Peachtree Proud

I've had to wait since July 4th to brag on this guy, and that's a long time for such a big accomplishment. Coach K. And I secured our Peachtree numbers way in advance, so when Tanners all-star baseball team clinched the district championship and headed to the state tournament, we had to drop back and punt.
During the summers, football Coach Kirk does double duty and wears the hat of baseball coach, so there was no way he was running a race and not a team on that Friday morning. By the way, who in Atlanta schedules anything at the same time as the world's largest 10K??

So the question then was, what do we do with our extra number? Peachtree Road Race numbers are coveted things, so I knew we could find someone to step in last minute. Tucker had a better idea- he wanted to run. I wasn't so sure at first. I mean the kid had never even done a 5K let alone a full 6.2 miles of heat, hills, and humidity through the streets of Atlant; But he really wanted to run the race, so early July 4th Tucker and I headed to the ATL to find a parking spot, a Marta station, and our corrals.

We started off strong, hoping to finish the race, head to Woodstock, and catch the last of Tanner's first game. Mile one came and went and we were strong. He was making me proud. Mile 2 he said he might walk a little. "You go on and I'll catch up with you," he said. HA! yeah right, like I'm going to leave you in the middle of Atlanta with 65,000 other runners and hope to see you at the finish. Let's go, Buddy! and with that we ran, walked, and jogged our way to Piedmont Park and all the goodies that awaited us.

I couldn't then and still can't begin to tell him how proud I am of him. I think he was pretty proud of himself, too. And who wouldn't be? You don't just get a PRR t-shirt for signing up and paying your money. You have to earn it and earn it he did, with a time of 1:08 on his first EVER 10K!

We ran together the whole way and I may have lost my spot in the B group for next year, but I am ok with that.

Because everyone needs a picture like this:

The Friendly Coach

Once upon a time, a coach was criticized by a parent, a die-hard, win-at-all-costs parent, for being "too friendly" with the players. "Friendly doesn't win ball games," he said. Friendly doesn't motivate and drive. Friendly doesn't get you anywhere. Sports teaches all kinds of valuable lessons-- I don't know if this is one of them.

Tonight as I type this, a young man is downstairs sleeping on our couch. Before he went to bed he had a hot supper, a warm shower, a fresh toothbrush, and a request for what kind of lunch he'd like for tomorrow. He also had a 5 year old wanting him to "sleepover."

Friendly may not win ball games, but it will take a homeless boy off the streets for a night.

Friendly may not get you the job and unfortunately the respect of some folks, but there are bigger folks we aim to please.

Tomorrow is Friday. Football games will be played and plenty of coaches will go home with a win. Names in the paper for how hard they coach; how hard they push; how far they will go this season. And it IS exciting and builds character.

But 4 years passes quickly and boys on the field become the men of the world. The things we accomplish as a "hard" coach will be forgotten: scores, tackles, bad calls. The things we accomplish as the "too friendly" coach will endure: love, kindness, and hope.

For our guest tonight, I hope he meets hundreds of other "too friendly" coaches along his way. I hope he always believes that another coach will come along when needed. And, of course, I hope one day he will BE that "too friendly" coach to another in need.


And I hope last night was the last night he will ever sleep in a baseball dugout to keep safe from the rain and storms.

But most of all, I hope he finds a home.


Lessons are learned every day on the field. A lot of them take place off the field, as well.