page contents Google

Search Results for: coach

CLEAR DOWN RANGE NEW MEANING

The first time I heard the call of “CLEAR DOWN RANGE” I was laying in the dirt with the guys, Fort Ord dirt, and trying to fit three bullets inside the diameter of a quarter. The best I got was two in with a stray nearby. The rifle range targets were a head and shoulder […]

HEALTH JOURNEY ON A ROUGH ROAD

A ‘health journey’ is a phrase used by people with lots of doctor appointments. If you’re old enough you either take that rough road yourself, or you show up for others on it. Personally, I’ve never liked the term. I like it even less when it applies to young people coming down with old people […]

HALL OF FAME: WHICH ONE IS FOR YOU

A Hall of Fame career deserves to be enshrined in a place of honor. Why? So others can see their accomplishments and try to copy them? That’s partly correct until you start learning more about the people. A great player doesn’t always mean a good person. But why limit inductions for only sports?

WRITING ROOTS: HOW DEEP DO THEY GROW

Writing roots are reading roots. Everybody knows that from their first grade if they had a teacher as good as Mrs. Baker. I recall her saying, ‘Our writing is a reflection of our reading.’ I believed it then as I believe it now. (Folding a corner to mark my place in Patrick DeWitt’s novel The […]

TOXIC MALE? HOW TO TELL

Baby boomers were exposed to the toxic male early on, but it had another name: Junior High Football Coach. But it wasn’t their fault, it was just the times. When guys with names like Dick Butkus, Ray Nitschke, and Sam Huff were stuffing guys like Jim Brown and Jim Taylor, every coach wanted their players […]

PEP TALK? MY BEST MEMORY BEFORE A BIG WRESTLING MATCH

When does a pep talk make all the difference? You’re warmed up, ready to go, just as the coach gives last instructions. As a high school wrestler in my second year, I needed all the pep I could get. Ordinarily you wouldn’t put a second year guy out against a well known mauler, but . […]

HOMEWARD BOUND? YES WE ARE

Homeward bound is the goal of all travelers. First it’s all about getting out and around, seeing new places and new people. Then it happens. Whether a face, a building, or something you eat, you’re ready to turn the corner and head for home. That’s the story, but . . .

WIDOW MAKER: A LOGGER’S NIGHTMARE

My Grandpa on my mom’s side was her step-dad, though as kids we never knew it. Why? Because it didn’t matter. He was married to Grandma and she was a boss. Besides, he was the best choice between the three. One was a yeller, the other was far away, and Grandpa was just right. He […]

SETTLED RULES = LAW OF THE LAND

When settled rules are ignored they get angry. Common courtesy wants to fight. Good manners want a go in the octagon. Eventually things calm down in what I understand is called ‘normalized’, as in: The New Normal.

PERSONAL CONDITIONING FOR BETTER LIVING

What’s the first sign you look for when see someone for the first time? For some people it’s a watch, for others it’s shoes. Or a haircut, a jacket. Maybe fancy fingernails. But no matter what you see someone wearing, what stands out first is their personal conditioning.