Bruce Jenner Is A Hero

Imagine holding a secret for sixty-five years. That is exactly what Bruce Jenner did. Bruce Jenner courageously went on national television and exposed himself as being a woman trapped in a man's body. He did it with courage and honesty Diane Sawyer seemed shocked at several times throughout the interview the other night.

At one point, he pointed about two feet off the floor and told Diane Sawyer, from about this age I wanted to wear dresses. His mother, Estelle let him do it. I thought that was pretty cool of her she recognized something in her son was different from the other boys.

Obviously, he was raised as a boy and competed in the decathlon as a boy and later as the "World's Greatest Athlete" in the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal on July 29th and 30th. He not only beat the evil, communist Soviet bad guy, Ukrainian-born Nikolay Avilov who had the record which he set in the 1972 Olympics in Munich but raised the points record as well.

According to an article in the New York Daily News, "Darkness was falling on Stade Olympique when Jenner crossed the finish line in 4:12.61, assuring his victory and giving him a final point total of 8,618, which is 164 more than the record Russian Nikolay Avilov set in 1972, 425 more than Bill Toomey, 617 more than Rafer Johnson, 887 more than Bob Mathias and 1,862 more than Jim Thorpe."

For all of you who are not familiar with the names in the paragraph above, they are all Americans who won previous Olympic Decathlons. FYI: Rafer Johnson and Roosevelt Grier were bodyguards for Robert Kennedy on June fifth, the night he was killed in 1968. Roosevelt Grier was a member of the Fearsome Foursome the famed defensive line of the Los Angeles Rams. 


Bill Toomey won the 1968 Decathlon in Mexico City. Bob Mathias won two decathlons. In 1948 he won his first one In London, and he won his second in Helsinki, Finland in 1952. He went on to become a U.S. Congressman from California. Jim Thorpe was the first American Indian to win Olympic gold in the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. He not only won the decathlon, but the pentathlon as well (five events). No one in history has ever done that! In doing some research on all of these men, I found enough information to do a post on each one! Google is my friend!


Jenner was an exceptional athlete from the time he was young. He competed in a number of sports including football, baseball and ultimately track and field. He was a state champion in the high jump and pole vault when his family moved to Newtown, Connecticut after his sophomore year.

For those of you not familiar with track and field, the decathlon is something special. It combines the ability to jump (hurdles, long jump, high jump, pole vault), run (100 meters, 400 meters, 1,500 meters) and throw (javelin, shot put, discus) is one two-day test of speed, strength and stamina.

Jenner qualified for the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany but did not place. As a small boy Jenner was diagnosed with dyslexia, which made reading and school difficult for him. He found his release through athletics. He competed in a number of sports but found his niche in the decathlon. Here is an iconic photograph of him as he crossed the finish line in the 1500 meter run to set the record:

As always, click on the image to make it larger:

Bruce Jenner showed no signs of being a woman in that picture. However, he was hiding a deep secret inside himself for many years until his interview with Diane Sawyer.

At one point, he let his ponytail down and shook his head as if to free himself of his secret. He joked about it but it seemed like it was a freeing experience in a way that loosened him up and enabled him to be who he was.

Back to the reason I called him a hero. He was a hero to me watching him win the decathlon and doing it in record numbers. My dad was a track man his entire life, and I love track as well. Watching Jenner at that moment was a tremendous feeling as I was both a track man and a United States patriot. After all, we had just scored a huge victory over the evil Soviet Empire! 
 
I believe everyone needs to find their inner self and be able to show that. It seemed to be a huge load off his shoulders to come out of the closet of being a transgender woman. I believe it was a huge step for the LGBT community (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) to finally show someone who is famous for two things. First of all, he was known as the World's Greatest Athlete, and secondly he was known as the wife of Kris Kardashian whom he married in 1991. She is his third wife.

He is part of the reality show "Keeping up with the Kardashians" that has been running since 2007. All of the extended family, both his, hers and theirs support him in his going public about his sexual identification.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Boston Marathon Bombing Day Two

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It is another sad time in America. I do not know about you, but I have watched and read a lot about this most recent cowardly act of terrorism in a major city in the United States.

As usually happens when an event like this occurs, the original reports were once again incorrect. At first, we heard there were one and possibly two more backpack bombs, or as they are now referring to them, the pressure cooker bombs, that were out there and had not been detonated.

Sure enough, as the investigation continued, thankfully, no more bombs were found. It seems today when virtually everyone has a mobile device of some sort or another, everyone, including me, becomes a journalist. If you have a smart phone, you can immediately become an expert.

Oftentimes, in events like these, eyewitness testimony proves to be incorrect. For me, the fascinating thing about eyewitnesses is they are absolutely sure of what they saw. The fact is, oftentimes two people can be standing next to each other and both see completely different things.

We, as Americans, are constantly shocked when events like the bombing in Boston happen here in the land of the free and the home of the brave. The sad truth is, these types of attacks are everyday occurrences and have been for many years in countries all over the world.

In Northern Ireland for instance, bombings like this occurred almost every day for years until both sides came together and ironed out their differences. It is the same way in several countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa. The only difference is it still goes on. The authorities call it a good day when they do not have a bombing like this one.

As of yet, we do not know who set off these bombs. Chances are pretty good they will find who did it, and why. My questions are, when will it happen again, and where?

Meanwhile, the outrage over security at a large event like this will take center stage for a short amount of time, and then, once again we will go back to living our lives in carrying out our business in our normal manner.

Today America is one. Just like 9/11 when we dropped all of the prefixes for the way we referred to Americans. For instance, there were no Asian Americans, African-Americans, Native Americans or Latino Americans; we were just all Americans united together doing what we could to heal after the attacks. That lasted for a while. However, it was not long until we went back to the fractured Americans that we are.

I have noticed the last couple days how many of the broadcast journalists and writers on the Internet have dropped the prefixes to the American terms again. I am anxious to see how long that lasts before we once again, go back to using those hyphenated terms for the various groups of. Americans. We all know it is going to happen.

This Sunday, April twenty-first, in a show of solidarity with Boston, London race organizers for the London Marathon confirmed the race would be run as planned. London is no stranger to terrorist acts. There will be an estimated one million spectators lining the 26.2 mile marathon course.

The following six paragraphs were taken directly from an article written by Steve Douglas for the Associated Press:

“One of the great things about these marathons is that they are free and available to the public — that's why we have hundreds of thousands of people come out and watch them,” Nick Bitel, chief executive of the London Marathon, told The Associated Press by phone. “I can’t see how that is going to change.

“It’s part of the whole ethos of what a mass-participation marathon is about. What one has to do is make appropriate and reasonable security measures in light of the threats and that's what we’ll be doing on Sunday."

There will be 30 seconds of silence before the start of the elite men’s race and mass start to “mark the tragic events that have unfolded in Boston,” organizers said in a statement. Runners are encouraged to wear a black ribbon, which will be given to them when they pick up their race numbers.

“We want to show our support for our friends and colleagues in Boston at this difficult time for the global running community,” race director Hugh Brasher said.

Prince Harry, the patron of the London Marathon Charitable Trust, will attend the race and make the presentations to the winners from the field of 36,550 runners.

“We won’t be cowered by this sort of behavior,” said British Sports Minister Hugh Robertson, who hailed the country’s security forces as “the best anywhere in the world.”

“The best way for us to react is to push ahead with the marathon on Sunday, to get people on the streets and to celebrate it as we always do in London. These are balance of judgments but we are absolutely confident here that we can keep the event safe and secure. I think this is one of those incidents where the best way to show solidarity with Boston is to continue and send a very clear message to those responsible.”

I especially liked race director Hugh Brasher’s comment; “We want to show our support for our friends and colleagues in Boston at this difficult time for the global running community.”

That says it all! The phrase, “global running community” sums up what not only running, but every other sport is. They are large communities scattered all over the world interested in their chosen sport. I believe any athlete would tell you the same thing. Yes, sport is about competition, but it is also about cooperation.

When I competed at an early age, I met guys from other schools who are still my friends today. I would not give up those friendships for anything. If my father were alive today, he would tell you the same thing about not only the athletes he competed against, but also the coaches he coached against.

I liked the fact the Boston Celtics, Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox all canceled their games yesterday in a show of solidarity with the city of Boston. The New England Patriots also made a statement showing their support.

Sport is a wonderful thing! I love the fact those three professional teams canceled their games to help show the city of Boston and people all over the world they care.

I know this is the longest post I have ever put up, but once I got started I just could not stop. I guess this subject got my adrenaline going and I switched into another gear. That sporting ethos came out in me! If you have read this far, I hope you enjoyed it.

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

LINCOLN

My friend, Mike Ross, said several times as we left the movie yesterday evening, That Steven Spielberg sure knows how to make a movie. After we had a great Thanksgiving dinner prepared by my mom, he and I decided to go see the movie so many people are talking about. 

He was not wrong in his assessment of the movie that will surely be one of the most nominated movies for Academy Awards this year. I would not be surprised to see it take home all the major categories as Daniel Day Lewis, Tommy Lee Jones and Sally Field gave extraordinary performances. I highly recommend it.

One of the things I particularly liked about it was one thing Mike told me as we were driving to the theater. He said Daniel Day Lewis told Steven Spielberg he would be happy to play Abraham Lincoln but he wanted Spielberg to wait a year so he could properly learn all he could about Lincoln right down to his limp so he could accurately portray our sixteenth president! Now THAT IS commitment! If I were put in that position, I wonder how I would have handled it? Would I have had the courage to tell Steven Spielberg to, Wait a year?

Regarding the historical perspective of the movie, President Lincoln was a very hated man by a large number of people, especially in the South where they had formed the Confederate States of America. Obviously, some people hated him, one to the point he assassinated him!

Today, we think of Abraham Lincoln as a very revered, and beloved American President. Many people rank him at or near the top of all our presidents. I find it interesting there are many people today who hate our current president the same way they hated Lincoln while he was in office. I would like to be able to look back in one hundred fifty years and see what historians have written about President Obama and what people feel about him after these next four years.

Our conversation went in many directions, as they always do; but he brought up a fact about the day no one has been talking about. November 22, 1963 mean anything to you?

We found it ironic how we had just watched a movie about a president who was assassinated on the forty-ninth anniversary of the assassination of another president.

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

The Book is here! The Book is here!

Okay, I know I told you I would only post about once a week, but I am busting at the seams to share my good news. 

I received my first paperback copies of I Still Believe in Tomorrow today and they are ready to ship! If you want your own book you can hold in your hand, you can order it from all the major booksellers, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc., but please order them from me because I get a bigger royalty.

For example: I only get about $3.00 if you order from Amazon! Let's just say, I get a little more if you order from me. Eventually, I'm going to set-up a unique website for the book complete with a page for comments, it's own blog and the ability to pay with PayPal and credit cards. Until that happens, please send your checks to:

Patrick Communications, Inc.

619 Lafayette Road North, #304

St. Paul, MN 55130-4444

The price is $14.95 per book plus $5.00 for shipping for up to ten books. I'll give you a quote on shipping if you want more. I'll send your books once your check clears.

I'm going to be moving in mid-August, and my new address will be:

Patrick Communications, Inc.

10100 Lyndale Avenue South, #104

Bloomington, MN 55420

Please contact me with any questions and/or concerns. By all means, please share this post and help me spread the word! FYI: I quote several of you and your comments to my previous blog posts.

A very heartfelt thank you in advance to everyone who buys "I Still Believe in Tomorrow."

Remember, it makes a great gift!

Later,

Mike

Finally, A Post Not About Me

In most of my recent posts, all I have been addressing is me. It is time to change that. I want to introduce you to a teaching website about positive values. I believe the lessons are relevant and good reminders for people of all ages. It is called Values.com.

For you teachers, there is a lot of good information you may find useful in your classroom. Positive attributes like leadership, friendship, courage, honesty and respect, to name just a few are featured throughout the site. There is also a great deal of information for the rest of us. I know I have spent quite a bit of time already perusing the site. I even see a few potential handouts for future schools, conferences and possible pages for my Materials page on my website.

I first learned of them while watching television in these last long months of being bedridden; and seeing this commercial several times. You can watch the commercial by clicking here:

I do not think I would have handled the situation the way this young man did. For you student/athletes, what would you have done in this or a similar situation? For everyone else, what would you have done in this or any of the other scenarios they show?

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Max Warburg Courage Curriculum

Max Warburg was another young Max who has left an amazing legecy for a child who died from leukemia at age eleven in 1991! The Max Warburg Courage Curriculum was developed by his parents, Stephanie and Jonathan Warburg, who worked with the Boston Public Schools, a team of doctoral students from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and educators from across the country. It is inspiring youngsters in sixth grade classrooms to be courageous in the face of the problems they face. You can learn more about them at their website by clicking here.

Also, learn how Max's courageous fight affected his classmates and everyone his short life touched in this 1992 video:



I also found this story very moving. It was written by his mother Stephanie and Charlotte Harris. You may read it by clicking here.

As always, feel free to comment.

Later,

Mike

I Love Good Quotes

I spent last Thursday at Southwest Middle School in Albert Lea, Minnesota. After my assembly, I ate lunch in the cafeteria with a group of seventh grade girls. When they finished lunch, they ran off to band practice. All of a sudden, a few of them came running back and asked me if I would come and listen to their band practice. I agreed and off we went. I thought I'll try it since I've never done that before.

Talk about chaos! The first few minutes as they all practiced, it sounded like nothing I've ever heard. Then, the director, Mister Dawson, called them to order and I enjoyed watching the concentration on all of their faces as they focused on the songs they were working on.

From there, I went to Brenda Morris' seventh grade health class to spend two hours of follow-up discussion and doing a couple of experiential exercises from my assembly. She had dozens of quotes posted all over her room, and I asked two students to please write them down for me. Here are some of my favorites:

"Make an effort, not an excuse."

"You teacher's goal is simple: to help you reach yours."

"Your 'I Will' is more important than your I.Q."

"Be yourself. You're the only one who can do it right."

"Attitude is the mind's paintbrush. It can color any situation."

"Stand up for what is right even if you're standing alone."

"Let the choices you make today be choices you can live with tomorrow."

"What is popular is not always right; what is right is not always popular."

"Listen and silent are spelled with the same letters."

"Be yourself: an original is always worth more than a copy."

"Courage is doing right when everyone around you is doing wrong."

"Character: it's how you live life when nobody's looking."

"Choices:
1. Making every decision carefully
2. Thinking everything through responsibly
3. Exercising your freedom to choose
4. Deciding what is right and doing it."

I've attached a page of my favorites here. Please click on the image to make it larger; then, print it and put it on your bulletin board to refer to as needed. I do:


Please feel free to add your favorite quotes in the Comments Section. Include the author if you know who said it. I look forward to reading them.

Thanks!

Mike