each other all the time.

VP- Why did you stop skating competitively?

FM- Polina was getting really serious about her singles skating at that point in time and managing the schedules for both my figure skating and ice hockey tournaments was becoming problematic.

 

 

The Heart of the Matter

VP- Is this the time at which your hockey development took off?

FM- No...well yes. I mean I was always pretty good so I don't think there was ever a huge leap at one particular point in time. Back then I had been playing in the Junior Sharks organization down in San Jose since I first started skating. A fantastic organization but not exactly a hotbed of recruiting. I didn't really get noticed until my second year of high school at Salisbury School. We hosted a tournament that featured teams like the Erie Otters, an OHL team, and the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL. I did pretty well and some of the coaches took notice but nothing ever came out of it. My junior year of high school is when the attention really started in earnest.

VP- That's the season you started to break records?

FM- Not really, I mean I broke a different school record every year. That is however the year I managed 48 assists in 24 games which did break another school record. The real difference was the media coverage. It's interesting because I was contacted by a few teams towards the end of the season. These organizations hadn't drafted me the year prior, in the major junior draft. (long pause) At that point in time I already had early acceptance to Yale and felt committed to my team as well. I was stuck in an unusual position because my chances of getting drafted directly by a VHL team after only one year of major juniors experience were small. That path would have been a huge risk, not just due to drafting factors, but because my college acceptance was dependant on completing my high school education at  Salisbury School specifically. To be honest I was a little resentful that these major junior organizations only paid attention when I was in a traditional hockey market with my name in the papers. The fact became I already had solid plans for my future which didn't include hockey as a possible vocation. 

 

VP- All these activities and interests must have taken up quite a bit of your time did you ever feel like you were missing out on anything?

FM- I've run into some awkward situations socially sometimes. For example with Fortnight and the Kardashians and things like that. 

VP- What do you mean with Fortnight and the Kardashians?

FM- Oh I had no idea what they were before coming to college. It made for some interesting interactions at social gatherings.

VP- Trust me your not missing out on much.

 

 

Finnegan MacBurns innate humility is impressive given his list of accomplishments. His unrelenting giving back to his community without seeking acknowledgement is incredible. His loyalty to his teammates when personal gains were on the line displays his selflessness. His ability to recognize his resentfulness shows self awareness and maturity.  I feel he is a Yalie we can all be proud to have shared the halls with.

 

Edited July 20, 2019 by DizzyWithLogic
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[fonziGG 1,068]

Review: I like how you formatted this into an interview style biography. Also, mad props for nearly hitting 2000 words. Also really cool to see how you incorporated figure skating and business history into Macburn's history. 10/10

[chillzone 231]

Review:

 

Def a refreshing read, love how you painted a portrait of MacBurn's inner life, from practicing gratitude to sharing the values he learned from his parents. Love the detail of not knowing what Fortnite is. The interview format gave the bio a very personal touch. Wonderful work, man.

 

[DizzyWithLogic 43]

I had major editing issues with the picture sizes and bold headers just plain not working. I will go back at some point to clean it up. 

I was really nervous about using the interview format I'm glad y'all enjoyed it. I just figured if I was a reviewer what would break the mold enough to get attention, without going outside the lines.

I actually cut a bunch out about the volunteer program including quotes from outside sources which I felt muddied it up too much it's cleaner this way. I rewrote the conclusion right before posting, which wasn't a great idea because I was super tired. It's not my best work there.

Thank you for your time and feedback.

@fonziGG @chillzone