Raising children is a dynamic challenge. There’s no failproof formula for successful parenting because we all have different ideas of what success looks like. Still, we tend to take the good and bad of our upbringing to write the rule book for our own household. Nowadays, this often looks like reverting to factory settings: where a sunny day and imagination are all a kid needs to have fun.
At least, this is what inspired Hollywood stuntman and Drift NWA Co-Founder, Jef Groff, to move his family from California to Northwest Arkansas. Growing up between Upstate New York and coastal Florida, Groff was the youngest in a clan of “adrenaline junkie” cousins. His after-school hours were spent riding dirt bikes or snowboarding, and summer breaks were filled with wakeboarding and surfing. He remembers his youth being instructed like this: “Go outside and play. Be home for dinner.”
“My school had a ski club, so every weekend, I was at some mountain snowboarding,” he said. “I started getting sponsored, traveling to compete, and won USASA Nationals. It was a great time, and that’s what I want for my boys.”
At this point in the storyline, some are wringing their hands thinking about the risks of such a life for a young man. Instead of thinking about all the dangers, Groff says fear never crossed his mind; something modeled to him by his mother, the risk-taker of his parents.
“My mom was adventurous; she was a professional water skier,” he said. “My dad was more traditional. He made safe decisions, and I think he had a lot of regrets later in life.”
This fearless spirit Groff’s mother modeled isn’t fueled by some insatiable need for excitement. Instead of an absence of fear, she carries an abundance of faith.
“I saw her read her Bible every morning and didn’t think much of it, but she always told me she was trying to live out the things she was reading.”
After high school, Groff decided to take his adventurous lifestyle and faith cross-country to attend Bible College in California. His end goal was to become a youth pastor. Understanding the edgy culture that often comes with adrenaline sports, Groff realized the activities he loved could be a great path to mentor young people about having faith, no matter their environment.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about mindset,” he said. “I want kids to know they can learn to have fun and do these rad activities, but still have honorable character.”
While finishing his degree, Groff lived with a host family connected to the entertainment industry. Contemplating the next phase of his life, his house mother introduced him to the stunt business.
“I didn’t know doing stunts could be a job,” he said. “She said, ‘You're a talented and adventurous guy; until you figure out what you want to do, do some stunt work and make some good money.”
Groff went for it and got the lead role in the Waterworld show at Universal Studios, which is still the longest-running, live stunt show in the world. “I did that show for eight seasons.”
Something many don’t realize about stunt work is how much effort goes into keeping the actors safe. According to Groff, they would rehearse a stunt several times, and he’s often surrounded by protective equipment. These precautions and his faith kept any notion of fear far from the stuntman’s mind.
“I didn’t have a sense of fear,” he said. “I had to get to a place where I was comfortable knowing I could get hurt. I had to have faith that the stunt was going to be successful and God was going to keep me safe.”
Assuming this meant he hadn’t experienced severe injuries or accidents as an athlete or stuntman, Groff’s responding testimony of the opposite was a sobering reminder that having faith doesn’t mean we won’t face challenges.
“I had a really bad accident on a show last spring, and it’s by the grace of God that I’m alive,” he shared. “A 35,000-pound truck landed right on top of my car, and I didn’t have a cage or anything, because that wasn’t supposed to happen.”
In action (literally), Groff says his career and hobbies make his faith stronger.
“As a stuntman, I’m an independent contractor. I get a call, and I’m on that job until it's done; then I'm unemployed again until the next call. This is even more intense when you add a wife and kids to the equation.”
Groff met his wife, Erykah, while doing BMX tricks for an ESPN Mobile commercial at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. Students, like Erykah, were extras in the commercial and, after hitting it off, Groff’s number was saved as “BMX Boy” in his future wife’s phone. A few years and many movies later, the Groff’s were on a road trip discussing whether or not to leave California to raise their kids.
“I wanted to be a present and intentional parent, and leaving California would mean I could take fewer jobs.”
Groff’s job takes him all over the world, but he and his wife chose Bentonville for its cost of living and abundance of outdoor activities available to their boys: Koah (13), Harlow (11), and Saylor (8).
“We’re doing stuff together all the time,” he said. “I’m a big believer in no screens and being outside.” But this doesn’t mean Groff is campaigning to mold his boys into mini versions of himself. “I want my boys to be intentional, whatever they do. It’s more enjoyable for me to see them succeed in the things they love.”
For young men, what’s not to love about fast cars?
Needing to keep his driving skills sharp between movies, Groff set out to find a place in NWA to train. This search led to the creation of Drift NWA with business partner Branden Sharp. Hosting action-packed events at Drake Field in Fayetteville and Passion Play in Eureka Springs, Drift NWA has become a magnetic platform attracting drivers and spectators from across the US to develop their skills, watch amazing talent, and grow their like-minded community.
Regarding Drift NWA’s Tōge events at Passion Play, Groff said, “This is what I’ve always dreamed of. It is the best infrastructure venue for Tōge mountain driving and drifting. If I built it myself, there would only be slight changes.”
And these events are always a Groff family affair, something the patriarch says is special to him because, more than driving, his boys get to see him leaning into his calling to minister fearless faith.
“It’s the greatest honor to know your kids want to be with you,” he said. “That’s what I want my kids to see: ‘Dad spent time with us and he was intentional with what God called him to do.’
I didn't have a sense of fear; those thoughts didn't cross my mind.
I want kids to know they can do rad activities but still have honorable character.