Safe Zones

Safe zones. We all need them. But what are they?

Northwestern University was just penalized because of hazing incidents on their football team.  It happens. It’s been happening for decades. It happens everywhere.

But is it acceptable? Heavens no. I want to make that clear before we go any further.

A lot of organizations, teams, fraternities, even some adult organizations, have some kind of initiation for new members. Sometimes it is something as simple as memorizing their mission statement or something like that.

Sometimes it has a physical element such as being whacked by a paddle, which you then proudly hang on your wall.  It can be a lot of things, maybe just something that is embarrassing.

Rookies in the NFL are known for having to sing their school’s fight song in front of the whole team. Some of those are on social media and are quite hilarious.

The idea is to have you do something that you wouldn’t do otherwise. Something outside of your comfort zone. The intent is to give you a sense of belonging, that somehow going through the same initiation builds a team. Builds a sense of belonging.

I’ve talked a number of times about a trait that I believe is innate to the human existence. I believe that people want to be a part of something bigger than themselves.

Sports teams can be that. The team is stronger than the individual. We are better together. And if there are initiation rites, it can make bonding as a team better.

But when an initiation requires you to do something that is more than simply embarrassing, it could be too much. If it is of a physical nature, there should be boundaries. If it involves alcohol, it’s a bad idea. And if it is of a sexual nature, it should be forbidden.

When it stoops to the level of hazing, it is just wrong. And no one should have to go through something like that to be a part of any group.

Some of the stories about hazing are downright scary. Some are just stupid. I remember a fraternity pledge several years ago that was doing “beer chugging.” Like most of America, we had to be told what that was.

Teams and locker rooms should be a safe zone. They should be a place where you are safe to be yourself, to express an opinion and not be judged, and know that you won’t be harmed. I know that among my favorite places are coaches’ offices. Friendly banter abounds but those coaches always have your back.

A workplace should be the same. A place where you feel safe. A safe place to speak as well as a safe place to listen.

I tell the story about this imaginary coat rack at the front door of your work. When you get to work, you hang an imaginary coat representing all your home stress (and we all have it) on that coat rack and put on your imaginary work jacket.  Then, at the end of the day, you take your work jacket off and hang it on the coat rack while picking up your home jacket.

That separates the stress you have at home from the stress you have at work. That load is a lot easier to carry all day. And you might find that at the end of the day, that other jacket is a bit lighter.

Being a part of a team can do the same thing. A place where you separate. A place where you can grow, prosper, and feel safe. A place where you shouldn’t have to do something very wrong to gain entry.

Four Tales

 This will be four tales in one.  The first one is about me, so let’s get that out of the way.

Lots of people have asked how I’m doing after my little bike wreck. It’s been a couple of weeks now since I had broken ribs, a collapsed lung, chest tube, and hospitalization. Although I’m not quite up to speed yet, I’m a fully functioning adult individual. 

I will be back on the bicycle (soon) but because of the scare that I gave my poor wife, I am being a good patient and not pushing my return as hard as I might. The head says stay off the bike until my lung and ribs are healed up. The heart says climb back on that horse and ride.

My second story is similar in that it is all about the decision to return to sport.  I talked recently with a parent of an athlete about concussions.  Her son has had a series of concussions and, as a family, is considering giving up sports.

To me, abandoning sports altogether is a mistake. However, at this point, with several concussions under his belt, continuing to participate in contact sports is not wise. He’s too young. But sports participation (as I’ve said many, many times) can be a huge part of a young person’s development. The key then becomes to find a sport that is safer.

The third story is about a young athlete that has possibly torn her ACL (MRI results are pending—we may know by now). She has done everything right up to this point. Focusing on strength training and skills acquisition and not just throwing a ball out and start playing. 

But in a game, she got bumped and probably landed awkwardly.  And, just like that, she has an injury that athletes everywhere fear.

What could she have done? Well, that ties me in to my fourth and final story of the day. There is a young friend of mine who is a physical therapist in Austria, working for Red Bull. Before that, she spent three years with the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, where her primary focus was on preventing ACL injuries.

Part of her training was a Ph.D. in Biomechanics from the University of Delaware, where her studies focused on ACL prevention. It’s fair to say that she is one of the leading authorities on the subject.

But on June 17, 2021, she tore her own ACL playing Australian Rules Football.  Her first reaction was “how can this happen to me?”  She then started self-analyzing and came up with answers that can help us all.

We know that ACL injuries are much more frequent in females than in males. Part of this may be hormonal but a bigger part can be how we prepare for sport, particularly in the weight room.  Athletes need to be stronger but a major component of that strength needs to be functional, basically how we move our bodies through space, how we deal with different playing surfaces, and things like changing direction quickly.

How the foot hits the ground is also a factor. Pronators and those with flat feet may be more prone to ACL injury.  One of the factors that impacted my young friend was that she entered the game already fatigued. Since more injuries occur late in the game, when we are fatigued, that can’t be ignored as a factor.

Dealing with that means working toward a high level of fitness so that late game fatigue is less of a factor.  That’s something you can take care of in your preparation.

All of that just leads me to one conclusion:  That what you do in preparation for your sport can be more important than playing your sport. And it just makes sense that if you’re healthier, you’re going to be better when the game does start.

Rose Colored Glasses

Why play sports?

Indeed, why play sports? With all the injuries, the time involved, the cultural toxicity that seems to be present in some places? Is it worth it?

I’ve been accused of looking at things through rose-colored glasses.  For those too young to understand that metaphor, it basically means that maybe I see only the positive things when I look at them.

OK.  Maybe that’s true.  I’m sure I do like to look at the better side of things, at the better side of people. That rose-colored glasses thing--maybe you might think that I’m oblivious to the negative side of situations but I don’t think that is the case at all. I just choose to look on the bright side, to try and find the good in everyone, to find the positive in every situation.

Yet, I know there is a darkness out there. I know that the gymnastics coach in Michigan did some really bad things to young female gymnasts. He’s in jail for that. It does seem like that soccer coach in Franklin did some really bad things.

I know that those things are out there. I listened to Bobby Knight yell and cuss at whomever was in the room. Players, referees, the media. Everybody. Nobody was spared. I saw him throw a chair when he disagreed with a call on the basketball floor. He may have had some success but he wasn’t a nice person.

I remember an AAU coach that fancied himself a Bobby Knight-type coach, even wearing that red button-up cardigan. I remember he yelled at his 12 year old players, my 12 year old players, every referee he encountered. Even a few parents in the stands. Such a bad example.

I wrote about a flag football coach that laughed in the face of my grandson when he asked if he might be allowed to run the football just one time in their last game. His coach the year before (Matt Miller, for the record) had made sure that everyone got to carry the football from time to time.

I remember one local high school coach that would scream and cuss at his players after every game, win or lose. Every game. The parents of the players would wait patiently in the gym, knowing what their sons were being subjected to. It hurt.

I know there are coaches out there that believe in winning at all costs. That’s just wrong. It’s not why we play sports. I know there are coaches out there that play only their best players—leaving all others to languish on the bench. For young kids, that is irresponsible.

I know that injuries occur.  My son’s football career was ended in a rather brutal injury on the field at Florida State. I saw the heartbreak when a local college soccer player suffered back to back ACL injuries, both requiring surgery.

And yet, the triumph from injury can be the best possible lesson. Through adversity, we gain strength.  By way of the toughest situations, we learn just what we are capable of.

Life does that to us sometimes, but does so uncontrollably. Sports gives us that but in a controlled, monitored environment. Sports allows us to test ourselves, to prove what we are worth, where the worst case scenario is maybe you lose a game or don’t get to play.

Sports are not life but they can be life lessons.

 

Climb back on that horse!

I’ve got quite a story to tell this week. On Thursday a week ago, I had a mountain bike wreck. I was crossing a dry creek bed that I’ve crossed a hundred times when somehow I went down. I came to a stop when I hit the stump of a log with the left side of my chest.

It knocked my breath out and hurt like the dickens but I felt like I was OK. My riding buddy checked on me and we agreed to ride downhill the mile or so to my truck. That wasn’t a fun trip but once I was seated in my truck, everything seemed OK.

I went to Care Today just to make sure I was OK and the PA and I both saw a rib fracture but nothing more so I headed home.

I went to work the next day and did fine, but toward the end of the day I started feeling rotten. I saw my last patient and immediately headed home. Still, not too bad, I had dinner and sat down to watch a movie with my wife.

About 9 PM, I awoke to my wife calling my name. I only remember gasping for breath and that it really hurt. We went immediately to the Emergency Room at Blount Memorial Hospital, where it was discovered that I had a pneumothorax, or collapsed lung.

Dr. Jerry Price, an ER doc that has been at BMH for many years, placed a chest tube in my side and wrapped me up for transport to UT Hospital. For pneumothorax patients, our ER has a protocol and an agreement to ship those patients, once stable, to UT, where a trauma team is better equipped to handle those issues.

I must mention the excellent care that I got at BMH (yes, I know they are my employer). Ryan, whose last name I forget, and Kimberly Stewart were my nurses and could not have been better. Compassionate and knowledgeable, I felt safe in their hands.

And Dr. Price—when he walked in the room, I knew I was going to be OK. I had a sneaking suspicion about what was wrong but didn’t know how bad it was. They put me to sleep and Ryan later told me of the “whoosh” when Dr. Price reinflated my lung. It was then time to move.

Becky and Eric from AMR transported me to UT Hospital where my first nurse Noah, and second nurse Josh, were understanding, competent, and efficient. Over the next few days, as I recovered, many other medical professionals took great care of me (well, there was this one medical resident that was not the best but he was the only one).

I have several points to make about this. Emergency rooms sometimes get a bad rap, but if you have a medical emergency, they know what they’re doing. If you’re sick or maybe have a medical issue that would best be taken care of by better health habits or your primary care physician, you might not have the best experience in an ER. They are always going to prioritize the patients that need them the most—the patients that might need them so as to not die.

So, if you’re sick but not a medical emergency, you might not like the wait you experience while they save someone’s life.

Nurses are essential, important, and your real connection to medical care. I had good doctors and I had good nurses and their teamwork is essential. I appreciate those nurses more than ever.

Hospitals that collaborate on care are doing the work that they are meant to do. I got exactly what I needed at the BMH Emergency Room. AMR did their job, just as they do every day. I got exactly what I needed out of UT Hospital.

I’m still sore but I’m back to work and I feel fine. It might take me a few weeks to get back on the bicycle but I WILL be back on the bicycle.

The bicycle didn’t do this. I did this. And with the help of excellent medical care, I will ride again. Not yet, but in time. I need to heal first. And I will probably wreck again sometime, but hopefully I won’t do the pneumothorax part. That wasn’t much fun.

Senior Athletes

I often address the young athlete here. The high school or younger person. Quite often, I will preach to the parents of those younger athletes.

But what about the old folks—those people that are still athletes yet burn a lot of birthday candles? What about them?

Caroline Haynes comes to mind. I’ve written about her before. Still an internationally competitive tennis player when most of those her age have long ago given it up.  She turned 85 this week. She looks 60 and plays like she’s 40.

Dr. Charlie Raper—still running. I have no idea how many miles he has run in his adult years. He turns 86 in August and is still running 5 days a week.

I knew a group of folks that were playing basketball 2-3 days a week, most in their 50’s. I’ve seen several senior citizens on local tennis courts. And then there’s pickleball.

Go by the courts at John Sevier and you’re likely to find a crowd. And it’s all ages. Someone a bit less mobile and a bit slower can compete at pickleball and have fun.

So, what does it take to play a sport when you leave your 20’s?

Basically, it’s the same things that allow you to be competitive in the first place. Strength. Agility. Flexibility. Endurance.

Before you go out and join an adult volleyball league or tackle a marathon, let me make one thing perfectly clear—you need medical clearance first.

If you don’t have a Primary Care Physician (PCP), then get one. Do not rely on the internet for medical advice. Let me repeat that: Do no rely on the internet for medical advice.

It’s OK to ask your PCP questions. Medical care should make sense to the consumer (you). If your PCP can’t explain the logic behind what they recommend for you, then maybe you should look elsewhere. But then do what they say.

The next step is to train for your sport. Sound familiar? You’ve got to spend the time in strength training. You need to make endurance activities that are not your sport a part of your regular exercise regimen.

Starting in our 30’s, we lose muscle mass at a rate of about ½% a year unless you do something about it. You work at a physical job? Doesn’t matter. You still need sport specific exercises.

You need to work on flexibility. Every. Single. Day. I’m a huge advocate of yoga but in a class, with a real yoga instructor. A video just won’t do it. Yoga will not only provide you with flexibility but will also teach you correct movement patterns and develop balance and agility.

As we age, balance and agility diminish. You’ve got to spend time every day to minimize the impact that your age imposes on you. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Talk to your physical therapist about that.

Just like all athletes, you need to eat well. The nutritional component to sports performance is huge. Ginormous. Garbage in, garbage out.

Sleep is huge. (And yes, I’m doing much better—sleep has never been one of my vices but I’m doing well now.) It is definitely more important to listen to your body as you get older. If your body is telling you to back off, you should listen. But if it’s your head doing the talking, you might ignore that. That could just be laziness speaking.

Train for it and there should be no reason why you can’t continue to participate in your sport of choice for a very long time. Just ask Caroline and Dr. Raper.

 

Danny's Song

I talked about time last week.  Our most precious commodity. You think you have plenty of it until you don’t.

Time ran out for a great friend of mine this week. A two plus year battle with cancer ended on Monday. Danny Smith was his name. He was a physical therapist and athletic trainer in Elizabethton.

The second best compliment I have ever had was being described once as the “Danny Smith of Maryville.” (The first is being told that I was a Don Story-kind of person by Jim Campbell.)

On Tuesday, friends from all across the country will converge on Elizabethton to celebrate our friend. We will love on the family but mostly will sit around and tell Danny stories.

Don’t worry—this is not about to turn dark and maudlin. That wouldn’t honor Danny at all. His smile would light up a room.  His laugh was huge and his stories were memorable. We will all laugh until our sides hurt when rehashing those memories.

It’s all about life and the pursuit of happiness. The life of the athlete and the pursuit of good health. What I write about most every week.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that an athlete that loves their sport is going to be better at it. They will work harder, remain focused, and pour all they have into that sport.

In my long (really long) career, I’ve seen lots of little guys that loved football. Loved everything about it.

Five foot five and a buck and a quarter-there shouldn’t be a place for them on a sport that seems designed for big people—right? That didn’t matter. They loved the sport and so they stuck it out and got good at it. Some really good.

They told Mugsy Bogues he was too little for basketball at 5’6”. He didn’t listen. His NBA career is legendary.

Lesson #1: Follow your passions. Lesson #2: Don’t listen to the naysayers.

I’ve told you about my tennis playing grandson. Loves the game. Will always go out and hit. He loves it.

That is the life you have to live if you want to be good. When it stops being fun, when you lose the love, move on.

Just a couple of months ago, one of my best friends realized that he didn’t love the bicycle anymore. This is somebody that I’ve spent 10-15 hours a week biking with for 30 years. We’ve done the equivalent of crossing the country several times together.

But when he didn’t love it, he quit. Sold all his bikes. Isn’t even tempted anymore. Although I miss him, I respect his decision. Biking should be fun. When it’s not, do something else.

Didn’t make the team? Work harder. Something is standing in front of you and your dreams? Conquer that something. Somebody tell you you’re not good enough? Prove them wrong.

I’m not saying that any high school athlete can play for the Lady Vols or make it to the Olympics, but you can be the absolute best you that you can be. You can play. You can compete.

Love the process.  Love the practice. Love the preparation. Love doing the little things. One day you might even surprise yourself.

Where did the time go?

Time. Where does it go? When I was a teenager, it seemed like time stood still.

I can remember knowing how many days, hours, and minutes until I turned 16 and could get my driver’s license. Had a chart in my room. It seemed like it would never get here.

Back then, when I would go to bed at night, it seemed like it would take forever to get to sleep. At the factory where I worked in the summer during college, an 8 hour shift felt like 8 days.

When I got to UT-Memphis for physical therapy school, things started speeding up a bit. Classes, labs, work, being a newlywed, clinics, student government…there didn’t seem to be enough hours in the day.

Then…whoosh…it was over and I moved to Maryville with my pregnant wife, starting a new job in a new city. I’m certain that those 9 months of pregnancy slowed things down for my wife, but not for me. She was in labor for like a year (not really).

And then, blink, I’m old with grandchildren and a new knee and life is hurtling breakneck speed toward something else. Where did the time go?

Many times, I’ve heard coaches tell their freshmen athletes that before they looked around twice, they would be seniors and looking at their final year.

I’ve heard George Quarles many times tell senior football players to savor each moment, enjoy every game, that before they would know it, their season would be over.

When it’s hot and you’re tired and practice is hard, it’s quite difficult to understand that but it is true. I’ve heard senior class after senior class bemoan that their final season was almost over. “Where did it go?”

Maybe it played out with success and wins, but did you enjoy the process? Did you enjoy the pageantry and the competition? Did you enjoy your teammates? Did you even enjoy the practices, where your real effort lies, and the wins, where your effort was rewarded?

So here’s the thing—you don’t have time to waste. Take a day off from training? Is your competitor? You think you have plenty of time but you don’t. In football, you’ve got 10 games. Make the playoffs and a few more.

Other sports? Usually double that or more but still a finite number. You have only “X” number of games or events to play the game that you love, to be the player you dreamed you could be.

Your family is going on a vacation this summer? Great! You don’t have to stop training (and you shouldn’t). You can find a gym to work out in. You can run. You can do body weight exercises if stuck in a hotel room.

We took a volleyball into the Canadian wilderness one time and put a strap up for a net and played volleyball on the shores of a remote lake. We took a basketball to a Caribbean island and somehow found a game or two. You find a way.

You’re tired and want to take a day off from your workouts? If you’re getting enough sleep then it’s OK to back off on your workout, but don’t abandon it. Rest is essential but don’t make excuses.

Then maybe one day you’ll be standing on the podium or hoisting that trophy, and then it will all be worthwhile. All the blood, sweat, and tears. The hot August workouts and the stadium steps until you think your legs will never move again.

But if you’re not the champion, you will still be the best you that you can be. And you will have learned incredibly valuable lessons about what it takes to get there that you will hopefully go on and apply to life.

But whatever you do, don’t you quit!