legacy that Grant continues. John’s father, Macon, owned Texarkana Armature Works, and after graduation from Texas Tech, John returned to help him with the family business. In 2004, he was hired as a business development consultant for Century Bank, and stayed with them until they sold to Wells Fargo. Now, he works as an independent consultant, and spends his free time with his family. John met his wife, Larkin, in junior high at Pine Street Middle School, and though he took her out for one date in high school, after graduation they didn’t see each other for several years. One weekend when he was home from Texas Tech, they reconnected at a Christmas party, and have been together ever since. They are the proud parents of Natalie, a freshman at Texarkana College, and Grant. “Larkin and I both know that our time with our kids being at home is limited,” John says. “It seems like eighteen years flashes by in an instant! So, we prioritize spending every minute we can with our kids. We want to guide them as much as we can, and as much as they will let us!” Besides family ski trips, John also helped instill a love of the outdoors in Grant through their involvement in the Boy Scout organization. John served as Cub Scout leader, and an Assistant Patrol Leader, and now Grant is working on his Eagle Scout certification. “I believe that this program is part of the backbone of our nation,” John says. “It helps create leaders who believe in God and country, and it teaches so many other great values. It was also a great way for me and Grant to spend time together in the great outdoors. We went on campouts and completed nature projects. It gave us
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ALT Magazine
June 2014
quality time together we can’t always Our first kids’ race was so encouraging have.” and fun. From there, my interest just John and Grant have also spent kept growing and growing.” a lot of time playing baseball, going At the time, Grant was playing to the lake, and playing airsoft and soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis paintball at Legendary Shooting Sports. and training for triathlons, and John “Some days it has just been encouraged him to make a hard choice. me and Dad playing “I told him that he had all the fields,” Grant reached an age when he says. had been doing a lot of “I’ve been everything, but that for killed over and over,” him to do what it takes John jokes. “I have to excel, he needed more lives than 20 to choose the one he cats!” loved the most,” John Even now, says. “Larkin and I told Grant and John will him that no matter what ride bikes together, he decided, we would though Grant often help him get the right leaves John behind technique and help him after the warm-up. hone his abilities.” “As the John and Larkin’s kids get older, it’s support helped Grant harder and harder to make the decision schedule time with to focus solely on them,” John says. triathlons. Johnny, with daughter Natalie “They are so busy, “I thought it was and so involved, and really awesome that we support that, but I they encouraged me do miss the times when it was easier to and told me that they would help me find just spend time with them.” the support I needed to excel,” Grant Grant is especially busy as he says. “It was exactly what I needed. I works hard in his advanced classes and loved all the sports I was involved in, but is involved in cross country, track and when I really thought about it, I realized swim at Texas High School. However, that I didn’t enjoy training for most of his true passion is competing in them.” triathlons; a sport that caught his interest At this point, John and Larkin at only 10 years old when Kirsten helped Grant find a coach at a new McCown, a student in Grant’s class, training facility in Dallas: Playtri. The asked him to train for one with her. new program supports athletes, provides Kirsten’s father competed in triathlons, them with a training schedule and helps and helped Kirsten and Grant prepare them find events. Grant’s coach, Morgan for their first one. Johnson, stays in contact through calls, “I agreed, and then figured out emails, texts and helps Grant stay what it was later!” Grant says. “Once I focused on training for the 750 meter tried it, I just loved it. I love to swim, bike swim, 20 kilometer bike race and 5 and to run, and I love training for them. kilometer run.