Lambert Defies Odds, Back on Beam

For Ashley Lambert, the hope is that her 2012 season in gymnastics will have a happier ending than 2011.

The level 10 gymnast with the World Class team was enjoying another successful season, with a state all-around title and regional crowns in the vault and floor exercises under her belt. A scholarship offer from a large Division I school in the SEC was on the table. Heading into May and one week before Junior Nationals, Lambert looked to have the world on a string.

In an instant, she almost lost it all.

Ashley Lambert's gymnastics
career almost ended abruptly
last year when she suffered
a broken neck.
Amazingly, she's back in
the sport.

Doing some less structured activity after practice one day, Lambert suffered a career-ending type of injury, one which left her with a C1 bone broken in two places as well as a broken C6 bone. To understand the seriousness of the injury, one only needs to know that 80 percent of individuals who break the C1 bone end up dead because the broken bone blocks the breathing passage which suffocates the victim. As a point of reference, actor Christopher Reeve became paralyzed after breaking his C1 bone when falling off his horse during an equestrian competition.

Amazingly, the Menchville junior was not aware of the seriousness of her condition and continued to practice. Mother Tonia came to pick her up, and as she recalls found her daughter “doing crunches and crying.” However, Ashley did not want to make World Class coaches Tami Harrison or Jon Angle aware of her pain. Later, at home, Tonia recalls spending 15 minutes trying to pop Ashley’s neck, thinking it was simply jammed. Looking back she now realizes, “I could have killed my child and didn’t even know it at the time.” But as soon as Ashley complained that her left eye had gone numb, the mother quickly knew what had occurred.

Says Tonia, “Right then, I knew it was neuro (related).” Four hours after leaving practice, the pair headed to the hospital emergency room.

After several hours in the waiting room, Tonia was approached by the doctor.

“He came to me and said, I have some good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” Of course, she wanted to hear the good news first.

He said, “it is by the sheer grace of God that your kid is walking and talking. She only survived because of her sheer physical condition and her youth.”

Ashley recalls her time in the ER.

“They did an X-ray and didn’t really find anything specific. But when they looked at the results of the CAT scan, the doctors started freaking out.” She was quickly transported to Portsmouth Naval Hospital and fitted for a halo by the next morning.

For Lambert, the dream looked to be over. Gymnastics appeared to be a sport of the past, replaced by the halo to stabilize her neck and a lifetime of shattered dreams. Letters and get well wishes poured in from fellow gymnasts in every corner of the country. It was assumed that just getting Ashley back to normal activities would be the new goal.

But Ashley had larger aspirations. She missed not seeing her World Class teammates and friends at Menchville as she completed the school year with the homebound program. But after spending two-thirds of her 17 years in competitive gymnastics, Lambert was not ready to call it quits.

Recalls Tonia, “we had a conversation about it and she said, what else am I supposed to do?  I have been doing this my whole life.”

After almost two months in a halo, Ashley placed a video on her website, thanking her well-wishers. The most amazing feature of the 19-second clip was the bright smile displayed. The next day, the halo was removed.

Was there ever a concern about not competing again?

“Uh-huh.”  The biggest concern was that with junior year approaching, it was time to get back to the gym and make sure that she earned her athletic scholarship, her goal since beginning the sport at the age of six. The junior year of high school is usually the most crucial, particularly in gymnastics, as most of the scholarships for her class are awarded by the end of 11^th grade.

So it was time to go back to work.

After six grueling months of training, averaging 30 hours a week in the gym, the young lady who escaped a life-threatening injury returned to competition in January. In only her second competition, Lambert placed second in two events and qualified for the level 10 regional meet, which will be held on April 21-22 in Allentown, PA. But the larger goal is to qualify for Junior Nationals, which will be held from May 10-13 in Hampton, VA. At this point, Ashley feels as though she is “just getting back to where I was last year.”

Is there anything to be learned from this experience? In a closing thought, Tonia notes her daughter’s new found appreciation for gymnastics, one which can only be gained by almost losing the ability to continue at it.

“I think that she finds herself working much harder now. For a long time, a lot of this was very easy for her.”

For more information about Ashley Lambert, visit her website at http://www.gym-style.com/ashley

For Black Male Athletes, No Fear = Huge Stigma

Several months ago, I ran a post about the Golden Saints, a youth league church football team in Newport News. It was a story about the team looking for a home field, something that all of the other teams in their Hampton Roads league had. Last night, Chaplain Deborah Mitchell of the World Outreach Center (the Knights sponsor) reported to me that the city of Newport News has given the team a field at Lee Hall Elementary to call their own! On top of this, IHOP (ihop.com) has volunteered to pay for the cost of installing lights at the field so the team can practice and play at night.

Today, I wish to turn to a more serious subject, that of false bravado....

At the beginning of March, I had the opportunity to cover the AAA state track meet for the Daily Press. During the course of the day, I encountered several other reporters, but spent most of the day seated next to Carl Little, who covers high school sports for the Washington Post. I was not aware of this information until the end of the meet, when we happened to be conversing with the same athlete. Actually, all I knew was his first name. But, as a lifelong reader of the Post, I told him that there would probably be an embarrassing moment when I returned home, because a cursory search of "Carl" and "Washington Post High School Sports" would make me realize exactly who he was.

After a poor game four years ago,
then Titans QB Vince Young
grabbed a gun and disappeared
in his car. For hours, his whereabouts
were unknown.

To no surprise, once I looked up All-Met sports (the Post’s online high school outlet) and matched the surname, I remembered that there was a reason why Little’s name stuck out in my mind. A deeper search helped me to understand why.
In 2008, Little authored a piece entitled “The Pain Beneath the Swagger,” for a website called The Root, which is found at http://www.theroot.com. As it turned out, I had recalled reading this article.

The first line reads:

“Black male bravado allows no room for a mental health crisis. What a sad and dangerous thing.”

Little’s piece goes on to tell the story of Vince Young. At the time, Young was a highly touted quarterback from Texas who was in the early stages of his career with the Tennessee Titans. While showing flashes of brilliance, the former Heisman Trophy winner was considered a disappointment, despite leading the Titans to a 17-11 record in the games Young started over his first two seasons. On September 7, 2008, Young was mightily booed in a winning effort. A sprained left knee simply added injury to insult.

The following day, Young told a psychiatrist that he wanted to quit football. He also shared thoughts of suicide. Later, Young grabbed a gun, exited his home unannounced and took off in his car. For over four hours the whereabouts of the 25-year-old were unknown. Eventually, he was found unharmed.

The huge response to the story forced a press conference from Young just three days later. While multitudes of sports media jocks and self-proclaimed “experts” had bandied about with their theories of Young’s condition, the quarterback was going to be allowed the opportunity to settle the record.

“I was never depressed,” proclaimed a self-assured Young.

What??

In a nutshell, Young was obeying the man law which was described by Little with the following four words – Black boys don’t cry.

After citing other examples of African-American athletes suffering from episodes of depression, Little brings home his point, and it is a valid one. His words speak much better than mine, so to quote:

“While there is much to appreciate about black masculinity, there are some insidious aspects to playing the part. For instance, many believe that we have to struggle alone with our demons and that asking for help makes us appear weak. That kind of individualism is a façade, and we do ourselves no good when we hold back the tears.”

Well put Carl. It was nice to meet you.

Yorktown's Prata Makes Name on the Mat

Original version of article printed in the Yorktown Town Square section of the Daily Press on March 30, 2012



Joey Prata collecting the hardware after winning
the Big Horn tournament

For a young man weighing only 93 pounds, Joey Prata packs a lot of weight.

The eighth grade wrestler, representing the Virginia Predators, has rightfully earned a name for himself on and off the mat. As a wrestler, Prata has compiled a record of 87-2 (with 30 pins) this season. His feats in the weight room have also drawn attention. In fact, a video of the 14-year old dead lifting 225 lbs. is currently making the rounds on YouTube and Facebook.
The sky looks to be the limit for the grappler from Yorktown.

With his middle school career reaching an end (his last tournament will be in Fargo, ND in July), Prata is looking ahead to the next step. Currently homeschooled, he will be attending York High next year. According to Joey, the family has already met Coach Todd Parrish and he is anxious to begin.

The start of high school competition should be a relief for the Prata family. Practicing with the Predators requires a 140 mile round trip to and from Chester, VA, a trek they make 4-5 times a week. But the effort has been worth it. According to his father Tony, “Coach (Mark) Strickland and his assistants have helped make Joey into a national champion.”

The first hurdle for his post-Predator career has already been set. Prata aims to be a multiple state champion. But the lightest competition weight at the high school level is 106 lbs. Even though 106 is the maximum weight, there is still a disadvantage to giving away as many as 12 pounds to an opponent in a sport as balanced as wrestling.

Two years ago, the family realized that Joey’s slight build might hinder his future wrestling career.

Enter D’Shawn Wright.

The trainer and owner of Body by D Gym in Yorktown has earned a reputation based on the pursuit of excellence mindset he instills in his students.  With many of his high school clients moving on to collegiate sports, the gym has become a focal point for young athletes looking to gain the extra edge needed to earn an athletic scholarship.

Father Tony, a Battalion Chief with the York County Fire Department, found Body by D two years ago while searching for his own workout spot.

Says mother Shannon, “We appreciated his (D’Shawn’s) intensity. The motto is “the harder, the better.”

Joey, who started his training regimen weighing about 75 pounds, didn’t take long to see the developing results.

“Everybody started noticing.” said Prata. “The difference was unbelievable and it was quick…within a month.”

Over the first year, Prata says that he gained “about 10 pounds.”

The improvement in strength and stamina has already paid dividends on the mat.

One of Prata’s trademarks with the Predators has been his ability to avenge a loss. Earlier in the season, he lost a 14-2 decision to a wrestler at the Super 32 match in North Carolina. Just six weeks later, at the Virginia Challenge Holiday Duals, Prata turned the tables and scored an 8-0 shutout over the same wrestler to win the championship.

The shutout was not unique to his performance at the Holiday Duals as Prata did not allow any of his ten opponents to score a point, a feat which is rare in a single match, but astronomically difficult to accomplish over the course of an entire tournament.

His intensity is not limited to the field of play. Prata is an honor student and currently takes advanced classes which will allow him to begin his academic work at York with four high school credits. A college career in wrestling awaits, possibly at Old Dominion or Virginia Tech, a school where he could showcase his “math whiz” skills.

Prata prefers the freestyle and Greco-Roman forms of wrestling. His favorite moves are the cradles, riding legs and sweep maneuvers. Now in his sixth year of wrestling, and second with the Predators, he enjoys the individual challenge of the sport. “I like that I get to compete against somebody my own size, an even matchup.” He also likes the team aspect of the sport, a by-product of his earlier athletic endeavors in soccer and lacrosse.

Is there anything else he enjoys about wrestling?

“After weigh-ins, we get to eat. I like the “food buzz.”

Learn more about Joey’s accomplishments with the Virginia Predators at www.vateampredator.com.

Wyllie's View of Friere's "Pedagogy of the Oppressed"

Paolo Friere, world renowned educator and
political activist of the mid 20th century

In 1968, Paolo Friere introduced political and educational scholars to his “Pedagogy of the Oppressed.” Friere, a Brazilian educator and political activist, published this work in Portugese, but it quickly found a worldwide audience and was translated into many languages.

Justin Wyllie, an essayist and blogger from England, has presented an in-depth critique to Friere’s most famous writing on his blog site at http://justinwyllie.net. His objective is show whether Friere’s beliefs are relevant in today’s society.

In its 19 pages, Wyllie breaks down Friere’s work into its four chapters. In short, they deal with 1) the oppressors and the oppressed, 2) the “banking” concept of education, 3) Friere’s theories as used in practice among the poor in South American schools, and 4) the contrast between the “antidialogical” and “dialogical” theories of cultural action.

Wyllie does a credible job of explaining Friere’s work. In his introduction, he notes the author’s model of dialectical materialism. In other words, this is the idea that human destiny is only resolved after a clash between two economic classes of owners and labo(u)rers, which are defined as people who sell their labor to capital.

This concept reminds me of a reading from freshman year in college entitled “Labor Capital and Monopoly: The Degradation of Work in the Twentieth Century,” by Harry Braverman. Braverman was an American and a Socialist who shared some of the same political and social views as Friere. This book, written in the early 1970’s, had a great influence on my views between labor and management.

While Braverman focused on the difference between the “oppressor” and the “oppressed” in business, Friere aimed to separate the two with regard to social and educational issues, but uses economic class warfare as an analogy. In his essay, Wyllie aims to critique the views of the latter author. In essence, this is a review of a book review.

As such, Wyllie sees no use for Friere’s discussion of the economic class struggle in this book, but identifies the book as useful for social and educational issues, particularly in its discussion of “banking” education. In this age of “teaching to the test,” I find Friere’s views on “banking” education to be poignant. Metaphorically, banking is building up information, much in the way a piggy bank fills up loose change. In the same sense, our brains collect information, then use it when needed.

Contrary to Wyllie’s argument, I see the usefulness of the economic class discussion in Friere’s work; therefore, I disagree with the assumption that its inclusion in “Pedagogy” is useless. When describing two disparate groups, it is worthwhile to draw the parallel comparison to a “rich” versus “poor” struggle.

Otherwise, Wyllie gives a thorough breakdown of Friere’s book, chapter by chapter. For those who have not read “Pedagogy,” Wyllie’s essay is the next best thing.

My Mike Wallace Moment

Mike Wallace, of CBS News, and
"60 Minutes" fame, passed away
at the age of 93.

This has been a sad week for many in the broadcast media community with the passing of legendary newsman Mike Wallace. Wallace, mainly known for his work on CBS News “60 Minutes,” probably did not invent the confrontational interview, but he was the first well known journalist to use it effectively. His interviewing approach became so synonymous with his name that it was said the worst four words a person could hear were “Mike Wallace is here.”

Years ago, 1986 to be exact, I had the opportunity to see Wallace in action. In a stranger twist, it was my question to him that set things in motion and enabled those in attendance to witness his fiery side.

The event was a daylong conference on “The Future of American Business.” College business and finance students from all over the tri-state region were invited to the symposium, which was held at New York University’s Tisch Hall.

This was a high powered event. Co-sponsored by NYU’s Business and Public Administration School, there was no shortage of heavy hitters. President Gerald Ford delivered the luncheon remarks, his topic being “The Future of International Trade.” I have mentioned his appearance on this space previously for two reasons. First, I got to shake his hand when he entered the room, so my day was already made. Second, my battle to avoid going to the bathroom that afternoon fell short. It happens when you drink six cups of coffee to offset the mere 45 minutes of sleep the morning before. Unfortunately, it happened during Ford’s remarks, and I was stunned to find three Secret Service agents follow me all the way to the men’s room and back.

Arthur Levitt Jr. was also there to deliver a speech on “The Future of Entrepreneurship.” At the time he was the chairman of the American Stock Exchange, but would eventually become the longest tenured chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The chairpersons of PaineWebber and Monet Jewelers were also presenters. And of course, Mike Wallace was on hand to speak on the subject of “Media and the Business Community.”

The Home Group was the other co-sponsor of the event. In that year, Marshall Manley, a high powered New York attorney had been selected as the new chairman of the group, as well as its failing subsidiary, Home Insurance Company. Within one year of taking over, Manley brought the company from the ashes, turning a loss of more than $280 million into a gain of $230 million. Six years later, Manley sold the company for $1 billion and set up a new business called M82 Group, LLC, a private investment banking and consulting service. Not a bad decades worth of work.

I bring this point up because Manley served as the moderator that day, keeping the traffic moving and the panels on point. He must have served early notice because I remember Jeff Delutis, our group leader, requesting that I “not ask any questions.” The point was that there were panels in place to ask the questions and I was really there in the capacity of a college newspaper reporter and not a participant. Fine.

Anyhow, at 2:00 PM, Mike Wallace gets up to address his panel of five as well as an audience of several hundred. Honestly, I don’t remember much about his talk, except that it ended and that each member of the panel followed with a question.

But to my utter delight, the next statement got my immediate attention.

“We will now take questions from the members of the audience.”

Sorry Jeff.

I immediately threw my hand in the air and only had to wait for a couple of other questions to be recognized. Just like it was yesterday, I remember my question. It had to do with trusting the media, especially after the Janet Cooke episode. Since it has been a long time, let me reiterate. Janet Cooke was a reporter with the Washington Post, and in the mid-1980’s she wrote a series of pieces about a 9-year old crack addict living in the slums of Southeast DC. The shocking coverage won her a Pulitzer Prize. Only later, did the public learn that Cooke’s story was completely fabricated.

Wallace’s answer was forthright and direct. No, he couldn’t blame the public for losing trust in the media, and it was going to take them a long time to earn it back, and yes, they would have to EARN it.

So, thank you very much Mr. Wallace. I sat down, again satisfied with the events of the day.

Next question.

“Um. Mr. Wallace, what advice would you recommend to a college student who is aspiring to be a journalist?”

I could see Manley getting hot under the collar. The topic had been diverted.

“Mr. Wallace, I have a question about 60 Minutes…”

By now, Manley was incensed. He stood off and broke the questioner off at mid-sentence.

“Excuse me,” he began. This is supposed to be a forum about media and business. If your question is not about business, please do not ask it. I’m sure you understand Mr. Wallace.”
But the newsman wasn’t quite ready to finish. “Well, with all due respect Mr. Manley, I can’t imagine why you would think to invite me here and assume that no one would be asking me a question about my job. 60 Minutes is what I do for a living,” (roar from audience)

“I understand that Mr. Wallace. However, that is not our subject today, so again, if the audience members could just keep their questions to those dealing with business,” continued Manley.
Wallace replied with a smirk, “Well, I guess you consider this to be...your show” (louder roar)

My heart started racing. Oh my God...I got Mike Wallace into an argument!
<><> <><> <><>

Wallace, shown in the 1950's,
also hosted a variety show
for CBS.

This went on for a couple more verbal jabs before calmer heads prevailed. The panel ended and I bolted for the door. After all, was the day going to possibly get any better??? As I turned, I saw Jeff looking at me.

“That was awesome! Way to go.” Whew! Guess I wasn’t in trouble.


I waited in the hallway for a couple of minutes, and sure enough encountered Mike Wallace en route to getting his coat. In a fit of nervousness, I walked up to him and stuck my program in front of him.
“Mr. Wallace... I have admired your work for a long time. Great job today... Could you sign this?” Something like that, but surely as dopey.


He took the program to sign, looked at me with a knowing glance, and said “Thanks a lot.”
As he walked out into a waiting car (not a limo, more like a four-door K-car), I only hoped that he was really thanking me for putting a bit of excitement into what could have been a boring afternoon for him.

Rest in peace Mike Wallace, and thank YOU!

Young Gymnasts Have a "World Class" Home in Hampton Roads

Restructured from a story I wrote, which was published in the Newport News Town Square section of the Daily Press in late February. I bring it to attention today because there will be a follow-up article in the same section next Thursday about the comeback of Ashley Lambert. Ashley suffered a possible career ending injury almost a year ago. However, her positive spirit and true grit have helped her make a remarkable comeback which is still taking shape. Her inspirational story is worth a read, but will only be published in next Thursday's Daily Press. For now, here's something about the gym where she and many other young gymnasts call their spot.

Located at the end of a side street in midtown Newport News, away from the hustle and bustle of Jefferson Ave., some of the best gymnasts in Virginia have found a new space to call their workout home.

Started by Tami Harrison, the World Class Gym (http://worldclassgym.com) has something for everybody. Harrison’s vision is built on the foundation of having gymnasts achieve their full potential in their gymnastics, and in life.

This makes sense considering her own unique and diverse background. As Tami Elliott, the young gymnast carved an impressive athletic niche for herself as a 10-time All-American at Cal State Fullerton. She competed in the 1984 Olympic trials and barely missed making the team which featured Mary Lou Retton. Still competing as a collegian, Elliott was on a path to making the 1988 Olympic team, including being the highest placing American finisher at the 1985 World University Games. With six months to go before the 1988 trials, while making a standard practice move on the vault, Elliott slipped and landed on her head, compressing her spinal cord and cracking two cervical vertebrae.

With her gymnastics competition career over, Elliott gracefully moved on to the next step of her life. She worked as an assistant coach for Fullerton while finishing her degree in physical education. Later, she returned to the Commonwealth and represented the state as Miss Virginia in 1989, then Mrs. Virginia ten years later, placing in the top ten.

Marriage to husband Rex and children (Rex IV 18, Taylor 16, and Tristan 9) also followed. A call from her alma mater arrived in 2005 with an invitation to the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame. In spite of the transition to family life, Harrison did not let go of her gymnastics past, opening World Class Gym in 2000.

From its humble beginning, the gym has grown by leaps and bounds. A second location was opened in Suffolk. And after 10 years at its original Newport News home on Middle Ground Blvd., the business outgrew the location, and found a new facility on Bell King Road, one which expanded its workspace from 13,000 to 20,000 square feet.

With Harrison serving as the lead coach, World Class has led to numerous stories of accomplishment for young gymnasts.

Keira Brown is one of the success stories to come from World Class. Brown, a junior at Woodside, placed third all-around at the Junior Olympic National Championships, held during the month of May in Long Beach, CA. Because of her placing, she earned the opportunity to train at the USA Gymnastics Training Center in Huntsville, AL. in late October. Two weeks before traveling to Alabama, Brown will be taking a much longer plane ride, to Switzerland, to train for a week. She has already received a scholarship offer from the University of Georgia.

College offers are becoming common for the World Class gymnasts. Nicole Wright, another product of Harrison’s tutelage, earned a scholarship to the University of Maryland, while Sarah Gillespie went on to compete at Ohio State with the same educational benefit. Others, including Menchville’s Ashley Lambert and Taylor Harrison (VA Athlete of the Year and National Junior Olympic team member) are waiting in the wings. In Lambert’s case, the story will be more amazing as she suffered a broken C1 bone in her neck in May 2010. Her comeback story is noteworthy.    

At the younger levels, Lily Olson has qualified for the Diamond Level TOPs Team as a 7 and 8 year old, while Annabelle Hovater competed at the 2010 U.S. Challenge portion of the Covergirl Classic and had the highest All-Around score for optional gymnasts.

But World Class is open to all young gymnasts, regardless of age or ability. In fact, the youngest group of future flippers, known as the Partner Pals, range from 18 months to two years of age. This group moves up to the Tumble Bunnies for the ages of 3-4.

There are ten levels of ability for the gymnasts. Brown, Wright and Gillespie are considered the highest at level 10, but World Class has coaches for all abilities. According to Harrison, there are 85 competitive gymnasts at the Newport News location and about 400 recreational students. In Newport News, there are six other coaches to work with the athletes of varying levels.

The facility is not limited to gymnasts. Local high school cheerleading teams have come in to hone their skills. Girl Scout troops and other youth groups have come by for a variety of activities, including sleepovers and birthday parties. Says Harrison, “we do lots of fun things for everybody. We’re very versatile.”

Looking at the "Man in the Mirror"

Good week for “Writing on the Wall.” I was pleased to be a guest on the “Man in the Mirror” radio show with D’Shawn Wright and Peter J. Castaldo, heard on the Versatility Radio network, and locally at WYRM 1110 in Norfolk. Here is the link to the show:

http://soundcloud.com/terry-riddick/versatility-radio-3-29-12-l?utm_source=soundcloud&utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=google_plus&utm_content=http%3A%2F%2Fsoundcloud.com%2Fterry-riddick%2Fversatility-radio-3-29-12-l

Peter J. Castaldo (L), myself, and D'Shawn Wright
right after the "Man in the Mirror" radio show

I had a great time. My last time in a radio studio was at WCBG (wcbg.wagner.edu), our little 10-watt station at Wagner College, where I did some DJ-ing in college. Lot different then...10 watts meant that the sounds coming from the studio might have gotten off-campus if the wind blew right. On Staten Island, the Fresh Kills dump was usually more dependable. But it was fun, and a learning experience. In fact, my friend Chris Ryan and I got to cover one half of a basketball game once. Chris went on to own Ryan’s Wake (ryanswake.com), a thriving Irish establishment in Troy, NY. On the other hand, I’m doing lots of things, but still chasing the games with the fervor that other maniacs chase tornadoes!

Anyhow, the topic of the day on the “Man in the Mirror” was fear. Why are we afraid to pursue dreams? Lots of great points made last Thursday afternoon and the show is worth a listen. I was humbled, as their previous guests have included the mayors of Virginia Beach and Hampton, as well as business and religious leaders. My own friends and family enjoyed tweaking me with the question...”what are YOU going to talk about?” I’d like to think there were a few meaningful thoughts included in my 15-minute segment.

Of course, my suggestion is to listen!

Looking at the present and the past (my lesson in word origin)

For the past month, the Trayvon Martin case has made its way across national headlines and news outlets. At first glance, the story looks horrific. A 17-year old African-American male is walking through his gated community after purchasing an iced tea and Skittles from the store. An overzealous white neighborhood watchman sees the boy and calls 911 to report a suspicious looking character. The watchman insists on following the youth although the 911 operator advises against it. Eventually, the youth is shot and the watchman, George Zimmerman, is not charged in the killing, and is allowed to walk free.

Millions of people protest, in defense of the child’s innocence. Zimmerman goes into hiding, fearing for his own safety as the outrage of citizens grows. The police chief of Sanford, FL temporarily resigns, raising the angst of many, because his resignation is not permanent.

Now, today I read that the Martin family is looking to trademark Trayvon’s name on memorabilia that is being sold by others. This comes on the heels of new information that claims Martin had been suspended from school three times in the last year, once for marijuana possession. The official police report claims that Martin (over six feet, but slight at 150 pounds) may have attacked Zimmerman (5’9” and over 200 pounds, but less than the initial 250 reported) and reached for his gun, bolstering the guard’s initial claim of self-defense.

As this drama plays itself out, one thing is becoming apparent. This story will not go away soon, and I fear that the details, factual or fictional, are going to get more sordid. And many wrongs are making none of this right.

Upon reading of the Martin’s trademark request, I almost fell out of my chair. I thought that they have to be kidding – to take financial advantage of their son’s murder. Truth is, they are probably trying to stop others from doing the same.

Something happened that night in Sanford, and George Zimmerman should have been arrested. He should be in jail now awaiting trial. I have no idea or not that he was acting in self-defense, but do believe he should have backed off when advised to do so.

The fact that Trayvon Martin may not be quite as innocent as the pictures flashed across every news channel has nothing to do with this. Two males got in a scuffle and one was shot and killed. The person who fired the shot may be “innocent until proven guilty,” but he can’t just be allowed to walk. We have court procedures and a due process system designed to determine guilt or innocence. But, until the process takes place, the shooter must be detained. Period.

 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On another note, my summer activities will now feature “cookouts” when I’m going to an outdoors event with food and games. Here’s why.

Last week, I received a lesson in etymology, or the meaning of words. It was disturbing to say the least. As it turns out, the meaning of the word “picnic” goes far back, and I’d bet that many others, like myself were unaware of this.

As it turns out, back in the days of slavery, the occasion of a slave sale was quite the festive event. Families came from all around, bringing food and fun to celebrate the occasion. Since the “sale” was actually an auction, there could be a bidding war occurring from time to time. So, beforehand, the plantation masters would survey the slaves who were being sold that day, or “picking” who they wanted to make a bid on. Of course, most people know what the N-word is short for. Add one and one together and the event was a “pick-a-….”

I was not aware of this and am now horribly embarrassed. Is it just me?

Hurley Heads to Rhode Island; Moneyball Wins Again

Former Wagner men's basketball coach
Dan Hurley left for a position at URI

It was a sad day on Grymes Hill in Staten Island on Monday as word began to leak out that men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley, who had orchestrated a 20-win turnaround in two seasons, was leaving Wagner College to head for a much higher paying position with the University of Rhode Island, a member of the more prestigious Atlantic 10 conference.

As of Monday afternoon, I had only read the article stating that URI had received permission to talk with Hurley, who with brother Bobby as his top assistant, led the Seahawks to a 25-6 record this year, with victories against Air Force, Santa Clara, Princeton (by 18) and Pittsburgh, who was ranked #15 nationally at the time.

My first inkling that a change was in the works came soon after the Pitt game. Listening to Hurley being interviewed on national television, he was asked about the pressure of winning on ESPN in front of a crowd quadruple the size of any seen at Wagner’s Spiro Center. The response was telling.

“Well, now we’ll go back to our 2,000 seat gym and get ready for the next games in our conference (Northeast).”

Not arena, or sports complex. GYM. Just like in high school, where Hurley cut his head coaching teeth, at St. Benedict’s in New Jersey. Sporting a record of 223-21 after nine years, it was easy to see why Wagner might have taken a chance on a high school coach to lead its program.

But the word “gym” got to me. My first thought was, “he’s already looking at bigger things.”

A couple of weeks later, my concerns were assuaged as he told ESPN’s Andy Katz exactly the opposite. To paraphrase, Hurley said that he wasn’t a coaching lifer, was interested in building a program, that he had stayed at St. Benedict’s for nine years after promising three… blah blah blah. It read well, and I almost believed that he was different from the other money grabbers who prance up and down the sidelines of college hardwoods and gridirons around the country. It seemed reasonable.

My first belief was that the Hurley’s were ready to build a program in the model of Butler or Gonzaga, a small school with a big program. And wouldn’t it be neat to be the name synonymous with the program, like Coach K has done with Duke or Knight at Indiana, or guys like Brad Stevens and Mark Few at the above mentioned schools? And being from an hour outside of Richmond, I’d be remiss to not mention that VCU and Shaka Smart are now joined at the hip. Not the team, the school. The great ones command that kind of word association. More on Coach Smart in a minute.

Bobby Hurley (R) will also be leaving
Wagner to join his brother at URI as
head assistant

Not that the Hurley’s need name recognition. Father Bob is in the Basketball Hall of Fame, having won over 1,000 games and multiple national championships as the coach at legendary St. Anthony’s High School in Jersey City. Bobby was an All-American point guard and NCAA career assist leader who helped Coach K win two national titles at Duke in the early 1990’s. Oddly enough, Dan is the least famous of the three (for now) in spite of scoring over 1,000 points as a guard at Seton Hall.

A couple of months ago, I was talking with fellow Wagnerian and TKE brother Bill Goverman about this. Bill lives in Los Angeles these days where he runs a maid service for the stars. Having heard a few of his stories about rubbing elbows with movie stars, I can’t wait for his book! Anyhow, we were talking about Wagner basketball and I presented my theory, which was that we’d only have Dan for about three years, then Bobby could take over and get head coaching experience at a program he helped to build. In my mind, we were into year two of the six-year plan.

Bill would have none of it. “Don’t say that!” He was hopeful that we’d begin a run of NCAA tournament appearances and build to the point where they would both want to stay. I thought it could be possible, but we’d have to get good enough to earn a few home games at Madison Square Garden… yes, I dared to dream.

In fact, last month, after missing a personal appearance at our National Alumni Association board meeting, which was highlighted by a basketball doubleheader with Danny and Bobby speaking to the alumni between games, I decided to e-mail both of them. In the note, I joked that I had wanted to attend the meeting, if only to present the motion of passing a hat to collect enough money to keep both of them at Wagner.

No response. That didn’t bother me because I’d rather see the basketball coach concentrating on the team during the season than responding to an e-mail from dopey alum.

Guess that response will never arrive because the people from Rhode Island called asking for permission to talk to Dan Hurley. It was granted.

Days later, the contract was signed and the terms were announced. Six years for $4 million. There must have been enough left over in the till, because Bobby was going to leave too, instead of possibly gaining his first head assignment, which I heard was offered.

After a few minutes of being mad and erasing my Hurley TV spots from the DVR, logic took over.

Wagner doesn’t offer long-term contracts and from the look of what coaches at similar sized schools make (the coaches’ salaries from the NCAA teams comes out around this time of year), Wagner might have started Hurley off with a two-year deal for about $150-200K. And that’s being a little generous.

So let’s say you’re a systems analyst at a tech company or a second-year lawyer at a good firm, pulling down $100,000 a year. Your contract is almost up, and a request comes in for an interview, followed by an offer for $665,000 plus perks, which could double your pay. Do you take it?

Yeah, probably… you think?

The one thing I had to remember is this. As Seahawk fans, we’re upset because our coach left. But, it’s our school, but his profession. The Hurley’s have no tie to Wagner, coaching basketball is their job. And when a better offer comes along at your job, you take it.

With that said, I’d like to thank the Hurley brothers for their good work at Wagner. How many coaches have ever gone from 5-26 to 25-6 in two seasons, in any sport? There should be a number of quality coaches chomping at the bit for a chance to coach a 25-6 team with four starters and ten players possibly returning.

Speaking of Shaka Smart, he has bucked the loyalty factor, turning down a cool $2.5 million to coach at Illinois to stay at VCU for half that amount. I’d say coach for life over in Richmond. Bravo!!

Best wishes for the both of you in Rhode Island. Thank you for the enjoyable, albeit, short ride.

Harvard Implicit Test - Still Backwards

This finding seems to clarify my original thoughts about the Harvard Implicit tests. While the exam claims to measure ‘automatic” responses, I wonder how many accommodations are made for other factors. For example, I am left-handed. In my view, the results from my first attempt at this test looked backward from what I assumed it would be.
On attempt #2, I made the conscious decision to take an IAT that was safe from any type of underlying emotional response. On the first IAT, I was determined to prove that my “unconscious” feelings matched my conscious ones. The result totally threw me for a loop.

Yet this one also seems backwards, as noted by the fact that I fell into the “1 percent” category. In my conscious mind, I have no idea why I would associate females with science and males with liberal arts. Perhaps, it is because I graduated as a liberal arts major in college and was not a great science student. This is the only explanation that makes sense to me. My “preference” for females and science could be mirrored by my past inability to master the various subjects, and in honesty, biology, chemistry, and honors physics were not berry…berry good to me!

Looks like the third time will be the charm when it comes to the Harvard Implicit test.

Wow, I made the bottom category! Really?

You have completed the Gender - Science IAT.

Your Result

Your data suggest a strong association of Female with Science and Male with Liberal Arts compared to Male with Science and Female with Liberal Arts.

Cultural Memoir Activity - Rediscovering my Blue Crate

In case one wonders why I was insulted by the results of last week's Harvard Implicit test... feel free to read on...

As part of our coursework for Cultural Competency and Leadership class, each student was asked to make a five minute presentation, giving a brief description of ourselves and what part of our cultural background has made each of us the people we are today.

My first concern with this exercise was validated as soon as the first presenter almost 20 minutes. There is little doubt that as people, most of us like to talk about ourselves. Given an audience, an assignment and time, this was the opportunity for 19 classmates and me to really open up and find our common threads.

Of course, the presentations took up a bit more than two full sessions, but I’m not complaining.

My first insight was how many people identified themselves first by ethnicity. I don’t necessarily mean Asian, African-American or White, but more specifically Italian, Jewish, Korean, and so on. The second point always seemed to be one’s hometown, or even state. In one instance, a presenter noted being from South Carolina, but from a different part of the state than Dr. Chon Glover, our professor, who serves the College of William and Mary as an assistant to President Reveley, focusing on issues of diversity. Some schools might call her position the Director of Diversity, but I think she has earned a couple of upgrades in Tribeland.

It was an interesting activity. For the academic critics who view William and Mary as upper-class and predominantly white, these would have been an interesting two class sessions to sit through. Then again, it might have been taken into consideration that this was a conglomeration of 20 students who chose to participate in this elective course; therefore, the students were more culturally aware or concerned about this subject because of personal choice, not academic program requirement.

Picture this crate..but 30 years older

Regardless, the best part was that I got to look through the crate again!

About 25 years ago, I took a few worn-out, blue milk crates out of the back of my local McDonald’s and decided to use one to hold my personal knick-knacks. The first items were collectables from my alma mater, Wagner College, such as old student newspapers, assignments, graduation pictures, and letters sent from friends and TKE brothers from vacations, or our study abroad program in Austria. As time progressed, newer and older items found their way into the crate. Birthday cards are automatic entries. Pictures that haven’t been snatched up by my younger sister Carrie have found a new home.

I had not dug through the crate in about ten years before this assignment came about. The main reason being – once I start, it’s going to be an all-day event.

While this viewing was completed in under eight hours, it was no less enlightening. First item found was an autobiography that I wrote for “Apollo and Dionysus” class at Wagner for the IDS (Interdisciplinary Studies) program. Wow, we all hated having to take those 18 credits, but it was amazing to see how I viewed my life history at 19 years old. Right under the report (which received an A) was a book of poetry which I submitted for a writing contest during my senior year of college. I am not a poet, but the contest was named for Dr. Jack Boies, at the time, a recently deceased English professor at Wagner, and a great help as my academic advisor during the two years of school, particularly as I was aiming to become editor of the school paper with Keith Giglio. First bit of advice should have been, follow Keith as he is the gifted writer!

Ten minutes later, I found a Hank Aaron baseball card. One of these days, I’ll really get into the story of our Hank Aaron parade here. In short, in about 1973, a few of us from the neighborhood, my family (Kelly and Carrie were there, Jeff might have been too young), the Hopewells (Fred, Jimmy and Denis), the Hadeeds (Bobby and Fred), let’s see, Monique Laventure, some of the Rosser’s (Lisa?)… maybe a couple of other people decided that we were sick of hearing how people were intending to harm Aaron as he pursued the all-time homerun record held by Babe Ruth. So, we called the Alexandria Gazette and told them we were having a parade. They came and covered the event and the result was a half-page story (with picture). A year later, I was able to present the article to Hammerin’ Hank as he was on a meet and greet tour with Magnavox.

Given that this was Alexandria, Virginia in the early 1970’s didn’t seem like such a big deal at the time. Of course, the symbolic parallel is that “Remember the Titans,” one of my favorite movies, even though I didn’t attend T.C. Williams, was set in Alexandria, in 1971. Had to figure that was a story to share in Cultural Competency class. Can’t believe we ranged in age from 4 to 11 and had enough sense to recognize the racial hatred being directed at Aaron, and then to act in a public manner on it.

More to share … next week. My blue crate is not big, but there is a story behind most of the items.

Harvard Implicit Test - are you calling me a racist?

So far, my cultural competency course at William and Mary has been enlightening and eye opening. While I entered the classroom believing that I had some understanding and meritous opinions on the subject, it turns out that I have just as much to learn about the true meaning of cultural awareness as anybody else.

Never was this as apparent as yesterday when I took my first Harvard Implicit test. Anyone can take a test by visiting the site at https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/research. By its own definition, the tests, part of their Project Implicit study, are designed so that a participant has the opportunity to assess one’s conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topics ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music. At the same time, the visitor assists their psychological research on thoughts and feelings.

In short, you can choose a topic. The test comes from being shown a series of two images which may or may not match. Using the “I”and “E” keys, you choose whether the two match or not. The grade is given on incorrect answers as well as time spent answering the questions. There is little time to think as reactions are preferred over conscious thought before answering. The idea is to gauge instincts when comparing two subjects.

I probably should have chosen a safe topic like pets, but instead decided to go straight to the African American -European American implicit attitudes test. During the course of the 10-12 minute exam, I was shown seven series of images with words or phrases such as “European-American,” “African-American,” “Good,” and “Bad,” underneath the images. The objective was to correctly match the image with the saying.

After completing the exam, I was self-satisfied and ready for the people at Harvard to prove what I already felt; that is, Jim McGrath is a culturally competent person with no racial preference, inherent or otherwise. So it was a shocking surprise when this result appeared.

Your Result Your data suggest a strong automatic preference for European American compared to African American.

The interpretation is described as 'automatic preference for European American' if you responded faster when European American faces and Good words were classified with the same key than when African American faces and Good words were classified with the same key. Depending on the magnitude of your result, your automatic preference may be described as 'slight', 'moderate', 'strong', or 'little to no preference'. Alternatively, you may have received feedback that 'there were too many errors to determine a result'

WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?Who are these people? At one point, I was asked to provide my current zip code (23602) as well as the zip code where I lived the longest (22304 – West End Alexandria, VA). Geez… 22304 has to be one of the most diverse zip codes in America. How did the eggheads in Cambridge, MA miss this piece of the puzzle? Obviously, they’ve never seen my wedding pictures. How dare they??

There was more explanation underneath the results, but the damage was done. Whether I want to blame it on the keyboard or not understanding the exam, according to this group of “experts,” I have a strong preference and it was not expected.

I’m going to take some more of these tests. Right now, I’m thinking that the people at Harvard are a bunch of quacks!

Feel free to look up the site and take an implicit test. If you dare!!