Long in the Tooth

It wasn’t that long ago when I realized that I never looked at the comics in the newspaper any more. For my entire life, that was the first thing that I turned to when I picked up the morning paper.

It wasn’t a conscious decision and didn’t come all of a sudden. It was gradual and only when one of my grandsons wanted to always see the comics in our weekly foray to work in my barn did I realize what had happened.

I’m officially old. Forget that I’ve got a birthday coming up in a month—I quit worrying about those things a long time ago. That birthday cake would look like a bonfire.

Today, it’s more of wondering what is going to hurt the most when I get out of bed in the morning. Will it be that nasty left wrist today? One or both of my shoulders? Knees, hips, ankles?

I have to watch about taking too much Vitamin-I (ibuprofen). I keep my regular visits to my primary care physician, my gastroenterologist, and my dermatologist. When needed, I don’t hesitate to head for my orthopedist or my cardiologist. But my own medical care is part of every day life.

When my biking buddy Steve Bright mentioned in the middle of a 50 mile bike ride that we were getting “a little long in the tooth,” I reached the inevitable conclusion we were both most definitely old. (If you don’t know what that means, ask an old person.)

Mind you, I don’t really mind. I consider it better than the alternative. I want to go to heaven but I don’t want to go today. (Of course that line is in a country song.)

So I do everything that I know to do to deal with aging. I eat mostly healthy. I take my meds. I’m getting more sleep than ever. I wear compression stockings most days (there’s another story in there). I exercise every day.

I laugh often, love deeply, live without regrets, and read all the time. All those things are important. I play this game called Wordscapes every day because it might help keep my mind sharp.

Let me step back just a bit. My life and my work revolve around exercise. My college degrees all focus on exercise. It is a creature that I know well. Exercise science and movement education have been a part of my professional life for over four decades now.

I’ve never really been what you call “out of shape.” It just isn’t in me. The clinic where I see patients is half rehab, half fitness center. All day, I look out across a gym with people working hard, sweating, getting stronger, getting more fit.

It would be hard to ignore that but I don’t need much motivation anyway. It is inherent to my nature to ride, hike, paddle, lift…and move.

And there’s the magic. In movement is the Fountain of Youth. Every day. No exceptions. Ride with me on a mountain bike and you’ll never guess my age.

When you wake up in the morning and it hurts, you’ve still got to get out of bed and get moving. When you can’t decide whether to take a nap or a hike, you take that hike.

I’m an avid bike rider. Riding on a gorgeous day with a group of friends is divine. But there are some days when I just don’t feel like it. I get out there anyway.

Sometimes that first step is the hardest. Not just the big first step to start exercising but that first step to get up off the couch and do what you know you should do. Every day.

Maybe I wake up on Saturday morning and am just not feeling my regular Saturday ride. Doesn’t matter. Once I get rolling and feel the wind, the joy of the open road, I know I made the right decision.

Movement. It’s what sustains you. It’s what keeps you young.

And, by the way, I’ve gone back to looking at the comics first.

Teach them the Love of the Game

Only the most vile of parents doesn’t want better for their children than they had it. That’s especially true for sports.  Any responsible parent wants their child to be as good or better than they were.

That’s pretty much a given. I’m not talking about living vicariously through your children. That happens a lot. But that may be because you want your child to have opportunities that you didn’t have.

I’ve seen some really great athletes that never played a sport but were accomplished athletes as adults—adults that maybe didn’t have opportunities when they were growing up. Often called “late bloomers,” it really has more to do with the fact that maybe they didn’t have someone to take them to Little League practice. Or to gymnastics. There wasn’t somebody around to teach them how to shoot a free throw or run a race. Or kick a ball.

Maybe mom and dad worked all the time and didn’t have time to teach their child how to swim or ride a bike. Too busy trying to make ends meet. Maybe they couldn’t afford private coaches and personal trainers.

There are lots of reasons that aren’t excuses at all. It just is what it is.

I’ve often heard it said that if you want to be a standout athlete, that you should pick your parents well.

Don’t misunderstand me:  A young athlete can be much more athletic than their parents. They can become a much more accomplished athlete than their parents. It can be done.

It’s hard to overcome that gene pool but through early movement education (think learning how to run, throw, and kick), lots of opportunities to play sports and games, and participating in a variety of things, anyone can become better as an athlete.

I played football but I was never even remotely as good as my son was. I played a little volleyball but my daughter was way better than I ever could have been. The parent that has a problem with that is the parent that I talked about in my first sentence.

So, what is the number one way to guarantee your child’s sports success? Teach them how to love the game.

Let them learn the joy of movement. And success. That doesn’t mean that you make sure that they are on the right team, a team of all-stars that plays every weekend and wins every game. It doesn’t mean that they have the “right” pitching coach or that they focus on one sport.

Goodness knows that last one is a mistake. Up until high school, kids should play everything that interests them. No, they’re not going to become the next four sport superstar but sports specialization has been clearly demonstrated to not work.

The kid that loves a game is going to be better. And if they stay with it, they’re going to be good.

You may recall me telling about a grandchild that is learning tennis. He’s struggled to find his “thing” but he has fallen in love with tennis. I’m there to help gently guide him in these early days but he will quickly exceed my ability to teach him the game.

Maybe he’s a “natural,” maybe he’s not. But if that love persists, he will be a good one.

I’ll say it one last time—the best thing you can give your child is love. Love of a game. Love of life. Love for each other.

Local Hero

I was recently assisting with an accident that I came up on.  My training as an Athletic Trainer provides me with a skillset for handling emergency situations.  I have received additional training as a Sports Physical Therapist that does the same.

Fortunately, on our playing fields and courts, we rarely encounter medical emergencies. But we still must be prepared for them when they happen. Those same skills can be applied to other medical emergencies.

That’s where I happened to find myself recently. Most of the time, the job is clear. Check for airway and bleeding, stabilize the site and the injured, call for emergency transport.  At that point, staying calm and not moving the injured is essential, unless it is unsafe for them to remain where they are.

A few weeks ago, I talked about a local fellow, Kenny Wiggins, that is an unsung hero, a local star.  I found another such person during all this.

A quiet professional, someone that knows his job, someone that you probably don’t know. But part of the fabric of this community that makes this a great place to live.

When the ambulances arrived at the accident, I looked up and saw David Blanton, a para-medic with AMR.  This isn’t the first time that I have been attending someone injured when David arrived.

On each occasion, I remember thinking “oh good, David is here.” I know that David will provide the very best in emergency care.

Calm, steady, and highly trained, David first asks me for my assessment of the situation then immediately goes into action. Our Athletic Trainers work often with the local EMT’s and para-medics so the hand-off is seamless. 

Once those EMT’s and para-medics arrive, it is their show.  They are the ones most prepared to deal with it from that point on.

And David is the best of the best. Originally from Pell City, Alabama, David has been a Blount Countian since 1999 and a Para-Medic since 1986.

We have had outstanding emergency medical services in this county for decades. It all started with Ray Everett and his company called Maryville-Alcoa Emergency Medical Services.

Think about this for a moment—these are the people most likely to be in a position to save your life. Well trained and dedicated to service, EMT’s and para-medics may also be the most underpaid health care professionals out there.

The hours are brutal, the work conditions can be difficult. It doesn’t matter what the weather is like, if the call goes out, they are there.  It tends to be a young person’s profession. Attrition is high.

The local EMT academy has helped. People that enter into this world do it for the love of the work and with a servant’s heart.

And think about this before you criticize any of the providers—when the ambulance shows up, they don’t stop and ask if you have health insurance. They don’t stop and ask about your ability to pay for those services. They don’t care if you’re a king or a pauper. They are there to take care of you. All of you.

I happen to believe that you get their very best effort every single time.  I believe that is both the nature of their work (dealing with medical emergencies) and the people attracted to the work.

And if I’m ever in need of emergency transport, I hope that I look up and see David Blanton.

BACKPACKS

I go off on this rant about once a year. It all started when one of my student trainers walked in with a backpack that looked as big as she did.

The next day, I brought in a set of scales and weighed her backpack. It weighed 26 pounds. This high school junior (it’s been several years ago) weighed 96 pounds. So that backpack was over 25% of her body weight!

And she carried it around all day. Hunched forward, leaning into it like leaning into a fierce wind. It’s not one school or another…it’s pretty much all of them.

Since then, I’ve made it a point to be vocal about that problem. It’s partly professional and partly personal. After all, I have 7 grandchildren, all of which may be in the same predicament.

At the same time, I’ve seen too many teenagers with back and neck pain that can be attributed to that backpack.

So what’s the real problem?  For a long time I have blamed huge textbooks. That’s still part of the problem but with the move to compute-based learning, it’s less of a problem.

I asked several students to share the contents of their too heavy backpacks. What I found was surprising. Food—full meals actually, not just snacks. Gym clothes. Spare clothes. Phones. Chargers. Batteries. Tons of personal items. And on and on.

In asking around, I also found out that kids don’t use their lockers anymore. In my random survey of a dozen teenagers, only 2 used their locker.

Why? It’s not cool. I can remember when kids would decorate their locker, applying a personal touch to what they saw as a personal space. Not so anymore. Apparently backpacks are cool and lockers are not.

It’s not convenient. Schools are generally bigger these days, especially around here, so it’s hard to visit your locker between classes. You only have so much time between classes and it’s perfectly normal to prefer chatting with your friends than making the hike to your locker which may be a good distance away.

And goodness knows you don’t want to be late to class nor do you want to be running through the halls to get to your locker and back. That will get you into trouble in a hurry.

It’s just easier to carry everything with you. So lockers have become a thing of the past. Your backpack is your locker these days.

We are beginning to see the end of textbooks. That will help. I still study but haven’t owned or referred to a textbook in decades. My information is in my laptop.

What can we do to encourage locker use? I don’t know the answer to that one. The logistics of making sure everyone’s locker is close to their classes make it impossible.

Students, think about what you are doing to your neck and back by trying to carry so much stuff around all day. Plan better. Pack smarter.

Parents, take an interest in what your child is carrying every day. A little guidance there goes a long way.

Covid and Sports

You just thought that this Covid thing was gone. The most skeptical of us didn’t think that a year later we would still be fighting this thing. I heard a report yesterday that more people had died the day before than the worst day in September. I’m not sure how accurate that is but clearly, Covid is still with us.

It’s wreaking havoc on March Madness. College basketball’s crown event is not nearly the event it has always been. Teams that maybe should have made the tournament didn’t. UT’s inconsistency can, in part, be attributed to the pandemic.

Now they’re in the national championship tournament. And it is anything but business as usual. For one thing, the teams are totally isolated. Can you imagine being cooped up in a hotel room in Indianapolis and the only time you can come out is for practice and games? That’s a nightmare for a college kid.

Already one set of officials have been sent home after one tested positive. It would come as a surprise to no one if one or more teams in the tournament suffered an end to their season for the same reason.

There is no doubt that Covid has had a huge impact on the college basketball regular season as well. Baylor was dominating everyone until not one but two pauses in their season because of Covid. Sometimes it’s the lucky teams that advance.

The high school spring sports season is off to a tenuous start. No one knows what will happen. The abrupt end to last year’s spring sports season is an all too fresh memory.

One of Mark Eldridge’s best teams was denied the opportunity to contend for a state championship.  Same thing for Jeff Sherman’s Heritage softball team. It took great effort to maintain any consistency during the high school basketball seasons. You never knew who was going to be available on any given night.

Baseball and softball teams are already behind because their seasons and summer leagues were both cancelled last year. All the while, teams are working hard to stay safe and Covid-free.

Youth leagues were impacted as well. I haven’t seen any of my grandchildren play sports in quite some time. Parents and siblings could attend games but grandparents could not (until more recently).

Sports as we know them have been changed. Yet, we have this burning desire to return to some sense of normalcy in our sports. That’s why you see conflicts all around the country about Covid safeguards.

Should we open up our games and events? I struggle with that one. I believe that our kids need sports. I believe that with all my heart. But open up without restrictions or precautions? No, not at all.

Are we going to get through this pandemic only to face another? There is a very real possibility of that. So why not just go ahead and open everything up now? Certainly, there is some assumed risk with walking out your front door.

That’s all well and good until it is one of your own family members that becomes infected. Then the game is changed.

We need to do everything we can to defeat Covid today. And then dedicate ourselves to better health practices and to continued research on the best ways to treat this and any other pandemic that comes along.

That means that wear your mask, wash your hands, keep your hands away from your face, and go home if you feel sick.

It means that being physically fit, eating well, and practicing good health habits are more important than ever, because we know that the healthier you are, the more likely you are to beat this and other diseases.

It means that you should get vaccinated. As soon as the vaccination became available, I was there. You should do the same. We need a team effort to defeat this thing.

What did you learn?

When you worked at something really, really hard but didn’t make it, what did you learn? When you worked and worked and didn’t win the game, what did you take away from it?

For pretty much every sport that’s out there, your last game is most likely a loss. At the end of the football season, only one team ends the season with a win—the state champion.  Basketball, definitely the same way.

And everyone works hard. I don’t know any team that doesn’t put in the effort. Sure, some put more effort into it than others, but everybody works hard.

I can remember one time several years ago when a football coach dropped by football practice at Maryville High School.  That’s not unusual, particularly late in the season and especially when the playoffs have started.

One of my unknown jobs is to check out any visitors. Don’t get me wrong, MHS practices are generally open and visiting coaches are welcomed with open arms.

But you don’t really want a scout from this week’s opponent getting too close to practice.  So, I always introduce myself and subtly find out who they are and why they’re there. It’s a pleasant part of the job. I get to meet all kinds of new people.

On this particular occasion, the coach was from a school not too far away.  His question was a common one: “What sets Maryville apart?”

I’ve gotten that same question for years.  The answer is elusive and I’m not going to go into that right now. I get the same question about Alcoa football.

But this coach asked a question that I found a bit odd.  He asked “how many of your kids do you get in summer workouts?” Hmmmm. Uh, all of them.

His program was good but not great. I asked him the same question. “About half.” Really? Only about half? If you don’t participate in summer workouts around here, you aren’t on the team.

But that’s only about half the point. In the face of a season that will quite possibly end in a loss, what is all the effort worth? The winter workouts, the hot summers, the long preseason. Is it worth it?

Let me jump to one conclusion really quickly—ABSOLUTELY YES. 

The opportunity to compete, to test yourself against a worthy opponent.  The thrill of victory. The joy of being a part of a team. Being able to express yourself physically. 

All those things and more make sports important, even essential. But the most important part of sports participation may be the lessons learned.

As Douglas MacArthur once said, “on the fields of friendly strife are sown the seeds that on other days, on other fields will bear the fruits of victory.”

So, you must ask yourself, What did I learn? What do I take away from my sports participation? What will I do with it?

I’ve heard a number of coaches make the statement “don’t let this be the best thing you ever do.” What did those lessons teach you? And what are you going to do with what you learned?

My Why

 What are you looking for when you stop at this space?  News about the sports world? Advice for injuries? Ideas for how to be healthier? Or happier?

I really don’t know exactly when I started writing this column. It was about 1986, when Gary Turner was the Sports Editor. That’s 35 years. I really never thought about much beyond the next column back then. Still don’t.

At first, it was called The Jock Doc. That was Gary’s idea. Somewhere along the way, columns quit having catchy names like that. I can’t say I was disappointed. I caught some grief for that title.

In the early days, it was almost always about injuries. Then I discovered I couldn’t write about sprained ankles, concussions, and dealing with the heat but so many times before I started repeating myself. That’s not to say I haven’t repeated myself. I’m sure I have.

At an average of about 800 words each, times 52 weeks a year, times 35 years…that’s almost a million and a half words. Every English teacher I ever had just rolled over in their grave.

Somewhere along the way, I branched out into a lot of other issues. I’ve avoided politics and religion but if you read between the lines, you’ve probably noticed something about both of those from time to time.

So, why have you made it this far?

Ok, let’s talk about my why. I’m a teacher at heart. My first college degree was in education. I believe an important part of my job as a physical therapist and athletic trainer is to teach.

I teach my patients how to deal with their orthopedic issues.  I teach them how to move. I teach them exercise and activities that they can do.

I’m probably a preacher at heart. Once upon a time, I thought I might want to be a preacher. I believe I was 12 and involved with Youth Day at my church. My Mom was thrilled at that prospect. That didn’t work out.

I’ve been accused of preaching in this space. OK. Probably. I’ve tried to preach without being preachy. My sermon is about how to be healthier. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and, maybe as a by-product, spiritually.

I probably should have been a cheerleader. Goodness knows that I’ve been accused of that by my words in this space. It’s just that I’ve never wanted to be negative about things. About life. I’ve always wanted to be a positive influence in everything I do.

That’s why I would never tell a kid what they can’t do with their life. I believe in dreaming big and then chasing those dreams.

That’s why I like to keep it real. That’s why my diet advice is tempered by the fact that food should be one of life’s delights. That a good cheeseburger with Benton’s bacon is meant to be enjoyed from time to time. Or that anything with cream cheese on it is worthy.

I will never understand smoking and I always try to offer effective tools for dealing with obesity but I will never hate based on those things.

My why?  To share what I’ve learned about sports and life and living. To inspire, encourage, and create reflection. To help you live a happier and more active life. To admit to the mistakes I’ve made and to point out the heroes among us.

That’s all.