Why do we have rules?

I was asked an interesting question last week.  "Why do we have rules in sports?"  It was even suggested as a topic for this space.  You can't say I don't listen to my readers!  Anyway...

I think the first reason is to make the game safe.  I know for a fact that most of the rules that have been implemented in football for the past several years have all been about making the game safer. 

I guess if you think about it, a lot of the rules for a long time have been to make the game safer.  Clipping.  Grabbing the facemask.  Late hit.  Cut blocking. 

Concussions are obviously the big issue right now.  We simply must make the game safer at all levels.  A lot of the major rule changes in the NFL are to address the concussion issue.  Moving the kickoff line forward (lots of injuries occur on kickoffs),big fines for shots to the head, those sorts of things.

Other NFL rule changes are also intended to make the game safer--making all chop blocks illegal and creating the horse collar rule.

Rules are also necessary to level the playing field, to make things fair.  Look at college athletics.  If there were not rules governing recruiting, the schools with the most money would always win.  They could put more resources into the process.

There would be no Western Michigan or Appalachian State in the bowl games like there are this year.

Athletes at most levels have limits on the amount of time that they can be required to practice.  Think about that one.  Without those rules, practices might go on and on.  Except for those few that play professional sports, most athletes are also in school. 

Now I'm not naive enough to believe for a minute that football players from Clemson or Alabama spent too much of their focus on their academics last week, but limits on the amount of time that a team can practice gives some balance to the student's life and allows some focus on the academic side.

Without rules our games would have no structure.  They would be chaos.

While I was an undergrad, we used to meet regularly to play a version of volleyball that we called "jungle volleyball."  Oh, the basic structure of the game was about the same but the rules that make volleyball fair and beautiful were largely ignored.   And yes, it was chaos at times.

Rules are necessary to make sure the game is the same in different locations.  Imagine a soccer team that passes really well and makes the best use of the entire field.  Now make that team play on a football field, which is certainly smaller than a regulation soccer field.  Is that quite fair?

Or a basketball team that is really tall and/or jumps really well.  Would it be fair for their opponent to raise the goals to 11 feet?

The bottom line is that rules are necessary to our sports.  Sure, there will always be those that stretch the rules, break the rules, or ignore the rules.  There should be consequences for those. 

Just like in life.

Keeping It Real

Gyms everywhere are packed right now.  I heard one report of a two hour wait for a treadmill (not really).  I suppose it's all those New Year's resolutions that I dismissed so quickly last week.

The truth is that January is the busiest month in most fitness centers.  In an attempt to finally lose that 20 pounds that you needed to lose for so long and finally get in shape and eat right and all that, you might have joined a gym and started sweating.

OK.  Whatever it takes.  But remember--the key is to make the DECISION to change your health habits.  My point last week is that it ISN'T a resolution but it IS a conscious decision, a dedicated commitment to change your life.

So this week, I want to make it real.  I want to give real life advice about how to take that committed January and make it a do-able project to change your lifestyle.

First off, it's OK to miss a workout.  That's a concept that I had trouble with for a lot of years.  Keep in mind, I usually exercise 7 days a week.  It's built into my schedule.  I have a routine that I've followed for a long time. 

Bike rides on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday.  Intervals on the trainer on Wednesday.  CrossFit workouts on Monday and Friday.  Some stretching/yoga  on most days.  A little extra core strengthening when I can work it in.

Lately, I've added some balance training to my regime.  I'm 63 but feel a whole lot younger.  But a little incident at our office Christmas party where I stumbled and fell against a wall (long story and I was stone cold sober) told me that my balance was deteriorating.

All that was confirmed when I watched a video of the Polar Plunge group that jumped into the Townsend Wye on New Year's Day.  At the back of the group was this old geezer, carefully stepping into the river.

Oh...and that old geezer was me.  Ain't what I used to be for sure.

If the candles on your birthday cake resemble a small bonfire, it's probably time for you to work on your balance too.  It doesn't have to be terribly sophisticated.  Stand on one leg.  Close your eyes.  Swing your arms.  Switch it out.  Stand on a soft surface like a pillow.  On one leg.

Through the years, I've come to realize that it's OK to miss a workout.  I missed a big ride last weekend in order to attend the birthday party of a grandson.  I'll make that trade any day.  The way I figure it, my plan is to exercise 365 days a year.  He only turns 7 once.

Goodness gracious, make it fun.  Sometimes you have to train and sometimes you have to hurt but if you dread each and every workout, you won't stick with it.  Find what it is that you can enjoy and build your fitness regime around that.

Plan for it.  You plan to eat.  You plan to sleep.  You set your clock in order to get up in time to get to work on time.  Then plan for your exercise program.  Know when you go to bed tonight when you are going to get in your workout tomorrow.

While you're at it, plan what you're going to eat.  It's a proven fact that doing that keeps you from overeating and eating crap.  And you don't have to buy expensive, all-organic foods.  Just buy stuff that has a single word name and you'll be fine. 

Getting fit doesn't have much to do with a big biceps or riding 70 miles or any of that stuff.  It has everything to do with just moving. 

Changing to Grow

New Year's Day.  New beginnings.  A fresh start.  New Year's resolutions and all that.

I've never been one much for new year's resolutions.  It's been a long time since I've felt like I needed huge changes in my life. 

Oh, there was a time when I decided I wanted to dramatically change who I was.  I was a sophomore in high school and I had ordered an outfit from a catalog to wear on the first day of school.  Plaid bell-bottom pants, sandals, a turtleneck shirt.  Doesn't sound too radical today but in that era, at my school,  it was definitely out there.

I wanted to be the new, cool Joe Black.  Stylish.  In today's terms, maybe edgy. Mostly it was about attracting girls. I don't think it worked.  Ok...it definitely didn't.

Anyway, one of my football coaches (now Dr. Gary Dutton) took one look at me and said "are you kidding me?"  That was it.  I couldn't wait to get home and put on my normal uniform of jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt.  Such was the respect that I had for him (still do).

Jump ahead a couple of years and I head off for college and for the first year I did everything possible not to let college change me. I went home every weekend.  I sort of "visited" college.   I missed a lot of opportunities for growth by doing that.

What I didn't realize at the time was that growth required change.  It was only when I started really experiencing college that I really began to grow. 

Never a great student, I found that I really could do college work.   I realized that nobody cared what I was wearing, where I was from, or even where I was going.  I hung out with people that were quite different from me.  I took a complete stranger out on a date.  Just walked up in the school cafeteria and asked her out.  I went to concerts and plays and college events just because they sounded interesting and because they were, well, free.

I learned to appreciate classical music.  I tried lots of new foods thanks mainly to Harold's Kosher Deli.  I learned how to really listen to poetry.  I developed an undying love affair with art.

I learned the personal responsibility that comes from living on your own and working two jobs to pay the bills.  I learned that working hard paid off both in the classroom and on the playing field. 

And after trying way too hard for way too long, I found a girl who really seemed to like me.  We've now been married for 40 years. 

What am I trying to say here?  That true change doesn't happen because you make a resolution to transform yourself.  True change comes when allow yourself to grow, to experience things-many of which are going to be outside your comfort zone.  True change often happens when you least expect it. 

True change requires a commitment, not a resolution.  True change only happens when you completely embrace it.  When you do that, nothing will get in your way.

Try this: What one thing about yourself most NEEDS changing?  It's not your looks.  You're stuck with what you have.  Your clothes?  Lots of stores to help you there.  Those are superficial.

But if you want to change your life, go for it.  Lose weight.  Quit smoking.  Exercise more.  Eat better.  Call that a Resolution if you want to.  To me it's more of a decision.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas morning.  Wow!  I remember those mornings when I was a child.  I was the first one up, long before my poor parents would have liked. 

I can remember the smell of the tree and the thrill of opening gifts.  Even then, I knew how special the feeling was to see someone open up a gift that you just knew they would love.  Little did I know that my mom, in particular, would love whatever I came up with.

I'm sure that they felt the same love and delight that I did when I watched my own kids wake up and run to see what they could find under the tree.  Truth be known, I was already awake anticipating their delight.

Growing up, a lot of our family life  was entwined with our church family, especially at Christmas.  I remember the wonder of the season in that church that seems so tiny now.  There was always a choir concert.  And a nativity scene.  I remember a small bag of goodies that included an orange, an apple, and some candy. 

We all need to remember that this season is not easy for everybody.  Somebody has to die today and that means that every Christmas Day forever will remind their family of the loss. 

This is my first Christmas without my mom, who passed away in October but it really isn't even bittersweet--such is the world of dementia.  She's in a better place.  I'm certain of that.

 Christmas Day certainly makes me think about things like life, birth, growth, eternity.   Reflection is good for the soul and what better day to self-reflect than today?  (OK, I'm writing this on Wednesday but I'm in the Christmas spirit and pretending it's Christmas morning anyway which is, by the way, when you are reading this!)

The hot topic of the week has been the departure of George Quarles.  I've spent 23 years on the sideline with him and I am grateful for that time.  I will miss him.  I wish him well (except when they play Clemson). 

He's a great coach and a better man and I appreciate what he's done for this community.  I also look forward to seeing what is next for this storied program.

Speaking of tomorrow, what will tomorrow bring?  We never know.  I'm at an age where some of my friends are dying.  Since I'm writing this on a Wednesday, I know definitely what's on the schedule for tomorrow.  Right now I know that tomorrow morning I will get up and go to work and ride my bike then work some more before going home to my lovely wife.

Will it happen that way?  I don't know.  Will I be there?  I hope so.  I don't have any plans to go anywhere.

What about you?  What does tomorrow hold for you?  What do you have planned for tomorrow?  And all the tomorrows after that?

And what are the positives in your life?  What is there in your life that you really look forward to?  Go do it.

Who in your life supports you?  Who tells you that "you can do this" regularly?  Embrace them.  Believe in them.

What makes you more alive?  What inspires you?  Hang on tight to all of them.

Use this day...this wonderful, wonderful day...to start living the life that you want to live.  The life that you dream of.  The life that was intended for you.

Never More Alive

I rode my bike last Saturday.  That should be no surprise.  Except that it was 19 degrees.  And you know what...my wife didn't tell me I was crazy a single time!  (It was more like 8-10 times.)

It did soon warm up into the 20's (warmed up?) but it stayed cold most of the morning.   It really isn't as bad as it sounds.  Once you start to generate some body heat, riding a bicycle in cold weather really can be fun.

So we're riding down the road, the sun was coming out, we were in a comfortable pace, and then it hit me--I maybe had never felt more alive than I did at that moment.

Sure, there was a little discomfort but by and large I was in a really good place.  With friends.  Doing something I love.  Something about dealing with the cold made it even better.  Sort of shared misery I suppose.

I've got cares and troubles;  I am human.  But at that moment, in that place, things that might have been bothering me ceased to exist. 

Now think about those people in Gatlinburg.  Any trials and tribulations I might have are nothing compared to what most of them are going through right now.  Utter devastation is what people that have been there have described.  A way of life has been upturned.  Families and homes destroyed. 

I read a story this morning about a man who had visited one of the distribution centers in search of dog food.  That's all he wanted.  Dog food.  24 years old.  No vehicle--he walked to work in downtown Gatlinburg from a shared apartment.  His name wasn't on the lease so he might not qualify for much of the assistance becoming available.

He had found work but his paycheck wouldn't arrive until the end of the week.  And his dog was hungry.  Forget his needs.  Forget that he didn't having housing or food or clothing.  He could deal with that.  His dog was hungry. 

There were a lot of folks in the same boat.  Minimum wage workers sharing an apartment and their job and shelter are gone.  It's highly unlikely that they had much in the way of savings to help them through a crisis.

When the World Trade Centers were hit on September 11, 2002, there were questions about whether our sporting events should be played.  Some were cancelled.  Others played on, often criticized for doing so.

I think we need our sports.  We need diversions.  We need to get lost in something.  A lot of times, sports give us that. We need that place where we can go and everything is OK, even for a while.

I find myself thinking more about those Gatlinburg folks.   I'm not worried about the buildings or the trees right now.  It's cold and I'm worried about the people.  Neighbors, friends, relatives, without the life they built. 

I pray for their relief and I hope for success in building their lives again.  I am proud that my state is coming to their rescue but I know that the process will take years, even lifetimes.

And on that cold morning, on the back of a bicycle, with a little bit of a headwind and blue skies above, all was good, even when maybe when it wasn't.

Dare To Be GREAT!

I've had the good fortune to speak to a lot of groups over the last few years.  Most of the time it is physical therapy students.  Just this week, I was in Johnson City, sharing with the ETSU physical therapy class that is about to graduate.

I enjoy doing that.  A lot.  My first college degree was in education so I guess I'm still a teacher at heart.  My first career decision was to be a preacher (I was about 12) and my mom always thought I had missed that call but I don't think so.

Still, I can be quite preachy, whether it be live in front of a crowd or in this space.

I do think I have something to offer.  Part of that is likely due to the candles on the birthday cake.  Experience can be a great teacher. 

Goodness knows that it isn't because I have everything all figured out. I definitely don't.  I've made pretty much every mistake in the book (which will be the title of my parenting book, if I ever get it finished). 

My personal mantra about all that is a paraphrase of Proust and goes something like this:  Embrace those that seek the truth--beware of those that have found it.

But I obviously do have some advice to give.  Thirty years of writing this column means I must have had something to say about a lot of things.

Lately, the message that I'm shouting the loudest to those students is simple:  Aspire to greatness.

That's it.  Think about it.  Nobody aspires to mediocrity (which is the rest of that story).  When we're young and full of ideas and dreams, woe be it to the one that discourages those ideas and dreams.

I think there's a special place in purgatory for them.  Probably because of some negative experiences in my own past, I've tried my whole life (what portion of it that I've had so far) to be a positive influence on young and old alike.

With my own kids, it was always the sky is the limit.  They heard from an early age that there is nothing that you can't do. 

I've chased my share of dreams.  I wanted a job that I enjoyed; a job that allowed me to give back.  Check.  I wanted kids.  Check.  I wanted good health.  Check. 

My life has gone way beyond those dreams.  I know for a fact that every English teacher (but one) that I ever had would never have predicted that I would have a newspaper column that has been printed weekly for this long.  Guarantee it. 

And I've traveled and seen places I didn't even know existed and I've been married to the same wonderful lady for over 40 years.  And I've been a part of a lot of cool things and have some of the best friends you can ever find.

The naysayers tell us that you can't have it all.  I say "why not?"   If you want it bad enough, you will achieve it.  Oh sure, there are limits.  The 5'4" female is not going to play offensive line in the NFL.  There are realisms there.

And I'm not here to tell you that all your dreams will be fulfilled.  Life does get in the way.  Priorities change.  There are roadblocks along the way.

But chase those dreams with vigor and drive and persistence and you will build a life that is everything.

Looking Back...

High school football is officially over.  Alcoa High School won their 15th state championship in football while Greenback's stellar season fell one win short of that gold ball.

It's this time of year that all of our Athletic Trainers stop and look back on what we might have done differently.  It's the nature of the beast.  Could we have done anything to reduce the incidence of injuries?  Could we have done anything to reduce the severity of injuries?

It's not that we aren't always doing our best.  We really have to bring our "A" game every single day.  It's just that self-reflection is part of how we make sure that we are always doing all we can.

You may not know that our sports clinic (Total Rehabilitation-Cherokee) is open at 7 AM for evaluation of athletic injuries of all kinds, for all sports.  Monday through Friday.

You may also not know that Ortho Tennessee-Maryville (formerly known as Maryville Orthopedic Clinic) opens their doors early just in case we need to send an athlete up for an orthopedist to see.  That's unheard of.  I know of no other community where the orthopedists provide that service.

But what I'm sure you don't know is that to provide that athlete evaluation clinic at Cherokee every morning, we bring most of our athletic trainers in to take care of those athletes.  One of the really great things about that is the collaboration that we use to make sure that we are doing the very best job that we can.

If I'm unsure about something, I've got a bevy of colleagues to call on for help.  And if we still don't know, we can call on the doctors at Ortho Tennessee-Maryville for advice and/or evaluation.

So with all that said, what did all that retrospection reveal?

Shoulders need to be stronger.  I have forever been against using the bench press in strength training.  It's not so much that the bench press is a bad exercise, part of it is that kids just put way too much emphasis on it and end up with shoulders just looking to be injured.

Ankles need more training in changing direction.  Lots of athletes run for training.  What I'd like to see them do is work more on ballistics (look it up) and changing direction.  If their sport is on grass, then they need to train more on grass. 

Everybody needs better core strength.  Everybody.  What is the core?  Everything from your kneecaps to your armpits.  Pretty much every high school athlete we see has an inadequate core. 

Necks need to be stronger.  We know that this helps prevent concussion.  More education is needed in concussion prevention as well.  Kids need to know what happens when the head is used in play.

Weight training needs to emphasize "whole body" exercises.  Isolating muscles for development is a waste of time when considering athletic performance.  The best example is probably curls.  Isolated curls are a waste of time.

The closer to the time of injury that an athletic trainer can look at an injury, the better the outcomes will be.  This year, I had one football player that got Turf Toe and didn't tell me about it for 2 weeks.  I learned about the injury 3 days before a big game.  That's way too late.

There's no reason for that.  We are there.  We are at every high school football practice held in Blount County.  If you're in sports, you know how to find us.  Our 7 AM clinic is just part of our outreach programs.  So there's no excuse for not checking in with us.

None.