By Nathan Sparks | Photograph by Molly Herb
Appeared in Cityview Magazine, Vol. 41, Issue 6 (Nov/Dec 2025)
Every year, when we publish our Best of the Best issue, I’m reminded just how much this community cares. Hundreds of thousands of votes pour in, each one representing someone taking the time to recognize the hard work, talent, and service of a local business or professional. That’s no small thing. It says a lot about Knoxville—and it makes me ask myself, as a business owner, “Am I really doing what it takes to be the best of the best?”
That question isn’t an easy one to answer, because “the best” is more than a title—it’s a mindset. For many of us, the first time we truly understand that drive comes through sports. In the classroom, you might do fine, but on the field—or in my case, on the river—you discover that deeper rhythm, that zone where effort meets instinct.
For me, that moment came when I was 14, competing in the National Championships for Whitewater Open Canoe Slalom on the Nantahala River in Bryson City, North Carolina. The Nantahala is a small, fast, dam-controlled river—cold, clear, and challenging. The slalom course winds through a series of hanging gates, each one demanding precision. Touch a gate and you get a time penalty. Miss one completely, and you’re out of the running.
There was one gate I could never make. It sat in a cross-current that spun me every time. I’d tried everything I knew, and nothing worked. I remember sitting on the bank one afternoon, frustrated, staring at that gate, convinced it was impossible. Then a paddler came by and did something I’d never seen before—a compound backstroke, pulling and pushing in one smooth motion. It was a revelation. The instant I saw it, I understood. I jumped in my canoe, tried it, and it worked. For the first time, I cleared that gate clean.
That night, I practiced until dark. When race day came, I ran clean all the way down the course. I was flying. And then, at the final rapid—Lesser Wesser—a wave filled my canoe. I dumped, flipped it back over, jumped in, and finished, but I’d lost too much time. My shot at the podium was gone.
Still, that day changed my life. I realized something about myself: I’m a visual learner. I learn by watching. Back then, schools didn’t talk much about visual learning, and maybe that’s why I struggled in the classroom. But that discovery gave me confidence. I knew I could learn anything if I could see it—and that realization pushed me toward a life of self-employment. I built businesses by surrounding myself with people who knew more than I did and learning directly from them, side by side. That’s still how I learn today.
Every project, every interview, every photoshoot—I approach them with the same mindset I had on that river: I might not have all the answers when I start, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got until I figure it out. That’s what it takes to be the best of the best. It’s not perfection; it’s perseverance. It’s curiosity. It’s refusing to quit, even when the current’s pushing hard the other way.
To all of you who earned your place in this year’s Best of the Best issue—first, second, or third—I applaud you. You’ve shown what commitment looks like. You’ve proven that excellence isn’t an accident; it’s a product of your effort. You’re the reason this issue is our most celebrated every year.
So here’s to you—the business owners, providers, and professionals who keep showing up, learning, and striving. You remind all of us what it means to keep paddling toward better, even when the water gets rough.
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