Mount O Country

Welcome to Mount O Country!

Highlighting a new generation of idealistic cigarette ad models but without the tar and nicotine. Taste the difference of these young students and professionals who are doing cool shit and setting a new paradigm for the rest of us.

Various sages from different cultures and times have suggested that life is a confidence game. Yet early in life, many of us often find ourselves in the gutters of arrogance or insecurity. Some of us never get out, but there are those who in humility and perhaps some form of grace are able to ride in that slick, oblong, wooden bowling lane of true confidence. Even more impressive are those who do so at a young age.

Parker Frautschi is one of those people. It is no wonder he is highly regarded and a respected friend. He is one of those people you ask to travel with or go on an adventure because you know he will be fully present, consistent and simply fun to be around.

This quiet confidence comes from the fact that he can acknowledge the many roles he plays, but doesn’t allow any one of them to define him. Spend a short amount of time in various contexts and you will notice an almost organic and comfortable shift in roles from adventurous to frat to nerd to student to athlete to friend, etc. There is a comfortable embrace of the roles he plays and no need to apologize for anything he is not.

When inquiring about his mindset, he may at first catch himself not wanting to sound cliché but quickly embraces the truth they embody. For instance, people may gush over some personal development coach or podcast suggesting waking up early to attack the day, but Parker is fine with saying “honestly it's cliché but the early bird catches the worm. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with an extra hour in the morning” Or in terms of work ethic, “anything worth doing, is worth doing right.” He lives by these simple truths and it pays off.

Parker is currently a senior at CU Boulder, a brother in Kappa Sigma and is an Integrative Physiology major. He is currently on a path for PA or Med school. And whether or not they drew him to the medical field, he can certainly point to his own medical history and a few scars with some outrageous stories behind them.

But what sets Parker apart is that he is truly well-rounded, but not for his own gain. Frederick Douglass observed that “it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” Douglass is referring to our emotional lives and Parker has certainly invested in building up young people at a summer camp in Wisconsin, yet he also aspires to repair the physically broken in some capacity. It wouldn’t be a stretch to see his vocation dedicated to the building and repair of both the emotionally and physically broken.

All of this makes him paradigmatic of Mount O Country. Here is our Reverse Office Hours episode "🚜" with Parker Frautschi.

You are currently a brother in Kappa Sigma but have previously served in leadership roles. What is your best advice to those who are considering leadership positions in Greek Life?

This is probably sound advice in anything, but seek out those already in leadership positions and learn as much as you can. Ask questions. This will be helpful advice to calculate whether this is something you want to do. It may seem easy or appealing to pursue an ambitious role, but there are a lot of unknown variables based on the job. Make sure you gauge the investment of time and energy it requires and how much bandwidth you yourself have to invest. Finally, even if you don’t pursue a traditional role, having the courage to speak up is a form of leadership. You just never know if you are speaking for those who are staying quiet. Many times it gives confirmation or a voice to those who stay quiet.

The natural beauty of going to school at Boulder is both obvious and ridiculous, but what is a part of the Boulder experience people don't really see?

Well, the natural beauty did in fact sell me on it. I am in my senior year and the view of the Flatirons still doesn't get old. But what is great about a place like Boulder is how big it is in terms of people. You can find your group because there are so many diverse clubs and Greek Life and interests that help shrink the school. That’s a hidden feature I guess, in its largeness you can easily find your people and get connected.

You spent your Summer's growing up going to a camp in Wisconsin and then served as a counselor there. This past summer you were also presented with an award. What is so meaningful about the camp experience and that award in particular?

I recognized how much effort and energy counselors had poured into me as a camper. They worked hard to make sure I was having a good time and feeling connected and I want to give back to the younger campers so they get the same experience. And I was not expecting the Outstanding Counselor award. In fact, as they were introducing the qualities of the recipient, I was thinking of other people. But it certainly meant a lot to be recognized. The award has a deep tradition and was named after a gentleman who served in WW2.

What is an aspect of growing up on a farm that was challenging, but you wouldn't trade it for anything else?

Some great takeaways for me was learning that just because you're tired doesn’t mean the work is done. I recall one time we needed to dig something like 1200 holes for crops, and it had to get done that day. There was no option to stop or pace yourself, because the crops had to be planted right away, the plants weren’t going to wait and be patient with us. And so you find that resolve. I also learned that there is a right way to do things and an easy way to do things. When you are around animals and processes you cannot shortcut anything. You have to do it the right way or else you just create more work or you lose the benefit, plus a lot of things depend on your attention to detail.

Speaking of resolve, you recently ran you first marathon and crushed it. What inspired you to do it and what did you learn about yourself?

So it started as a New Year’s Resolution. And like many people and resolutions, there was an initial drive which started to fade after a couple months. As summer approached, I rekindled my commitment and did so by creating accountability for myself. I decided to start telling people I was going to run a marathon. I figured the more people I tell I am going to do something, the more I will have to stick to my guns. The other motivator was that I had two different friends lose a parent due to either Alzheimer’s or Pancreatic Cancer. I decided to make this run for a cause and write the parent’s initials on my shoes and show my solidarity that way. It was also helpful to have that motivation to keep me going during the tough parts of the run. It’s incredible how the mental and physical battle of keeping legs moving at a certain pace for basically 4 hours works. You lose the feeling in your feet and you just battle to keep your legs moving. It was great to finish and be able to share with my friends that I ran with their parent’s initials on my shoes. The other cool unexpected gift was that my mom flew into town to watch me run, which was a surprise.

Biggest personal life lesson(s) you’ve learned through experience in college that you think others might benefit from.

Be yourself, unapologetically. There is no need to modify yourself to conform to the crowd. That doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth or self-awareness, but this is more about the temptation to try to be something you are not.

Random Question: What is one camp or farm activity that should actually be a required college course?

I would say a class on being able to ride and take care of a horse. In that process you learn so much about yourself. It takes a lot of work to care for a horse. Even aspects like the horse will pick up on your emotions and react accordingly, so learning to have some control over your emotions is so important with horses but also in life. But in terms of learning, you check a lot of boxes whether it is building confidence or compassion in the whole process. So yeah, definitely a class on that should be required.

Parker can be found on IG if not in the outdoors of Colorado and Wisco.

If you enjoyed this story, please share it. Or sign up here. And if you know someone we should highlight, definitely drop us a note.

About Mount O

Mount O is your "wingmate" maximizing your college experience with the best communication app, network & the occasional meme. We believe a period of maximum freedom and minimum responsibility is the prime occasion to build lifelong friends, wisdom and career opportunities. We mainly facilitate this through our free House Management app. Enjoy cleaner comms and a more community-driven Greek Life on your campus. We also send out and post Mount O Country articles on students crushing life, provide real life office hours, and like to post memes & videos about Greek and College Life on our instagram.

Check out the app here on iOS. (Execs, reach out for a custom onboarding onto the Free app or if your school is not on our network, let's get you set up!)

Mount O | "Pledge to Perfection"