I confess I haven't been the best Cornhusker fan of late, but sometimes life gets in the way. In this case it was someone else's life. As things are settling down though, I feel that the last experiences I've encountered, and have for many years, just might have implications for my favorite pastime........Husker sports.
For sometime I've had to help someone deal with life challenges that were not of his own making. Life dealt him a bad hand. He has had to deal with results from nuchal cord. This left him with a paralyzed arm, a partially paralyzed leg, some brain damage and other physical traumas. Through it all he managed to "keep on diggin'", to use his words. He ran track in high school......where he always came in last.....every time..... in every race. He struggled to get through high school .......but he did. Later on he got a job doing custodial work......getting up at 3:00 AM so he could get his work done before the rest of employees came to work and he could be out of their way. We kept him in jeans because he went through the knees constantly.....patching them was only a temporary fix. Cerebral Palsy is an unforgiving sentence, but this man just kept on digging.....year after year after year. The time has come that the injury is winning the war despite this gentleman's many battle victories. It's time for a motorized wheel chair and other challenges in his life........which I have little doubt that he will face with determination and dignity.
So how does this affect the situation that Frost and Co are going through? For my money if what coach Frost is saying is genuine, and if the words have substance, then I believe that hard work, perseverance, and giving way to the greater good will pay dividends. We only look at the champions, but sometimes we forget to look at the minions that built the stage they stand on. As I was able to meet the many, many people who the gentleman above affected I began to see the impact of what influence attitude and strength of character can accomplish.......one lady wrote an article about him in the local paper (only referencing his first name so as not to embarrass him). Others gave him rides to work early on the mornings of inclimate weather. Still others donated time to take him to church and other functions.
Hard work and good intentions won't be enough to elevate our program, but I think I can see where they will be important pieces of the puzzle. We need talent. We need strength and speed. But I really think they won't be enough without a "keep on digging" attitude. For those who seem to have both (Ziggy and Jackson come to mind) I really, really feel we will be in for good times in the coming years. GBR
For sometime I've had to help someone deal with life challenges that were not of his own making. Life dealt him a bad hand. He has had to deal with results from nuchal cord. This left him with a paralyzed arm, a partially paralyzed leg, some brain damage and other physical traumas. Through it all he managed to "keep on diggin'", to use his words. He ran track in high school......where he always came in last.....every time..... in every race. He struggled to get through high school .......but he did. Later on he got a job doing custodial work......getting up at 3:00 AM so he could get his work done before the rest of employees came to work and he could be out of their way. We kept him in jeans because he went through the knees constantly.....patching them was only a temporary fix. Cerebral Palsy is an unforgiving sentence, but this man just kept on digging.....year after year after year. The time has come that the injury is winning the war despite this gentleman's many battle victories. It's time for a motorized wheel chair and other challenges in his life........which I have little doubt that he will face with determination and dignity.
So how does this affect the situation that Frost and Co are going through? For my money if what coach Frost is saying is genuine, and if the words have substance, then I believe that hard work, perseverance, and giving way to the greater good will pay dividends. We only look at the champions, but sometimes we forget to look at the minions that built the stage they stand on. As I was able to meet the many, many people who the gentleman above affected I began to see the impact of what influence attitude and strength of character can accomplish.......one lady wrote an article about him in the local paper (only referencing his first name so as not to embarrass him). Others gave him rides to work early on the mornings of inclimate weather. Still others donated time to take him to church and other functions.
Hard work and good intentions won't be enough to elevate our program, but I think I can see where they will be important pieces of the puzzle. We need talent. We need strength and speed. But I really think they won't be enough without a "keep on digging" attitude. For those who seem to have both (Ziggy and Jackson come to mind) I really, really feel we will be in for good times in the coming years. GBR
I appreciate your honesty, and I hope you are now in a place in life that you can find some joy in life, and will be with us for a long, long time! GBR
I have always felt that sports were an avenue for better life experiences if used properly, and kept in perspective. The above just reinforces that belief.
