Life's Moments

Everybody reflects on the year at year's end (or maybe should).  I know I do.

I've figured out that life isn't a big picture sort of thing.  It's more like pieces that when assembled constitute the whole.

Another way of looking at it is like a painting.  It really isn't the final product as much as each individual brush stroke.  Hopefully when you step back and look at it, you see a masterpiece.

But life can't be looked at as a whole.  It's the parts.  It isn't the broad strokes.  It's a collection of small moments.

When we're in it, when we are living this life, we even have trouble looking at the big picture.  Try as we might.  We can't see how the little things add up to the whole.

We can't see how the little decisions lead us to bigger conclusions.  We can't see how important those little things are at the time they're going on.

Like the time when your teenaged daughter opened up about the meaning of life while you sat at the foot of her bed.

Any time a grandchild walked in and screamed your name. 

When you all got stuck in a downpour and were soaked to the bone and yet finally saw the humor in it and everybody got the giggles. 

A shared sunrise, where no one says a thing but each knows what the other is thinking.

A much needed hug for a broken heart.

So you take a hundred vacations and the one everybody remembers is the one where it seems everything went wrong.  But then, why do you remember that one?

A buddy and I drove to and from Colorado on a bike trip a couple of years ago.  You know what I remember about the trip out?  The obscene burrito that my buddy ate at a truck stop somewhere in New Mexico.  It was awful.   He loved it.

And the trip back?  I remember driving in the middle of the night and we're in the middle-of-nowhere Oklahoma and find a Motel 4 (that's no typo) for a few hours sleep.  You got a bed (small), a towel, and a bar of soap at Motel 4.

So looking back at 2015, what comes to my mind?  

Times with grandchildren.  Mostly time in the pool.  The Christmas Train last weekend.  Ice skating on Market Square.  Movie night.

I remember meeting a guy on a distant beach that I will probably end up doing business with.  Our initial encounter was sitting under a cabana, looking out at the ocean.  Our next encounter was in his conference room in Nashville.

I remember lots of laughing in the football coaches office at MHS.  And walking out with the team through the stands on Friday night.  Good times in the training room with the student trainers.  And Josh and Drake.  They always seemed to be in there.

Maybe there were some hiccups along the way but in the big picture, 2015 was a great year.  But good riddance 2015.  Hello 2016!

Winning Doesn't Make You a Winner (Losing doesn't make you a loser)

The Carolina Panthers are 13-0 and Cam Newton is winning hearts all across the country.

The Alcoa Tornadoes won another state championship in impressive fashion, holding the previously potent CPA to -1 yards of offense in the second half and to .7 yards per carry for the game. 

The Maryville Red Rebels came up just one game short of a perfect season, picking a bad night to have a bad night.

Same thing for the Greenback Cherokees who overcame a lot of things (coaching change, playing against private schools with lots more resources) to make it to the championship game.

Heritage's football team, under Coach Tim Hammontree, was much more competitive than in recent years.  They competed with each and every opponent, going toe-to-toe with pretty much everyone on their schedule.

William Blount came to play every night. 

All this leads up to my oft-repeated mantra that sports are life lessons.  The scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story.

I'm going to quote my friend and MHS football coach David Ellis here a bit but first, let me give you just a little background.

Every year, Coach Ellis puts an offensive line on the field that is a cohesive unit.  Fundamentally sound, his squad gets the job done.  Each and every year. 

This year that unit featured a 5'7" 190 pound right tackle (Josh Wall) and a 5'9" 175 pound center (brother Jacob Wall) alongside gargantuan guards Lakin McCall and Wes Ferguson and long and tall left tackle Harper Rose.

Not exactly your prototypical offensive line but maybe typical of MHS and Coach Ellis.  Maybe more of the type that it doesn't matter about the size of the dog in the fight as much as the fight in the dog.

Now back to that winning and losing thing.  Quoting Coach Ellis:  "Losing on the scoreboard doesn't mean you're a loser just like winning on the scoreboard doesn't make you a winner."

David Ellis is more concerned with building good young men than he is in building outstanding football players.  He wants to build good fathers, husbands, sons.

He defines football success as

1.  How good a teammate you are

2.  How good a practice player you are

3.  How coachable you are

Isn't that what makes good fathers, husbands, and sons?  If your team is your spouse or your family, isn't it important to be a good team member?  Shouldn't you do your best every day?  Doesn't it seem a good idea to listen to those that have your best interest at heart?

Coach Ellis is a pretty special guy.  He's the kind of guy that you want your son to play for (mine did).  

Nicknames

Sports are filled with great nicknames.

Air Jordan.  Magic Johnson.  The Mailman (Karl Malone).  Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain.  Pistol Pete Maravich. 

The Say Hey Kid (Willy Mays).  Frank Thomas is "The Big Hurt."  Shoeless Joe Jackson.  Charlie Hustle (Pete Rose).  Dizzy Dean. 

The Assassin (which wouldn't be tolerated today).  William "The Refrigerator" Perry.  Deion "Prime Time" Sanders.  Our own Reggie White who was The Minister of Defense.  "The Bus," Jerome Bettis.

When I was growing up, lots of people had nicknames.  I never really did.  Oh, a couple of guys switched the first letters in my name and came up with Bloe Jack.  I didn't like it much.  I think it was Lackie Jefler that did that.  Or maybe Wordo Gatson.

Thank goodness it didn't stick.

There seems to have always been Bubba's.  At least in this part of the country.

We don't seem to have nicknames so much any more. I can't think of many at all. 

I guess there's my biking buddy Emil who we sometimes call "The Cuban Flash" but he's not Cuban (he grew up in Puerto Rico then Miami) yet he is certainly fast on a bicycle.

My son has a nephew called Trey (he's the third to carry his name) and his own son is the second but "Deuce" doesn't seem to have stayed with him.  We are more likely to call him "Buddy" than anything else.

It seems to sort of stopped with my generation.  A lot of the people I knew growing up had nicknames.

Snake Watson.  His brother Baldy Watson who, I don't believe, is bald yet.

Jam-Up White who was legendary in baseball (which makes his nickname have some reason I think). Inky Swiney.  Red Greenway (who may have been red at some time in his life but was bald for all of mine).  Greasy Grimes, who I don't remember as being either greasy or grimy.

There was Little Bill Miller and Big Bill Miller, neither of which was big at all.

Some whose last name escapes me.  Like Frog, the janitor at the high school.  And Hambone.  There were a couple of Bulldogs.  And at least one Bones. 

I knew a Jughead.  We had a Maybelline whose name wasn't that at all.  I think it was because she wore too much makeup.

So I'm gonna suggest some new nicknames.

How about "Ice Man" for Jalen Myers  He certainly plays like it.

And "Streak" for Kelby Brock.  That's about all you see of him.

T.D. Blackmon doesn't need a nickname.  He's got one built in already.

Maybe we can start a trend here!

Shin Splints?

Shin Splints seems an odd name.   Unlike most other medical terms, no sexier/more medically accurate term has ever been created to call this malady.

I mean, sure, it happens at the shin, which seems to be a rather antique name unto itself.  For the uniformed, the shin is the front part of the lower leg.

And "splints." I've never known where that comes from.  And I pride myself on understanding word origins and that sort of thing.  No idea.

Generally speaking, Shin Splints are used to describe any persistent pain along the front part of the leg between the knee and ankle. 

Treatment has been limited and largely ineffective.  Treating the local pain with ice is the most common method but does nothing about the underlying cause of the problem.

The underlying cause of the problem?  The way the foot hits the ground.

Shin Splints are one of those things that I don't see in the clinic much.  Most people just resign themselves to the pain.  Ice and ibuprofen take the edge off so treatment usually stops there.

No, this is one of those problems that I will discover when I notice one of my athletes limping.  I'll ask them what is wrong and they will reply "Shin Splints."

Or where someone stops me and finally asks if there is anything that can be done.

Let me take a commercial interlude and say for the record that I never mind being stopped and asked my medical opinion outside of the clinic.

I get stopped lots. In the middle of the grocery store.  At a restaurant.  In the bike shop that I spend lots of time (and too much money) in. 

If you know me really well, you know that my desk at Total Rehabilitation-Cherokee is actually on a countertop between the rehab side and the fitness center.  I prefer it that way so that people can easily ask for help or my opinion on what they are doing or their injury.

I am always flattered when someone asks my opinion.  When the day comes that that stuff bothers me, I'll quit.  Go home.  Retire (there...I said it...a word I generally abhor).

When somebody comes up and asks me about the pain in their shin, I generally ask "just how flat are your feet?"

Because the two are completely related.  People with flat feet that insist on running will often get Shin Splints. 

And people with an arch but who are "pronators" get them.  And those with a really high, really rigid arch get them too.

For you see, the problem is impact forces.  The force transmitted up the leg when the foot hits the ground.  The flat foot doesn't dissipate those forces well.  Neither does the high rigid arch. 

The solution?  Fix the way the foot hits the ground.  Most often with an Over-The-Counter arch support but occasionally with custom orthotics.

And let me add that it isn't a problem that should be ignored because those same impact forces can lead to a stress fracture in the main lower leg bone (the tibia).

Why We Play Sports

When tragedies like what just happened in Paris and what happened in New York City in 2001 do happen, we question a lot of things.  I can remember after 9/11 there was debate whether sporting events should go on.

Games were cancelled. Plans were changed.  Respect was shown by those that played and those that didn't.

So among those things we question is one big one--Why do we even play sports?

It would seem that the time energy that we put into sports might be put to better use elsewhere.  The billions we spend on sports could feed the hungry and shelter the homeless everywhere.

I am of the opinion that sports are essential to our health and well-being. That we are much better off because of the games we play.  Why?

We play sports for the exercise.  You've heard me say it here before.  My kids always had to play something.  I cared less what it was than that it was something.

We know that active children become active adults.  And a huge portion of the health problems plaguing this country today are the result of inactive adults. 

Beyond that, I believe our bodies are made to move.  Our systems benefit from exercise-both mind and body.

We play sports for the competition.  For the thrill of victory.  To test ourselves against others. 

Competition, oh much maligned competition (think about t-ball games without keeping score), how important thou art.  Competition tells us more about ourselves.  It teaches us our strengths and weaknesses and lets us build better selves through that knowledge.

We play sports for the friends we make.  Maybe the best friends we will ever have.  There is something about being a part of a team that stays with us.  Working together toward a common goal is an enormous learning experience.

We play sports for the applause.  Go ahead and admit it.  The roar of the crowd or the praise of peers and parents is something we seek.  Maybe we even need it.

We play sports for those that can't.  For our parents, who maybe can't anymore.  For those that were never able to.  We play to entertain.  How else do we fill these huge stadiums?

We play sports for the beauty of movement.  We are made to run and jump and dance and move.  And yes, I would argue that we are meant to block and tackle and throw a ball through a hoop.  There is something inherently beautiful about a swing and a hit.  Or a nice throw.  Or simply running across a meadow.

Yes, we must play sports.

Martial Arts & Fitness

In 1995, I worked the national championship tournament for Tae Kwondo in Colorado Springs.  It was my second martial arts competition.  The first was a couple of years earlier when I worked the Judo competition at the Tennessee Sportsfest.

I've always had a passing interest in martial arts but have never really followed up on that interest.  I do recall that the Colorado Springs tournament gave me the opportunity to hang out with Nitro of American Gladiator fame.

Brad Hatcher of Hatcher Martial Arts became a friend many years ago, partly because of his injuries.  

Brad, who was winning international competitions when most were long-since retired from competition, has remained competitive and, yes, occasionally injured.

Which means we get to stay in touch.

His dojo/gym, which maintains a cadre of dedicated members, some of which have been there for 20 years or more, is something of a local institution.

To many folks, the first things that come to mind when they think of martial arts are fighting, mixed martial arts (MMA) competitions, or the movie Karate Kid.

MMA is hot right now due in no small part to the emergence of a female athlete, Ronda Rousey.  She is the sport's current superstar in a sport that has always been totally dominated by its male participants.

It is fierce competition and definitely all about fighting.

And in the Karate Kid movie, the end of the movie is (no spoiler alert needed surely) victory for Daniel and Mr. Miyagi.

But martial arts is not about all that at all.

I liked the movie Karate Kid.  "Wax on, wax off" became the catchphrase used to describe many tasks that had an ulterior purpose.  It was about a whole lot more than a kid finding a father figure and beating the bad guy in the end.

Daniel (from the movie) answers it all when Mr. Miyagi asks him why he is doing karate:  "So I won't have to fight."  Mr. Miyagi's answer was "Miyagi have hope for you."

That's part of it.  Self defense.  I know that Brad has taught self-defense classes for years. A lot of those are for women who might not have to be so fearful of going out alone.

I know that martial arts training is also great for self-discipline.  I've seen lots of kids that lacked discipline or even any measure of self-control get into martial arts and become model citizens.  Their behavior not only improves but so do their grades.

What you usually don't think about when you think of martial arts are the fitness benefits.  Spar with someone for two minutes and you'll know what I'm talking about.

I talk a lot about the benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT--CrossFit is one type).  Components of martial arts training are definitely HIIT.

If a typical gym isn't your thing and running, swimming, or biking seem like terminal boredom, you might check into one of the local dojo's. 

But a little advice:  It is all about the teacher.  If the emphasis is on fighting, you might want to look elsewhere.

Parent Lessons

Right outside my clinic, beside where I park my truck every day, is the most gorgeous tiny maple tree you have ever seen.    Every time I see that little tree, I pause.  Maybe it's to think about my problems.  More often, it's to reflect on my blessings.

My mom is going through some pretty serious health issues right now and time for reflection seems aplenty.  I find myself wandering to the lessons that my parents taught me.

One came to mind this week when I spilled some coffee and a kind patient offered to clean it up for me.  "Nope.  I was taught to clean up your own messes."

That got me to thinking about all those lessons. "If you did it, you fix it."

I wish Congress would figure that one out.  They should have listened to my momma.   We would have a lot fewer messes that way.

I was always taught that anything worth doing was worth doing well. 

When I was about 12, I built my own treehouse.  My dad, who couldn't help, sat at the bottom of the tree in a lawn chair and supervised.

He could tell when I didn't drive a nail all the way in, content just to beat it in crooked.  He insisted that I pull that nail out, straighten it, and do it again, this time correctly.

There are life lessons to be learned in that.

I was taught to always finish what you start.

That's a rule that a lot of parents have.  I've heard it from lots of folks.

Usually it is interpreted as a mandate that once you commit to playing on a team, you have to stick with that team until the end of the season.  I think that can be a pretty shallow way of looking at things.

I know of at least one circumstance where it just became impossible for a young athlete to continue on his team.  This young man went through summer camps and team workouts but soon after the season started decided for all the right reasons that he could no longer continue.

His situation was untenable and continuing just wasn't a good idea.  He instead focused on his other sport and did quite well there.

No, finishing what you start to me is more a commitment to self.  A commitment to excellence in all that you do. 

My own rule was that you had to play some sport (and make good grades and be happy).  It didn't matter what it was.  In my family, that wasn't an issue as my kids played everything.

Finishing what you start means staying committed to the Big Three: Exercise, Education, and Excellence. 

When I was high school, my mom would send me off to school by saying "you tell those girls at that school that you're the best looking boy in school."

I wasn't but moms need to tell those lies.

Remember the Titans

This week, I listened raptly as Coach Herman Boone gave the keynote address at the FCA banquet.  Coach Boone was the real life coach of the T.C. Williams High School Titans upon which the movie Remember the Titans was based.

I guess those around me were wondering what the heck I was doing scribbling furiously in the margins of the program.  But I knew then where my next column was going.  I was inspired by Coach Boone.

"Give legs to your dreams."

Coach Boone came from poverty.  He came from a family that could not support his dreams but that didn't get in the way.  He dreamed of graduating from college and coaching football. 

Fortunately for him, he had more people telling him he could do it than were telling him he couldn't.

It's all about providing opportunities for kids.  Opening doors.  Supporting dreams. 

Growing up, my parents made sure I had opportunities. Sports.  Boy Scouts.  Camps.  Visits to museums and national monuments and Civil War battlefields.  Music teachers and positive influences.  Church, always.

I was never NOT going to college.  It simply wasn't an option.  Bad grades were not acceptable.  Not working was unacceptable.  Doing chores was not optional.  Being accountable was expected.  You finish what you start.  Everything you do gets your best effort.

Through all that and more, my parents helped give legs to my dreams. 

"Never ever rest until your good gets better and your better gets best."

I talk often about sports providing life lessons.  Sports do that and more.  Sports build character.  

When you get beat down, and at some point you will, if you get back up better, stronger, and smarter, you have just built character.  You have built strength into your soul.

"Leadership means did you make a difference in a teammate."

We need to constantly lift each other up.  Take those negative influences in your life and give them a toss. 

"If you thought Remember the Titans was a football movie, you weren't paying attention."

Many of those at the banquet could not comprehend a world where blacks drank in one fountain and whites in another.  They cannot fathom blacks having to go in the back door of a restaurant and then not being able to sit down but having to take their food out back and eat in the alley.

They can't imagine seating in a theater where blacks sat in one area (usually the balcony) and whites sat in another (usually the front). 

But three members of that 1971 Titans team, Julius Campbell, Petey Jones, and Blue Stanton sat there and told about those days.  Told of the days where blacks went to one school and whites to another. 

They talked about the battles of lining up side by side as teammates.  And they talked about the triumphs big and small that arrived when they became a team.

We still fight battles...too many battles.  Maybe today it matters less what color your skin is but it still matters. 

Barriers of many sizes and shapes still exist.

We've Come A Long Way Baby

I suppose you know by now that I've been at this stuff for a long time.  As of December, I will have been a physical therapist for 38 years.  I've been an athletic trainer for 32 years.

I have a hard time even fathoming all that.  Heck, it doesn't even seem like I should be 38 years old.  

The reality is that I've been a father for almost that long.

Health care in general and physical therapy, athletic training, and sports medicine in particular bear no resemblance today to what it was then.

A couple of weeks ago, I talked about physical therapy treatment of back pain.  Things like body mechanics, core strength, fitness, and weight control today serve as the basics for evidence-based physical therapy care of back pain.

In 1977, it was hot packs, ultrasound, massage, and Williams Flexion Exercises.   Physical Therapists today don't even know what Williams Flexion Exercises are, since we now know, because of solid research, that they don't work.

In 1977, Athletic Trainers were still limiting fluid intake.  As an athlete in the early 70's, I can remember one small cup of this new thing called Gatorade that we were allowed in the middle of an August football practice.  We now know that to be a big mistake.

As I wrote last week, in 1977, we were telling everyone that there was no evidence that steroids made you bigger and stronger.  I even went on Bob Gilbert's The Sports Page radio show to declare that they really wouldn't do much for you.

Oh how wrong we all were.  What we didn't know much about then was also all those horrible side effects.  All I knew was that a buddy of mine that was into bodybuilding after a UT football career had gotten into steroids quite heavily.

I was an undergrad at UT and headed for physical therapy school so I was everyone's health care person.  So he confided in me that his testicles were the size of pinto beans and wondered if it could be those steroids. 

My family doc at that time had even recommended steroids to me a couple of years before.  He knew I was trying to make it as a college football player and needed to be bigger and stronger.  He shared the product information sheet that came with the steroids and one word jumped out at me:  Impotence.

I knew then that I wanted children one day so that's all it took.  Football, for me, was not worth that.

So my undergrad diagnosis of my buddy's testicular atrophy was "well...YES."  Little did I know how right I would prove to be.  That buddy never fathered children.

So jump forward to 1985.  What do we know now that we didn't know then?

That early intervention is the key.  That proper treatment started early makes all the difference in the world.

That concussions are serious business.

That rushing someone back to competition after an ACL reconstruction is simply wrong.

That ankles don't become "dependent" on ankle braces.  We used to avoid bracing ankles because of that.  We now know that the braces just protect the ankle.

We used to say "ice for 48 hours, then heat after that."  No way.  Ice is almost always better than heat.  And if it's an injury and there is still pain, inflammation, or swelling, you NEVER use heat.

We've come a long way baby.

PED's

One of the things that I hear too often is "the professional athletes use it so why shouldn't I?"

This ranges from multi-colored tape jobs to alternative forms of health care. 

Well, there are many reasons why it really might not be a good idea.  First, keep in mind that professional athletes will do anything (anything) to succeed at their sport. 

My sport, bicycling, has been notoriously drug-enhanced.  I defended Lance Armstrong all the way to his TV confession.  The most drug-tested athlete in the history of sport, who had apparently passed every single one of those drug tests, was guilty as sin.

Proving that drug testing is a farce.  That even the best tests can be beaten.

With millions at stake, the NFL is packed with people who will do anything (anything) to play the game. A first round draft pick that plays for five years will be wealthy beyond our comprehension for the rest of their lives unless they're really stupid.

Even some athletes without huge financial incentives follow the same pattern.  Several years ago, Olympic athletes were asked if they would give up 2 years of their life for a gold medal.   Overwhelmingly, they said yes. 

These are athletes that rarely are able to make a decent living at their sport.  Yet, for one moment of glory, they would give up 2 years of their life.

Most of what we're talking about is Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED's).  You've heard the term.  

It's a problem in sports that just won't go away. 

The first thing most people think about with PED's is steroids.  More specifically, anabolic steroids.  Athletes will take them to get bigger and stronger.

Back in the early 80's, many of us, yours truly included, insisted that there was no evidence that steroids made you bigger and/or stronger.  Those using steroids were laughing at us behind our backs. 

Because they do make you bigger and stronger but at a tremendous cost.  Like impotence.  Yeah...really. 

Like liver disease, kidney disease, heart disease such as heart attack and stroke, high blood pressure.  

Like hair loss and acne.

Females on anabolic steroids can grow hair, get deep voices, and have menstrual irregularities.  

Males on anabolic steroids can grow breasts.

Anabolic steroids can cause increased aggression, irritability, and altered moods. 

There are other things that athletes are using to enhance their performance.  Human Growth Hormone (HGH) is one.  I can't even begin to tell you how dangerous HGH can be.

The one that is probably the biggest problem around here is stimulants.  The bad news is that those can be bought in any convenience market in the country.  Marketed as "energy" products, they come in pill and drink form and under a lot of different names.

But they are all basically just stimulants.  Check the ingredients.

And 16 year old athletes (or any 16 year olds, really) do not need to be taking chemical stimulants.  Ever.

Back Pain

One of the most difficult things to deal with in health care is back pain.  Statistics tell us that 80% of Americans will have a significant episode of back pain at some point in their life but that other 20% probably has had an episode of back pain that was not bad enough to seek health care but still a problem.

More U.S. dollars are spent on back and neck care than any other medical condition yet we seem to be making little headway in fighting the pain and disability they bring.

The gamut of things that are used to treat back pain boggles the mind.  In physical therapy, it's a big part of what we do. 

My clinical practice for most of the last 25 years has focused on extremity orthopedics (Prior to that, it was pretty much everything orthopedic).  

Knees, shoulders, feet, ankles.  Sports injuries.  But because of the demand, I'm seeing a lot of patients with back pain these days. 

So what do we do with those patients?

Dealing with back pain is a complex, complicated affair.  Lots of treatments give you temporary relief.  I can help most patients feel better.  But what we are trying to do in physical therapy is to provide you with effective, lasting treatment.

Sometimes we help the patient to manage their back pain.  Back pain that has been severe and constant that becomes mild and infrequent--well that is often a successful outcome. 

Sometimes the back problem is structural to the extent that we can't help you.  A lot of times, surgery can.  Effective surgical interventions save a lot of people from lifetime back problems.

It is my opinion that there are several key ingredients to treating back pain.  Most of them are on you.

#1  Exercise daily.  As in every day.  Walking is usually great for back pain.  Consult a professional.

#2  Lose weight (if you need to).  Back pain is not strictly the curse of the obese but it doesn't help.

#3  Build core strength.  What is core strength?  Basically your trunk.  Pretty much everything from your armpit to your kneecaps.

#4  Eat better.  In sports, we have a saying "garbage in, garbage out."  Good health demands good eating.  Fewer carbs, fewer desserts.  Abandon sodas.  Read ingredients.

#5  Sleep!  Most of us don't get enough (I don't).  But proper rest is essential to dealing with the physical demands of the day.

#6  Watch less TV.  Do you really need to sit more?

That's it.

It really isn't that hard but it takes persistence.  You must diligently do all those things.  You must consistently do that which will make you healthy.  It is the only thing that really works.

In a lot of ways, your physical therapist becomes your partner in health care.  It's our job to recognize the many challenges (not everyone can afford to eat well, not everyone has time to exercise every day) and strategize with you about how to overcome those challenges.

October is National Physical Therapy month.  Sure, this has been a little self-serving but my profession has done a good job of leading the research on what truly works with back pain.   

Don't Hide Your Scars

When you see Graysen McConnell, you automatically think, "what a beautiful, got-it-together young lady."

I remember Graysen as a cheerleader at MHS.  Her dad has been a friend for years but I never knew much about Graysen other than what I saw on the football sidelines.

But Graysen has a story.  She has scoliosis.

Scoliosis usually begins developing in puberty and affects girls more often than boys.  In some cases, it is self-arresting, stopping on its own with minimal consequences.  In others, it progresses to a severe degree, causing all kinds of complications, sometimes the least of which is really bad back pain.

Scoliosis is something I know well.  As a physical therapist, I've seen my share professionally.

But on a more personal note, my wife had a favorite uncle with a very severe case of scoliosis that eventually led to complications that caused his death. 

Let me let Graysen's mom Shawna describe her daughter's scoliosis:

"When most people look at Graysen they don't automatically notice her crooked back.  They think she has one hip cocked.  You know, one leg bent at the knee, causing one hip to hang lower.  She puts her hand on her hip.  It just looks intentional.  The hand is intentional.  The bent knee is intentional.  It makes it all look more natural and it has become a habit.  The 'ole hand-on-the-hip, one-knee-bent trick.  You will see it most of her pictures.

But, Graysen's back is crooked.  45 degrees when last measured in October."

That was from early last year.  Her problems were immense.  Her back pain was severe and unrelenting.  So she and her family starting seeking solutions. 

That search took them to Austin, Texas and Dr. Matthew Geck, an orthopedic surgeon that specializes in scoliosis surgery.

Graysen had the surgery on May 29, 2014 in Austin.  Although they had hoped for a minimally invasive surgery, that wasn't possible.  So Graysen ended up with a 10 inch scar along her low back.

Leap ahead to a year and a half later.  Graysen is a sophomore at Lipscomb University in Nashville, majoring in biochemistry and looking to a career in dentistry.    Her surgery was a huge success.  She is essentially pain free now.  Life for this wonderful young lady is SO much better.  Her back is straight and her health is good.

And she wears her scars proudly.  She is not ashamed of them, does not let them affect who she is.

And once more in her mom's words:

"Don't hide your scars. They create questions and interest, they start conversations and a way to know each other better.  They can open doors, if we let them. Share them and your story. I know that it has power and beauty, and I now know THAT is the purpose of our scars."

If you are interested in more, you can follow the McConnell family saga through mom's blog called "Graysen's Backstory."  It can be found at graysenmcconnell.blogspot.com. 

The Back Pain Manifesto

If you have back pain, I can make you feel better.  You can walk out my door with less pain than you arrived with.  I can virtually guarantee it.

But that relief is temporary.

I'm more in the business of lasting, effective treatment programs.  And that means that under my care, your program is going to be based on exercise, body mechanics, nutrition, and fitness.

Do those things and you will be better.  And if you continue to do your exercises, use good body mechanics, eat right, and stay fit, you will stay better.

You might be surprised to know that most folks don't choose that route.  They want something passive--something where they lay down, get some kind of treatment, and are cured.  In 2-3 visits.

It doesn't work that way.  It takes effort.  And dedication. 

In a discussion about what it takes to stay healthy, a friend argued that I had a job that gave me the time to exercise and an income level that let me do healthy things.

That has very little to do with it. 

Check in with my alarm clock.  It says 4:30 AM.  That's because I've always exercised early.   Get it done before the day gets started.

Right now, it's 6 AM and I'm looking across the gym at a room full of mostly women who are doing a CrossFit class at Cherokee.  Many of them have young children at home so this is the only time they can exercise. 

Check with my boss.  This time of year, I'm working 60+ hours a week (it is football season after all).  During my slow period, I'm still working about 50 hours a week.  So no, my job doesn't give me the time to exercise.  I make it a priority.  I make that choice.

I don't watch television.  When people talk about their new favorite TV show, I have no idea what they're talking about because I don't have a favorite TV show. 

The way I see that equation is that you can either have back pain or favorite TV shows.  Your choice. 

If you would rather watch one of the dozen or more CSI shows, the nighttime soap operas, or something about drug addicts or zombies than feel good, so be it.  My brain doesn't have room for all that.

Sometimes I don't sleep enough but that too is my choice.  I've got too much going on and am perfectly willing to give up an hour of sleep to paint, play with grandkids, ride my bike, paddle, spend time with my wife, do things around my farm, watch a sunset...get the picture?

Again, it's all about choices.  If a little more sleep in the morning is more important than whether or not your back hurts, that's your choice.

There are plenty of people getting rich off of you because you want a quick fix.  You want to walk in and maybe get "adjusted" and that's all it takes.   Or get a prescription for one of those -codone drugs. 

It is never that simple.

And by the way, saying that your pelvis is "misaligned" or that your hips are "out of alignment" is one of the biggest farces perpetuated on the public that history has ever known. I keep a cartoon of two guys laughing hysterically with the caption "my reaction when someone tells me they got their pelvis realigned."

And pain medication relieves pain.  It doesn't correct the problem. 

You want that magic pill that once you take it everything is fine and you go on with your life.  If only life were really that simple.

Somebody told me this week about her daughter  (a teacher) who was allowing a chiropractor to inject her muscles with sugar-water.  First of all, if that chiropractor is doing that, it is highly illegal.  Second, how can a college educated person allow this to be done to their body?  Is there any part of that which even approaches sanity?

You want your back pain to go away? 

#1  Lose weight.  You're overweight.  Probably.

#2  Get good core strength, admittedly hard until you get #1 under control.  Start by walking.

#3  Exercise daily. Daily.  I've got another cartoon that says "if you don't have time to exercise an hour a day do you have time to be dead 24 hours a day?"

#4  Eat better.  If it contains white flour or white sugar, stay away from it.  Dietary fat is not the culprit--carbohydrates are.

#5  Turn off the TV.  Do you really need to sit around any more than you do already?

That's it.

It really isn't that hard but it takes persistence.  You must diligently do all those things.  You must consistently do that which will make you healthy.

The choice is simple.  Either take care of yourself, taking ownership of your health, or keep having back pain. 

One of my frustrations as a physical therapist is that I can work someone through all this, teaching them how to take care of their back and emphasizing a set of exercises that they can do at home.  

Maybe even get them on the road to better fitness and weight control. 

They leave me essentially pain-free with a concrete plan to stay that way. 

And then 2 years later they show up with the same problem. "Are you still doing the exercises I taught you?"  Uh....no.

They had the tools to stay healthy and pain free but for a million different reasons (excuses) they didn't follow through.

So they keep returning with the same problem.  Or get frustrated and start trying things to which there is no scientific basis. 

And about that...before you start some treatment out of the mainstream, check it out.  Get online and look it up.  If there is no scientific basis for it, why would you consider it?

If all it has going for it are testimonials and no research to back it up, smart people would stop right there.  Sure, we don't know everything, but if there is proof positive that it doesn't work or even that it might cause long term negative effects, why go there?

Ask the tough questions.  Expect tough answers. 

It's all on you.  

Football Mom Again!

I am an unabashed, unapologetic fan of football.  Especially high school football. 

I played for many years.  My son played and was quite good (if I do say so myself).  Even though his college career was ended with a rather catastrophic injury, I believe he would do it again (without that last injury).

But the game I love is under attack.  Parents are keeping their kids away from the game for fear of the injuries.  It is seen in some quarters as being too violent.

I happen to believe it is the best sport that we have for teaching life lessons. 

Lessons like teamwork and dedication and commitment. Like leadership and work ethic. Things that inarguably benefit our growth and development. 

You may recall an article that I wrote a couple of years ago based on a letter I received from "Football Mom."  

Football Mom had never wanted her boys to play football.  She wanted to shield them from a sport that she had lots of history with but that had lost her love.

This week, I got another letter from Football Mom.  I'm copying it her pretty much verbatim but changing a few things simply to make it generic to the sport rather than to any one school.

So here it is.

Dear Joe:

"I (Football Mom) had lost my way since the last article.  I became frustrated about the lack of 'success' they (my sons) were having on the football field. 

Let me say that the systemic discipline that Coach and his staff impart on 7th and 8th grade young men is something that I can't repay him with bars of gold.  My son has drank the golden kool aid of the cornerstone of football programming.  Discipline on and off the field.   

My son talked to me two nights ago about career paths he was considering including medicine and constitutional law and my rumblings about the requirements with my son replying 'discipline always wins mom.'

Then Thursday night happened.  My oldest son went into the Junior High Game for an extended amount of time. The first play his hands were clenched with nervous anxiousness, his feet moved as tentatively as he cruised taking his first baby  steps. 

I was frustrated,  I had taken him to the Junior High all summer at an insane early hour day after day, done load after load of teenage boy football laundry, drove circles dropping, picking up, repeat.

Then I watched as every play transpired the nervousness that only a mother can spot from the stands dissipated.  

He continued to contribute to his team even making an unassisted fumble recovery. 

So if you think this is where the story would end because of success you and I are both wrong.  As he gets in the car he is overflowing with pride excitement and happiness. 

An analogy that I immediate thought of was a friend years ago took me to see a waterfall and as we approached he made me close my eyes and I laughed and asked him why?  He said I want to see your eyes when you see it for the first time. 

So here I was on a normal nondescript Thursday night looking directly into my sons eyes and seeing the feelings of pure accomplishment and joy that HE felt of being an athlete.   What a gift I was given."

Dear Football Mom:

Nuff said.

Take Care of Your Eyes

It's not so much that I run out of ideas for this space (although some might think so, seeing as how I really get off on some odd topics from time to time) but more like what things can I write about that are relevant, that are important to you.

For you see at the heart of my column is education.  I guess I'm a teacher at heart.

So I looked back at the list of the columns that I've written through the years and one topic that seems ignored is eye care.  Only one column in 30 years about eye protection.

And it's a pretty big problem.  Something we just don't think about often enough. 

Lots of pro basketball players are wearing protective eyewear these days.  It goes back to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who started wearing eye protection after too many scratches to the eye.  He sort of made it cool to do so.  Now lots of athletes do the same. 

It was really apparent last week when I was riding bicycles with a friend who didn't have any eye protection.  I started to say something but then figured that this was a responsible adult and he didn't need me preaching at him.

I should have said something.

Think about it....traveling at maybe 30 miles an hour and a bug hits you in the eye.  Ouch!

Or, worse yet, a piece of gravel gets flipped up out of the road and strikes you in the eye.  Serious damage can happen, not to mention that you will probably wreck.

Most of the time, people on personal watercraft don't think about it either.  Back when we owned a couple of those things, a near-injury was what it took to finally convince us to always wear eye protection. 

I guess the one I worry most about is the motorcycle rider.  Sixty miles-an-hour and no eye protection seems insane to me.

An insect propelled into your eye at sixty is going to do some damage.

What kind of damage?

Everything from mild irritation to blindness.  Corneal abrasions or lacerations are very painful and are probably the most common eye injury of any consequence.  If you suspect anything more than just a little irritation, see you ophthalmologist.  Lots can be done.

Even if the injury to the eye isn't substantial, if you're riding a two wheeled vehicle, something hitting you in the eye can easily cause you to wreck.

Industrial workers have long since adopted protective eyewear in the workplace.  In most jobs where there is the risk of a projectile  ending up in the eye, protective eyewear is required.  The military has discovered the necessity of protection.

But then I'll see one of my buddies on a bicycle or somebody on a motorcycle without proper eye protection and I just cringe.

A Down Day?

OK.  I know this is the Sports Section and all and maybe what follows isn't much about sports but my answer to that is that sports are life and life is sports or something like that (and if you're already confused about where this is going, well...sorry about that).

Anyway, this is my favorite time of year.  Football in full swing.  Cooler mornings.  Crisp nights.  Time slows down a bit and life is full.

Yet I found myself fighting something last week.  Those around me kept asking me what was wrong.  

I guess I was more quiet than usual.  One friend suggested that my chemistry was off.  That's possible but how do you know?

Most people ask if anything had changed. 

Not really.  No major life events. My health is good.   I've still got most of my hair.  I can't quite stay up with Steve Bright on the bicycle but I'm still pretty decent. 

My six grandkids are the smartest, funniest, best kids around.  My kids have grown up into really great adults, making their own way in the world but letting us be a part of it.  I look forward eagerly to getting home to my wife each night and I'm not sure I can ask for anything much better than that.

My right knee is pretty much wore out (people ask me about my limp on a regular basis) but it really doesn't hurt me much so that knee replacement is still well off in the future.

So I got off by myself for a bit.  That's not something that my schedule allows very often (like never).  And I thought about some of the things that I've written about in this space.

And I remembered what a wonderful place that we live in.  Most people visit the Smokies (the most visited national park in the country).  We get to live here.  I mean, the Appalachian Trail forms the eastern border of our county!

Many people dream of a life on the lake.  We're surrounded by them.

I consider the climate around here just about perfect.  Go north and you get cold weather and snow that lingers so long that some of it was still around in July.  Go south and you get heat and humidity, bugs and sand. 

If you're into golf, we have golf courses all over the county.  Good ones.

We're blessed to have an outstanding college in the middle of town (Maryville College) which brings culture, sports, and academics to us.  Not been to the Clayton Center yet?  Big mistake.

And then there's Pellissippi State's Blount County campus--state of the art and giving us great educational diversity and opportunities.

Medical care?  Top-notch (even if I do say so myself).  A region with diversity and people that will give you the shirt off their backs. 

Lots of folks love the fall for college football.  It's a big deal around here.  At this point, everybody has a chance at a good season.  UT looks to be better but I'm hoping for a great season for my beloved Clemson Tigers (or at least another win over South Carolina).

I still prefer high school football.   On Friday nights, I get to walk the sidelines and be a part of something pretty special.  I'm living the dream with good friends, great family, and a job that I look forward to going to.

So today you're going to find a smile on my face and a song in my heart (or in my earbuds).  Have a blessed day.

Dr. Ken Bell

Today, I'm going to tell a story of the extraordinary things that the human body can do.

One of the constants of my adult life has been my friendship and professional relationship with Dr. Ken Bell.  We arrived in Maryville about the same time over 33 years ago.

Through the years we have played tennis, climbed rocks, rode bikes, hiked, been snow skiing, and done all manner of physical pursuits together.  We've driven across the country twice together, hauling bicycles to Utah and Colorado.

He and I (and a couple of others) have taken several "mancations" together, usually having something to do with mountain biking.

But today, I am in awe of Ken Bell.

For the better part of a year, Dr. Bell has been training to compete in the Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga at the end of this month. 

In May, he competed in a half-Ironman Triathlon in Chattanooga more as a training activity than anything else.

Let me back up a bit.  In 2005, Dr. Bell finally relented and had Dr. Eric Morgan, his colleague at Maryville Orthopedic Clinic, perform a Total Hip Replacement on him.

For years, I had watched Dr. Bell agonize as he tried to straddle a bicycle or rise from bed or chair.  

When it finally started to interfere with his work as a surgeon, he got it fixed.

It was not longer afterwards that he was back on the bicycle.  Swimming always came easy for Dr. Bell (but then so did most other athletic pursuits--a story for another day) but running seemed out of the question.

One day not much later, he was participating in a sprint (shorter) triathlon and was experiencing some hip pain while walking during the running portion of the competition.  So he broke into a trot.

And he found that the hip pain went away.  He hasn't stopped since. 

Zoom forward to today.  An Ironman Triathlon is not just an ordinary race.  It is a grueling test of physical capacity.

Swim  2.4 miles, bike 112 miles, and then run a marathon (26.2 miles). Definitely not for the faint of heart and definitely not for unfit.

So at this half-Ironman in May, Dr. Bell somewhat casually (he wasn't there to win) finished third and qualified for the Half-Ironman Triathlon World Championship.

Yeah...you heard me right.  The world championship.  In Zell Am See-Kaprun, SalzburgerLand, Austria.

So on August 20th, Dr. Bell headed for Austria to compete against 44 others in the 65-69 category.  He went early to get acclimated to the venues and the weather.

Alas, a serious family medical problem forced Dr. Bell and his wife Patty to return home 2 days before the competition started.

But rising from our small community is one of the best athletes in the world and that's a pretty big deal.

Oh, and he still plans on doing that full Ironman at the end of the month.

Not To Be Taken Lightly

One more time, I'm going to write about concussions.

For the past couple of years, concussions have dominated the popular and medical news media.  Several high profile cases have focused a lot of attention on an arena that really deserves a lot of attention.

Not that many years ago, if you could remember what you had for lunch (after a blow to the head, or after you got your "bell rung"), you went right back in the game.

The present state of awareness really started with a study that came out in 1994 that revealed evidence of significant brain trauma in NFL players that did not have a history of concussions.

Since then, lot of research and study has been done on the long term ramifications of concussions.  

And the results are scary. What we do know is that concussions are not to be taken lightly.  We know that there are long term effects even to relatively minor head trauma.

That when you "got your bell rung," actual damage was done, damage that could surface many years down the road.

And lest you think it is just a football thing, let me assure you that it is not. Any active individual can get a concussion.  (Heck, even an inactive individual can trip and fall in the bathroom and get a concussion.)

So, when is it a concussion and when is it just a bump on the head?

Without getting all medical about it (and because there really isn't a single definition of a concussion), a concussion is a blow to the head that disrupts the function of the brain. 

It may manifest itself as a headache, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, or memory loss.    It can be slight, maybe where a blow to the head leaves you with a mild headache, to severe, in which you lose consciousness.  Either way, we take it seriously. 

In sports, we start our evaluation immediately.   Decisions about how to deal with an unconscious athlete are simple--immobilize them, protect them, and get them transported to the nearest hospital in an ambulance. 

It's all those lesser injuries that take up most of our attention.

We start by administering a standardized set of questions useful in determining cognitive function.  Simple questions, really, but useful in deciding if the brain function has been impaired in any way.  

We perform balance testing , which can provide very important early information.

If symptoms go away quickly, we will just monitor their progress but the game that day at that time is over. 

Lingering symptoms used to mean staying up till quite late, watching for cognitive deterioration.  If there are several hours between injury and bedtime and the symptoms are not getting worse, sleep is generally OK.

Once they have no symptoms and have been cleared by their physician, we administer an ImPACT test, a computerized test of how the brain is functioning.  Along the way, we strongly (in no uncertain terms) insist that the athlete be honest about symptoms.  We don't want them hiding things from us.

If they have medical clearance and a negative ImPACT test, it still isn't over.  Our athletes then have to go through a series of exercises and activities that can take up to two weeks to complete and that's only if they have no recurrence of their symptoms.

This is one arena where we just don't take any chances.

Reflections On A Bike Ride

I went on a bicycle ride last weekend.  That should be no surprise.

This particular ride was a long ride uphill.  It was just me and one longtime friend.  And before you go all "aw heck, Joe's gonna talk about the bike again" let me tell you that this isn't about the bike at all.

It's about getting out and enjoying what we have in our backyard.

This particular ride (sorry) was on the Cherohala Skyway.

Have you ever made the trek from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville, North Carolina along Cherohala?  Oh.  My.  Goodness.

If you value these mountains, if you find these rolling hills beautiful, you owe it to yourself to make that drive.  The views are incredible.

And not many people visit the Cherohala.  In several hours on that winding path, we were passed by automobiles only twice (but by motorcycles a bunch of times).  It is an incredible if undiscovered asset.

I guess it doesn't get the attention of say the Blueridge Parkway since it connects one small, rural town (Tellico Plains) to another (Robbinsville).  By the way, drop by The Hub in Robbinsville for a meal or a shake.  Or both.

Of course we have the Smokies in our backyard and all the hiking trails there.  My wife doesn't consider it a good hike unless there is a waterfall at the end and Fern Branch Falls off of the Porter Creek Trail in the Greenbrier section of the Smokies is one of her favorites.

Lots of folks head for Ramsey Cascades nearby but this one is another worth your while.  On the way you pass by the Ownby Cemetery and the old Messer farm site.

And if you've never ventured beyond Bald River Falls at the confluence of Bald River and Tellico River, you've missed a gorgeous hike. 

Speaking of Cherohala, there is a short hike (1.3 miles) from the Rattlesnake Rock parking area to another gorgeous and rarely visited waterfall.  My wife and I visited in the middle of the winter when the ice was everywhere.

Lunch on a rock at the base of the falls was cold but magical.

We are surrounded by water in this area and lots of folks take advantage of it.  Fort Loudon is abuzz with ski boats and personal watercraft every weekend.

But there are other options.  A lot of folks have gotten into StandUp Paddleboarding (SUP) and Chilhowee Lake seems particularly suited for that.

We usually opt for canoe travel.  Put in at the Harrison Branch boat ramp where 129 emerges from the hills and you first see the Little Tennessee River.  Go straight across the river where motorboats can't go and explore the inlets and creeks on the other side.

Watch close and you may see a bald eagle.  If you keep looking, you can find Citico Creek and can travel for quite some distance before fallen trees force you to turn around.  Along the way, you will see everything from prehistoric-looking gar to birds of every ilk.  One day we saw a deer thrashing in the bushes.

My point is this:  You don't have to go far to see wonderful and amazing things.  And you don't have to run marathons or bike 100 miles to get in the middle of wilderness (or what seems like wilderness) that will take your breath away.

It's all in your backdoor.

The Light at the End of the Tunnel

I dealt with a couple of quite severe injuries this week.  Not quite catastrophic, as both these young athletes will one day be well and healthy.

It was my job to be there to take care of them when they were hurt.  It will be my job to do the rehab that gets them both back to playing their sports.  Running that gamut is what makes my job the best job around.

But it is also my job to help the injured athlete get through the emotional part of the injury.  And that part starts at the moment of the injury.

It starts with trust.  I don't believe in hiding anything from them.  I am honest with them about everything and then when I tell them that they will be OK, that they know that they can trust me.

That when they look in my eyes, they know that yes indeed it will all be OK one day.

We're currently rehabbing a big time marathon runner who also happens to be a friend of mine.  His knee surgery, which he knew was inevitable several months ago, has really gotten him down.  He is afraid he will never run again.

He and I chatted just the other day and I told him that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.  That before this surgery, that light might be the train bearing down on him in that same dark tunnel.

But now the future is bright.  He will likely run again but has already decided that his days as a marathoner are over. 

So how do you help someone through the pain and the process of a significant injury?  When they are laying there with a broken bone or torn ligament, what can you do, what can you say, to help them get through it?

At the moment that they know that it is serious (and they almost always know without being told), what do you do to restore hope?

First, they need to see a calmness.  That can help set the stage for dealing with all these emotions.  

That's the caregivers, the family members, the coaches...everybody.

For those taking care of the injury--the doctors, the athletic trainers, the EMT's--doing your job, taking care of them with confidence is everything. 

Not too long ago, I dealt with a truly catastrophic injury--an injury that I knew was bad.  My words "you've just got to get through this" were what this person remembered most about the process of getting loaded up in the ambulance.

But in the end, I guess that there aren't really words to say that can help them bridge that gap from injury to wholeness again.  It really has to come from within.  You can only help (or hurt).

I want my kids (those athletes entrusted to my care) to know that I truly care for them.  That I only have their best interests at heart.  That I will never lie to them.

Kids are resilient.  Give them a chance and they will work hard to be as good or better than they once were.  It's another part of why my job is so great.

And seeing that light at the end of the tunnel is everything.  

Why Do Kids Not Have Summer Jobs Anymore?

I saw an article asking the question "why do our kids not have summer jobs anymore?"   So I asked around a bit.

I asked Drake Martin, MHS senior who plays football and baseball.  Drake worked all summer at a local landscaping/gardening retailer, putting in long hot days after football workouts every morning, baseball workouts, camps, and on and on.

I ran into Hannah Crook who in addition to pursuing a degree in nursing at Carson-Newman holds down at times as many as three jobs.  Lifeguard, caregiver, swimming instructor.

According to one study, there has been a 40% drop in summer employment over the last 12 years.  

Another study stated that only 25% of 16-19 year olds hold summer employment in America today. 

So obviously these ambitious two are more the exception. 

So what does that mean?  Are kids today lazier, less ambitious? I would suggest that is not the case at all, but more on that later.

One of the problem is year-round sports participation.  There really isn't a down season anymore.  TSSAA has even added a "dead period" for high school athletes during which they can't participate in school-related activities (workouts or practice).

But that just leaves more time for their travel teams or for camps or for "showcases."  Yes, it would appear that if you want your kid to get that all-elusive college scholarship, they've got to spend the entire year focusing on their sport.  No time for jobs there.

Year-round school is another deterrent to the summer job.  I don't know what I think about that.  Those that are in year-round schools seem to love it.  Those that aren't don't want to have anything to do with it.  It does limit employment opportunities though.

A lot of teenagers are participating in really great extended learning programs.  In the ever-increasing pressure to create an impressive resume so you can get into the college of your choice, such programs seem almost necessary.  Not a bad thing but maybe they're missing out on the lessons learned from a real job.

Of course a summer job means that you can't go to summer camps or travel with the family.  Surely that is a loss for the student. 

So what does it all mean?  Do kids today lack the "work ethic" of the baby boomer?

My generation works things to death.  Too hard really.  In high school, I did farm work, bagged groceries at the White Store, and mowed yards.  In college, my jobs varied from summers in my hometown factory to teaching lacrosse to kids at the YMCA (and most everything in between).

Even now I put in too many hours, stay at football practice until late, and then go home and do yard work, farm work, and honey-do's.

I would suggest that young folks today do two things very differently:  They work smarter and they have a different value system from us older folks.  They still work as hard but work more efficiently, targeting projects and activities that help them reach personal goals.

There is no way that people of my generation worked as hard at sports as today's young athletes do.  

We just didn't have the opportunities they do.   The result is bigger, faster, better athletes.  It's really beyond argument.

And young folks today value personal time, the opportunities to do the things that make them happy, and a more well-rounded life.

Maybe they're missing the many things you learned from summer jobs and earning a paycheck but in the long run maybe they're going to be better off because of it.

We can only hope so because the future is in their hands.