UNBROKEN [13.17]
June 22, 2017
Market: New YorkAthlete: Casey Gough, Morgan Stanley
After graduating from Holy Cross in 2008, I knew that I wanted a career path that challenged me, I just had no idea that pathway would take me to Wall Street. Like any young professional, I leaned heavily on graduates from my alma mater for advice. Most of them played competitive football in college like myself. They understood what made me tick, so when they described the competitive atmosphere coupled with a team focused environment… I knew Wall Street was the closest I was going to get to a gridiron experience.
I joined Morgan Stanley in October 2009 as a temporary sales assistant. I had no experience on a trading floor, but what I lacked in experience I made up for in ambition. It didn’t take long for my ambition and drive to open up opportunities. I secured a full-time position early in 2009, where I was thrown in the deep end of Morgan Stanley Fixed Income. A few years into my career, and with the firm’s core values as a guide post, I decided I wanted to get involved in more formal philanthropic efforts. Since January of 2016, I have held the honor of co-chairing the Fixed Income Philanthropy Committee at MS. This position entails spearheading volunteer events, annual gift giving, and other firm initiatives. While this responsibility has provided me with a great sense of pride, I still felt there was something missing and I could personally be doing more. Enter D10.
I was introduced to The D10 a few years ago by a former colleague, and D10 phenom, Tom McCarthy. Not only was he competing at an elite level, but he was also raising a significant amount of money for fantastic causes. Speaking to Tom about the event, I immediately saw how inspired he was not only by his top-tier adversaries in the competition, but more importantly the actual cause. Hearing his passion for the event struck a chord with me and I knew I had to get involved. Although I wanted to enter last year, I was preoccupied with moving my wife and 2 year old out of Manhattan. The process was stressful and, more than anything, time consuming. I’ve always believed preparation is a key to success. So if I was going to compete in the D10, I needed to set aside some time to put in the work. I promised myself 2017 was my year for the D10, thinking I would have more time to dedicate to training. Not the case.
Instead, while transitioning out of the city, I enrolled in the Columbia University Executive MBA program, which I am on track to complete in 2018. On top of starting that program, my wife and I were blessed with the news that we would be expecting our second child this October. My free time did not evolve as I had hoped, but I knew it was now or never for D10. After signing up in January I had two questions for myself. Who am I competing for? And who I am competing against? The first question is easy, especially considering the work that POETIC does in our communities. It’s hard to find a more worthy cause to raise money and awareness as this research will have direct impact on the future children whose lives might have otherwise been cut short. The second question is a little more difficult because while this is certainly a charitable event, I can’t seem to suppress that gladiator inside that wants to win. I started pouring over last year’s results and the competitive juices, which had been long dormant since my college football days, began to flow again. I found it nearly impossible to replicate the same GameDay excitement I had before every single game. However, since signing up for D10 I have found a renewed sense of enthusiasm which has been emboldened further by the generosity of my colleagues, classmates, friends, and family who have donated to this cause.
“Pain of preparation or pain of defeat” was the motto my college head coach, Tom Gilmore, drilled into the team every day. Those words take on a new meaning now as a father, husband, professional, and student preparing for D10. This is my Super Bowl and I am happy to endure the pain required to win.
Bring it,
Casey