Float like a Butterfly, Sting Like A Bee

Bryce North, Advolve Media, GITR Finalist

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” the words by Muhammad Ali that circled my thoughts during the Get in the Ring Competition in Kansas City earlier this month. From the time I found out we were among the five Canadian companies out of hundreds to compete, I could feel the excitement of this fight overcome me. The only thing that made this a bit different from a traditional boxing match was the fact that we were throwing punches with just our words.

We all know that pitch boxing is not an actual sport. However, the way this event was organized truly made it feel almost realistic, as if I was competing for a heavyweight championship title. Now, I won’t lie when I say that I like attention; having the chance to walk down a large theatre aisle, to my own entrance song, cameras on, world watching, energy high, was an experience impossible to describe.

You only get one shot for something this unique, so I had to make the most out of it. While many just walked down towards the ring, I made an effort to make an entrance that was memorable. Gloves on, robe (courtesy of my mom), and a slightly choreographed entrance that really got me pumped up for the final pitch in the ring.

I have pitched my company over 1,000 times but this one had to be the most nerve racking. My method to relax is usually to raise my energy, get excited, and make whatever situation that’s stressful, fun. Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. I treated this event like a real boxing match in order to calm my nerves. I got pumped up, got the crowd laughing, and did my best to make my opponent feel intimidated and I had one of the best times of my pitching career doing so.