People I want to be around

I want to be around people that are always trying to get better. Those people that are trying to get more informed (better educated). Those people that are trying to be better people. Those people that are trying to get better at whatever they do.

I want to be around people that are always looking to know more, be more…who move with and embrace change. The cliché says if you are standing still, you are getting behind. It’s true. Everything is changing. Technology. Families. How we prepare to pursue our sports. Health care. Nutrition. Access to Information.

Remember when cell phones first came out? I do. My first one was that brick looking thing. I couldn’t believe I could make a call without being physically connected to a land line. When I was a kid, there was this Dick Tracy cartoon. Dick Tracy had this watch looking thing that he could talk to and communicate with others. I never thought I’d see that day.

With the technology of today, our lives are so much more convenient. You can gripe about your cell phone and that you can’t escape but I don’t see it that way. I see it as a convenience—I can make or take a call when I want to. And if you’ve ever been worried about a family member, being able to connect with them on their cell phone is a true angst-reliever. And don’t gripe too much about technology or somebody will come and take your microwave away.

Technology is moving forward so fast that if you so much as pause to take a breath, you’ll be behind. Instant access to the last football play on the sidelines? It wasn’t too long ago that we had crude photographs of the last play being hand carried to the sideline. (Truth be known, I remember chalk boards on the sideline.) Now you have iPads that break the last play down in slow motion immediately after the play is over.

Who would have thought that CD’s would be a short lived source of music? I thought cassette tapes would be around forever. Now you can download all the music you want, keep it in your phone, and play what you want, when you want it. Amazing.

Families are always changing. Growing. Moving. Family dynamics changing. There comes a time when parents become the dependent and children the parents. And your kids won’t stay babies forever. As the old saying goes, if you blink your eyes, they’ll be grown. As a parent, change is constant. As a kid, change is inevitable.

Training for your sport is always changing. I can remember when Pete Rose was criticized for lifting weights during the baseball season. These days, if you aren’t participating in strength training, you’re getting behind.

I remember the days when people would go to the gym to lift weights and stay for hours. We now know that the fastest and most efficient way to get stronger and more fit is to do High Intensity Interval Training. No longer are hours upon end necessary to get better.

Health care, particularly in sports medicine, is constantly changing. Better diagnostics. Better surgery. Better rehab. We are getting people healthy with effective, efficient interventions, returning them to a full life—a life without limitations.

Nutrition. Oh my…nutrition. We still haven’t reached that point where bacon is considered good for you (a personal dietary dream of mine) but we are a lot smarter about what it takes to eat healthier. We know there are good fats and bad fats. We know that white sugar and white flour are twin evils. We know that no one diet fits all.

We have better information at our disposal these days. The internet keeps us better informed. Don’t know how to do something? Look it up. Don’t believe what the talking heads are saying? Do your research. Learn to get facts. In a world filled with bias, prejudice, lies, and innuendo, learn to think for yourself. Seek out reliable sources of information.

As Bob Dylan said, “oh the times, they are a’changin’.” Don’t be left behind.

The Eagle Award

I missed John Wilson Huffman’s Eagle ceremony yesterday afternoon. I had a previous commitment. I would really like to have been there. John Wilson is one of my favorite kids.

The Eagle award is Boy Scout’s highest award. It comes only after years of dedication and commitment and requires the recipient to have demonstrated leadership and the many tenets of the Boy Scout Oath and the Boy Scout Law. Trustworthy Loyal Helpful. Friendly Courteous Kind. Obedient Cheerful Thrifty. Brave Clean Reverent.

John Wilson’s father is an Eagle Scout. So is an uncle and a cousin. It’s not unusual to see multiple generations of Eagles. I am an Eagle Scout too. It is something that no one can ever take away from you.

I was a green 13 year old kid when the Scoutmaster decided that he was going to make me a Patrol Leader. Boy Scout troops are broken down into smaller groups called patrols. Mine was the Owl Patrol and was populated partly with kids that might be kindly considered misfits.

I was never the smartest, most athletic, natural leader that some were. I was sort of from the wrong side of the tracks. I certainly didn’t have any experience at all in being any kind of a leader. That Scoutmaster was taking a big chance on me.

My Patrol didn’t have a lot of experience in Scouting. I guess they were sort of like an expansion team. What I do recall is that the Owl Patrol pulled together, formed a strong team, and won a major competition at the next Jamboree, a big meeting of several Boy Scout Troops.

Most of the leadership skills that I might have as adult came from the foundation in leadership that I received in Boy Scouts. Everything from building a team to working outside my comfort zone to doing things that I had no idea I could do—all contributed to helping me be the man that I am today.

And any success that I’ve had as an adult is in due to no small part my time as a Boy Scout. So when John Wilson began telling me that he was nearing completion of his Eagle quest, I began encouraging him to finish it up.

Let me tell you a little about John. He came out for the football team at Maryville High last year as a kicker. Most of his sports background had been soccer. Playing behind a couple of kickers that had been doing it for quite a while, John Wilson was not going to get many opportunities.  So he asked for some time at defensive back.

I spend a lot of time with our kickers at practice. They can’t kick the whole time so they get to finish early most days. One of my jobs is to run the kickers through conditioning drills, go over any announcements that might be later shared with the whole team, and send them on their way.

If you were to meet John Wilson, you would immediately like him. With a smile as big as you will find, he will come up and start talking to you at the first opportunity. He got the chance to play cornerback in a couple of JV games. Being on the field, I captured his play on video and sent it to his parents in the stands.

John Wilson will not likely make his living playing professional sports. He isn’t likely to go to college on an athletic scholarship. But he will go to college and he will be successful. I know that just as sure as I know my own name.

He is following in the path of thousands of men that have gotten the Eagle award and then became famous. Men like Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Our own Lamar Alexander. Director Steven Spielberg. J Willard Marriott, CEO of the Marriott Corporation. Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.

Congratulations, John Wilson. Now go change the world.

Being a Great Teammate

I have to admit something. I do look at social media from time to time. Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Not enough to be a problem (I don’t think) but still daily.

There’s some interesting stuff on there. Some funny stuff. Some ridiculous stuff. I try and stay out of the political items and even find some of the religious stuff inappropriate. But there are still a lot of things to be learned from some of the information you find on there. I’ve even stolen (borrowed) material from there before.

I also collect memes from the internet. You know, the things that have a photo and a catchy or funny phrase with them. I keep them in my phone and send them out to friends and colleagues at appropriate (or inappropriate) times.

Anyway, all that leads me up to some of the best things I’ve seen on social media. From that, I’ve compiled a list of things that you need to do to be a great teammate. These came from multiple lists, they’re my own compilation of the ideas of others.

Lead by example. It is definitely a cliché but it’s true. Don’t ask more of a teammate than you are willing to do yourself. Be the hardest worker on the team. Be the one to encourage a teammate when they’re down.

Sacrifice your ego.  When it stops mattering what you accomplish and only what your team accomplishes, you will have arrived at the status of Great Teammate. Your ego should drive you to work harder, not be satisfied.

Show respect. Always.  To coaches, to officials, to teammates. If you want respect, give it abundantly.

Be dependable.  Part of this is knowing your job. When your teammates know that they can depend on you, that you are reliable, then your value to them and to your team is secure.

Show that it matters to you. Failure to do so is contagious. This is also part of what it means to be a leader. You might be the last person on the bench but if it is clear that the game matters to you, then even the best players on the team have to notice. And in doing so, you will elevate their game and the team’s performance.

Be humble but hungry. You might be that best player on the team but if you truly are that person, you won’t need to tell anybody. And if you are hungry to get better, that’s also contagious.

Make those around you better your priority. The best teammate makes everyone around them better. Lebron James, the greatest player in the game today, cannot win an NBA championship by himself.  Sure, he can put the team on his shoulders and lead them to championships, but he can’t do it alone. In Cleveland, he took players that were by NBA standards pretty average and made them better. That’s the mark of greatness.

Be the first to arrive and the last to leave. The same thing I said before--be the hardest working player on the team.

Arrive with a good attitude every day. Love practice. Bad weather?  Doesn’t matter. Having a bad day? Use practice as relief from what is troubling you. You get to play a game that you love, for goodness sake! And it’s more fun to win and you’ve got to practice to win, and, and, and. What’s not to love?

Be coachable. Your coach’s job is to help you be better, to be the best you can be. Listen to them. They want to win just as much as you do. Maybe more.

My favorite quote about being a great teammate comes from Robyn Benincasa, world champion adventure racer.  She said “you don’t inspire your teammates by showing them how amazing you are—you inspire them by showing them how amazing they are.”

DEDICATION

You might know that I head into work really early. I’m not going to say how early because it would either sound like bragging or whining. Let’s just say that it is REALLY early.

I love to get to the office, set up my computer, make coffee, and get my day started early. Sleep is not one of my vices (although I am trying to get more sleep here lately) so it’s not really much of a problem for me to get up early.

On my way in to work one recent morning, I saw four people running up by the Maryville Municipal Building. It was quite dark and REALLY cold. And remember that it was also REALLY early. One of these runners had a headlamp on and all were wearing reflective gear.

It really isn’t that unusual for me to see runners out in the dark as I head in. I often see a group of ladies running along 321 in the area of the Maryville College pedestrian bridge and First Baptist Church of Maryville. I know that there is at least one group that meets at the amphitheater to run the Greenbelt in the early morning.

I’m not a runner. Never have been. Oh, I used to run for exercise but my body was never made for it. I would run because it was convenient. These days, if you see me running, you better run too because something big and mean is chasing me.

But I have great admiration for these intrepid runners. Their dedication is immense. Even though it was never my thing, I know that a lot of runners really enjoy a long run, even in rotten weather. I do understand that there is a certain freedom just taking off and running, needing nothing but your own body and a decent pair of shoes.

That’s one of the glories of running. It doesn’t take much. You don’t have to buy equipment to run. You don’t have to reserve a court or find others for a pickup game. No rackets. You don’t need a pool or a boat. You can walk out the front door of your house and get in a run.

There are some great places around here to run. The Greenbelt is perfect. A lot of people are into trail running. Lots of places to do that too. But often your own neighborhood is hard to beat.

Let’s talk about your shoes. One piece of advice—don’t scrimp on the shoes. Buy good shoes. Go someplace where they know their product. A teenager working at a part-time job is not your best source for shoe advice. Do your research. Maybe get someone that treats sports injuries to look at your feet to tell you what type of shoes you need.

How do you get started? Well, hopefully you learned how to run a long time ago. Unless you are competing, you don’t need a coach. You just run. If it’s been a really long time since you last ran, you definitely should take it slow. Maybe even walk to start with.

If it has been a really long time since you have done any kind of exercise, or if you have any kind of medical risk, you should consult with your Primary Care Physician first. Get their advice.

The track is a good place to start. You’re never much more than half a lap from your vehicle. And it’s flat. Sometimes it helps to have an even surface where you don’t have to worry about curbs or cracks in the sidewalk.

You’re obviously not going to be on the road, but you still need to be seen when you are running and it is dark. Most clothing made for running has reflective strips which help you be seen. Flashing lights are good too. Take your phone with you. It can be helpful if you are injured. There are phone apps that offer a “panic alarm.”

Whatever you do, don’t over-do. Don’t go too far. Don’t climb too many hills until you get accustomed to them. The “too’s” are what will get you. Build up gradually and stay with it. Persistence is the key.

Why do they hate us?

A week ago today, a local fellow was riding a bicycle along a country road in south Blount County. It was a gorgeous afternoon and perfect for outdoor activity. Riding alone, he was staying to the right border of a road and not impeding traffic.

What happened next was dangerous and illegal. A truck drove by and a passenger in that truck shot this fellow with a paintball gun. Now this might not seem so bad, people shoot each other in paintball venues regularly. But those people are expecting it. If you are riding along on a bicycle, minding your own business, and somebody shoots you with a paintball gun, it can startle you enough to make you wreck.

This rider only ended up with a nasty welt but if he had gone down while traveling at 20+ miles per hour, it could have been nasty. My question is this:  Why do people hate us so much? What do you have against us?

Oh, I’ve heard all the excuses why bicycles shouldn’t be allowed on the roads. We don’t pay taxes on them. The roads are built for motorized vehicles. It doesn’t take a license to ride a bicycle. That we hold up traffic. Some of the other excuses are so lame that they don’t even need to be mentioned.

Don’t pay taxes? I had to pay sales tax when I bought my truck but if there is another, an annual tax, I’m seriously in arrears. I paid sales tax on my bicycle when it was purchased, just like I did on my truck. Same percentage. Don’t get me started on all the taxes I pay. I pay my share.

The roads are built for motorized vehicles? What about transfer trucks? They sure are hard on our roads. What about motorcycles? What about those that don’t have a car but still need to get to work?

No license required to ride a bicycle? Well, you’ve got me there. If a license is required, I’ll get one. But what about my grandchildren that love to ride? And we slow you down? We might cost you 30 seconds on your way to wherever you’re going. Are you really in that big of a hurry?

I don’t ride alone very often. It’s too scary out there. Most of my rides are group rides. There’s some safety in numbers. We’re easier to see if there are several of us. And there are witnesses. But even groups aren’t immune.

I was riding with my wife near our home once. A guy in an SUV passed us well within the 3 feet that is the law (you’ve got to give a bicycle 3 feet of clearance). I motioned for him to come back and chat, which he did. I calmly told him that we were people too, just out for some exercise. He knew me but when I asked his name, he told me…well…I can’t repeat that. He showered us with gravel as he spun out.

The next day, now sober, he called me at my office to apologize. Through tears, he told me that I had never done anything to deserve that treatment. That’s the good side. The bad side is that my wife never rode a bike again.

In an obvious attempt to scare us, drivers will drive too close on a too regular basis. We call it getting “buzzed.” Almost every rider out there has a story about something being thrown at them while they ride along. Wrenches. Beer cans. Spit cups. I’ve heard it all.

A regular occurrence is a one-finger salute. We get that all the time. One time an old guy just passed by a group of us stopped on the side of the road. It was someone I knew. As he passed slowly by, extending the middle finger salute, I said “Oh hi, Clarence. How are you doing?” Maybe we were anonymous up until that point.

But we’re not anonymous. We are people just like you. We’re your neighbors, your coworkers, your friends.  We’re your fathers, mothers, grandparents, sons, and daughters. We are just out there trying to enjoy our beautiful area just like you are when you drive the new Foothills Parkway or the Cherohala Skyway. We just move a little slower but don’t burn so much gas in doing so.

So tell me, please, why do people hate us? No, really. My email address is at the end of this column. I want to know.

(joeblackdpt@gmail.com)

I Believe...

I’m going to be all over the place today. Bear with me.

I believe that we all have a soul, that sports provide great life lessons, that a person with friends is blessed, that we need to eat the cake, and that Benton’s bacon is a gift from heaven.

I believe that the ’69 Mets were a miracle, that the ’55 Chevy was the first great vehicle, that sushi proves that we need to be open-minded about what we eat, and that Blount County is the greatest place to live in the world.

I don’t believe that curiosity kills the cat. I believe that curiosity keeps us young. I believe that you should never deter a child from asking questions. Same for adults. If you’re curious, you keep learning. And in these days and times, if you aren’t still learning, you’re getting behind

I believe that you can teach an old dog new tricks. I’m still learning new tricks and I’m definitely an old dog. I keep getting asked when I’m going to retire. Who said that we all need to retire at 65? I guess if you don’t keep learning new tricks you should give it up.

I believe we all need to travel. We need to see how other people live and, hopefully, what makes them tick. When I travel, I want to get out and meet local people.

I’m convinced that we all need to be in the minority at some time in our lives. This became crystal clear a couple of weeks ago when a young friend, who is herself an immigrant from Africa, was thrilled to be watching a basketball game in which two of the players had also moved here from Africa. She was so happy for the chance to be around people that looked like her, who grew up like she grew up, who understood where she came from.

Mrs. Geraldine Upton taught me years ago about the problems of always being in a minority. If you want to truly learn what that is like, you need to put yourself in that situation. Maybe it’s simply going somewhere where they don’t speak your language.

I believe that if you always stay within your comfort zone, you will fail to grow as a person. You don’t have to go crazy but you need to try new things.

I don’t believe in regrets. In the first place, don’t do anything that you know you will regret later. But we all make mistakes (goodness knows I’ve made my share) and if your intentions were good, then you should never regret that.

I mostly believe that hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. Now if Randall Cobb doesn’t train for 10 years, he will still beat me at pretty much anything I might spend that decade training for. Such are the benefits of extraordinary talent. But if it’s close, hard work wins out.

I believe that opposites attract, that laughter is the best medicine or, if it’s not, then it makes whatever ails you go down easier, and I believe that if life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

The How

Recently someone asked me not “how” I write this column every week, but “why.”  I get the “how” question all the time. Especially if they learn that I’ve been writing it for over 33 years. Thirty-three years! That boggles my mind. 52 weeks a year, although in the early years, it came out only a couple of times a month. Somebody calculated what that means in numbers and came up with over a million words. (No English teacher I ever had thought I had that in me.)

 The answer to the “how” is usually that I just sit down and write what is in my head (or on my heart).

But the answer to the “why” is not so automatic. I guess I’m a teacher at heart. My first college degree was in education but I was really wanting to go into physical therapy and needed a good undergraduate vehicle. A lot about physical education made sense to me. Anatomy. Kinesiology. Physiology of Exercise. All that was a good background for physical therapy school. So this space is likely that underlying teacher in me.

At one point in my life, I thought I wanted to be a preacher. Even made that known publicly. Nothing would have thrilled my mother more. Alas, that was just not where I was supposed to go. But goodness knows I sure get preachy in this space. Maybe we all find our ministry in different places.

One thing that my upbringing gave me was an overwhelming desire to make a difference in the world. I’m not sure where that came from, probably a combination of things.  Probably Boy Scouts. My church for sure. I talked about a lot of those things a couple of weeks ago.

In thinking about the “why,” I realize that a lot of it is my firm belief that sports are important. I am a prime example of how sports provide incredible life lessons. I am the beneficiary of those lessons. It has given me the career that I have and helped make me the man that I am.

Part of my “why” is that I want sports to be good for every kid out there. And I want sports to be safe for them. When I write about coaches and parents, my focus is really on providing what is best for the kids.

There are those that will say that sports are inherently dangerous and something to be avoided. That injuries accumulate and then come back to haunt you when you’re older. Not on my watch.

The decisions that I make on the field, on the court, or in the clinic always reflect the long haul. In other words, I will not let a young athlete do anything that will adversely affect their health in years to come. It’s always been that way. I never wanted to look at a 40-something with health issues that I could have done something about.

I’m not going to be around (professionally, anyway) to see today’s athletes in their 40’s but that responsibility to them is still just as strong.

So when parents ask the question “should I allow my child to play,” I answer with an emphatic “yes.” First, if we don’t learn to be active as children, we are unlikely to be active as adults. And sports are our best vehicle for developing active children. The alternative is a sedentary lifestyle and the heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and early death that often accompany that.

Secondly, the lessons learned in sports can help us in our jobs, in our role as parents, in our community. Sports teach us how to be a good teammate, which translates to being a good co-worker. Sports teach us the value of hard work. Sports teach us how to be coached. Sports teach us that it is important to be a part of something bigger than ourselves.