The Heart of A Champion

My Dad has always done what he damn-well pleases. I know of no one who has ever been able to tell him what to do or how to do it. No one!

As many of you know, my Dad has walked on bad knees for many years. From his LSU football playing days, to the days of him prowling the sidelines as a coach, his knees took a beating. Probably the most grueling times were his years of wearing the zebra-striped shirt on the football fields and basketball courts in the area. Nevertheless, he still does what he wants to this day!

However, for the past ten days, he has been forced to listen to the doctors’ orders (and mine). Dad was scheduled to have knee replacement surgery on his left knee on Wednesday, August 15. Before pre-admitting, he had to get clearance from a cardiologist (standard procedure for any 78-year-old human being).

On Friday, August 10, the stress test came back abnormal so he went in for a heart cath on Tuesday, August 14. Upon completion, the cardiologist informed me that Dad was 100% blocked in 2 arteries and no less than 70% blocked in most other areas. He would need bypass surgery. We were sent straight to BSA.

So to fast-forward quickly, here is a brief breakdown of our past ten days:

• 8/14: Rodeo began. Admitted to hospital.
• 8/15: Met with the surgeon.
• 8/16: I played gatekeeper and did my best to entertain him and keep him from escaping the hospital until surgery.
• 8/17: Surgery at 8:00am. Lasted about 4 hours. Had four bypasses total. No severe heart damage or deterioration found. Placed in CCU.
• 8/18: Was sitting up in a chair within 24 hours of surgery. Watching him get the hiccups was painful for both of us! Dealing with afibrulation (A-Fib for short, a rapid heart rate) which is being controlled by medication.
• 8/19: Still in CCU. Appetite not very good, but was told that was normal. A-Fib had subsided and heartbeat was back in normal rhythm. Good news!
• 8/20: Moved out of CCU to a regular room. Second Go-Round underway!
• 8/21: Pretty good day. Just visited and watched TV and looked like we might be going home on Wednesday.
• 8/22: Doctors not pleased with the return of A-Fib. Not going home today. Not what he wanted to hear. Third Go-Round in progress!
• 8/23: Had been experiencing nausea off and on after surgery. Doctors told him he would have to eat a good lunch and hold it down before he could go home. Ordered a roast beef sandwich and inhaled it! By noon, we were headed north. Rodeo over!

I got him home around 1:00pm. He took a good nap and I holed up in the front room and was able to get a little work done. I wish you could have seen me at the grocery store that evening shopping for ‘heart healthy” food! Talking about clueless!

We had to go back to Amarilo to the cardiologist on Friday morning for some blood work related to the A-Fib. I hope they can get that corrected soon. He is tired and now realizes he had major surgery. I hope he will just take this a day at a time. If you know my Dad, you know he only knows one speed… Full!

He is home and happy to be there. He is very tired. We just need him to rest. I had to come back to Canyon Friday night. We had 31 teams scheduled for football equipment checkout on Saturday. It was very hard to leave him. Almost like leaving your kid with the babysitter for the first time. Although it wasn't the circumstances we wanted, we spent 10 days of quality time together. I highly recommend it if you have the opportunity to do so with your parent(s).

It goes without saying, I am truly grateful. So is Dad. Thanks for all the prayers, visits, calls, texts, etc. Dumas High School faculty and staff, along with the district administration have been so gracious. Bob & Carol Gadbois, you have been our rock! I even met a few new folks during the process who genuinely care for Dad. You know who you are. Thank you so much.

To my colleagues at Kids, Incorporated, thank you for running the shop. I hope you saved room for me as I get back into a normal routine in the coming days.

I tried to keep all of this off of Facebook for obvious reasons. Please call me with any questions. Let’s allow Dad to rest for a few days. I bet he'll be back at it in no time!

God Bless you all.  - JRL

Amarillo Magazine Online | Kids, Inc. Growing Strong

Amarillo Magazine Online Kids, Inc. Growing Strong

I'm Sorry And I Apologize

Yesterday, Mark McGwire became the latest in a long line of high-profile celebrities to say "I'm sorry," and "I apologize." Every sports and news show on radio and television covered the story. The same shows replayed the story over and over, even into today.

Now, Jose Canseco wants he and McGwire to duel it out on national television by submitting to a polygraph test to determine if the two actually shared a bathroom stall years ago to inject McGwire with steroids.

To Mr. McGwire and and Mr. Canseco, your fifteen minutes of fame are up with me. If they can ban Pete Rose for gambling, I certainly believe it would be fitting to send you both packing from the game as well.

I have wasted your time, and mine, discussing this issue further. Now I am the one who should say, "I'm sorry, and I apologize."

Huge Sandstorm in Lubbock - Who's To Blame?

Mike Leach was fired at Texas Tech yesterday. First of all, let me state that I don't have a dog in this hunt. However, as a former alumni director at a university that went through its share of media scrutiny and public relations blunders some 20 years ago, it's nice to see the Texas Panhandle winds stirring up the dust 105 miles to the south of my Alma Mater for a change.

Nevertheless, here's what I know. There is Coach Leach's side of the story, there is the player's/Tech's side of the story and somewhere in the middle lies the truth. (I confirmed this fact with our local rocket scientist just to be certain.)

Mike Leach. I have met the coach. He is an interesting character to say the least. A good friend that I grew up with was actually on a coaching staff with him many years ago. Here's my two cents worth on the coach. Genius with X's and O's. Increased the number of butts in the seats in Jones Stadium during his tenure. Good-hearted individual. (I know this firsthand as he and Coach Knight... yes Bobby Knight, took time out of their busy schedules to autograph over 100 Texas Tech stadium seats that were donated to our organization for a fundraiser several years ago.) Graduation rates cannot be disputed. Sub-par in the area of media relations. Doubt if he and the Tech administrators exchanged many Christmas cards over the years.

Opinion. You need to be able to incorporate all of these characteristics if you are going to have a chance in today's court of public opinion. In other words, you have to be willing to "play the game" when necessary. We all want to be the rebel on occasion. Still, if you want to survive inside the fishbowl, you've got to be able to swallow a little humble pie from time to time. Not this coach's style.

Tech's Dilemma. A no-win situation. Ignore the issue and they are facing a potentially huge liability. Settle the issue in-house; which they have indicated was attempted with "the letter", to no avail. Lastly, fire the coach and move on, which they obviously chose to do.

Opinion. A roll of the dice? Absolutely. The way I see it, the dice were going to come up "snake eyes" no matter which path they chose.

So who's to blame? Everyone involved. There's so much more to this story than I will ever know, or care to know. The fact of the matter is this is an accountability issue to the core. From top to bottom, the accountability system failed in this situation. Let me try to briefly explain my theory.

Tech hired this coach. During his tenure, there have been new contracts awarded. In other words, Tech hired Leach on several occasions over the past 10 years. Thus, an accountability system was established from employer to employee, and vice-versa. Ultimately, winning kept the coach employed. Make no mistake about it! There has really never been a mutual admiration society between the two entities. If you think for one minute that Leach would have been offered new contracts with losing seasons, I've got some magic potion you'll be interested in as well.

The chancellor referred to Leach as "unusual" on ESPN radio yesterday. Bottom line, the Tech administration was fed up with his "unusualness". Period. So they canned him.

I'm sure this matter will cost the university some money, in more ways than one. In fact, I'm sure that it already has. It will cost them some points in the court of public opinion. With some folks, I know it already has. But for how long? Until another coach wins.

The longer it takes for another coach to win at Tech, the more Coach Leach comes out smelling like a rose. I hope he can find another job very soon. I like to watch his teams play. My Alma Mater runs the same offense. It sells tickets and makes the game fun to watch. He is no doubt an innovator. I wish him well. He would never ask for my advice, but just the same... Coach, you can't lock a player in a closet and win. You just can't! You also have to "play the game" on occasion. Right, wrong or indifferent... you just do!

For the Tech administration, their students, alumni and fans, I hope this too shall pass very soon. I admit I've never been a big Tech fan. I just prefer the small school setting. But I am smart enough to know that a winning Tech football program benefits us all in the Texas Panhandle and the South Plains. While the Tech administration would certainly never seek my advice, I will share one thought stream just for grins.

There is no such thing as conditional love. You either love someone or you don't. When you hire an employee, in this case a coach, you hire everything about them. We all come with baggage and you have to take the good with the bad.

So next time around, make sure you are willing to love your coach unconditionally! Hold one another accountable from the start and do not continue to "renew" the relationship if it becomes anything less than unconditional. You'll save a great deal of heartache for everyone involved if you do so.

My Friend Roger

With only two blog posts in the rearview mirror, it is obvious that I tend to formally record my thoughts on certain "special" occasions. This post will be no different. The difference this time will be the difficulty factor of the subject matter.

As I begin this post on Saturday, September 19. I suspect it will be a few weeks before I actually complete my thoughts. I will date my comments accordingly.

I received a call in my office yesterday morning (Friday, September 18) informing me of the unexpected passing of one of my dear friends, Roger Rowntree. Now before I go any further, I must inform you that I am only one, in a very long line of individuals, who called Roger a dear friend. Roger was the owner of Buck's Sporting Goods in Amarillo. He has been with the store for over 50 years.

When I was a young lad and my Dad was coaching in Dumas, I loved going with him to Amarillo to see his friend, Pat Tipps, at Vance Hall Sporting Goods. We would always go in the back door rather than the front of the retail store. I thought that was so cool! I had no idea that I would one day have a friend like that, whose sporting goods store, I too, would enter through the back door!

In 1989, when I had the good fortune of becoming the executive director of the West Texas A&M University Alumni Association, I began doing business directly with Roger Rowntree at Buck's Sporting Goods. Little did we know at that time, that just a few years later, I would become the president of Kids, Incorporated in Amarillo.

For those of you not familiar with Kids, Incorporated, we are a comprehensive nonprofit youth sports organization, founded by Cal Farley, currently serving some 17,000+ participants annually in 24 separate sports venues.

Since going to Kids, Incorporated in 1995, I can honestly say that our organization would not be where it is today without the support, service, and most important to me, the counsel and personal friendship, of one Mr. Roger Rowntree.

Yes, Kids, Incorporated is a big customer. But I never once felt as if Roger was trying to "sell" me anything. Just the opposite. I was always asking him how we could improve our sporting goods inventory to ensure that we were providing quality equipment for the children participating in our program. Roger not only understood the importance of the safety factor, but he also had our organization's best interest at heart when it came to the financial aspects. We never bargained on safety, but we always received the fairest price and the greatest of service from Roger. That's the business relationship we shared in a nutshell.

My personal relationship with Roger is difficult to explain. First of all, he understood me very well. Roger knew that my job required me to watch every move I make. Serving children and families in a large program like Kids, Incorporated comes with a tremendous amount of scrutiny, even in Amarillo, which can be a very small town at times. Roger knew that everywhere we went, we were under the microscope where Kids, Incorporated was concerned. In other words, I always had to be the fuddy-duddy! I am one who tends to take life a little too serious at times. Perhaps it is self-induced pressure that is completely unnecessary, but Roger understood this and told me on many occasions how he respected me for representing Kids, Incorporated in this way.

Concluded on December 7, 2009...

In the meantime, I always wanted to be more like Roger. He was always happy, upbeat and so much fun to be around. For lack of better terminology, life was one big party for my friend Roger! When we hung out together, I never wanted it to end. This was a man who made sure that everyone in his presence had a good time!

Kids, Incorporated will honor Roger during its 65th anniversary in 2010. Russell Athletics has authorized Kids, Incorporated to use its "R" logo in duplicate on every Kids, Incorporated t-shirt in 2010. It will be pretty cool to see over 15,000 t-shirts running around with my friend Roger's initials over the course of the next year. He wouldn't admit it, but he would think it was cool too!

To his wife Katie, and the entire Rowntree family, please know that we are grateful to each of you for sharing Roger with us. Those of us who knew him are truly blessed!

Reflections On Father's Day

Today is Father's Day, my second blog. Ironically, my first blog was written last month on my Dad's birthday. It was also Mother's Day, although I didn't mention it at the time. We lost my Mother 11 years ago on Mother's Day weekend. In fact, Mother's Day that year (1998) fell on my Dad's birthday, just as it did this year. That was a tough day.

Fast-forward 11 years and I find myself in the "man cave" banging out a little gibberish on the keyboard early on a Sunday morning. The wife and kids are all still sleeping soundly. The dogs have all been outside and are curled up for another nap as well. I've had a cup of coffee and I'm ready to go!

For the record, the "man cave" is not some lavish palace kind of place. However, the previous owners of our home had the foresight to finish out a little 10' x 10' space that leads to the attic. The first time we looked at the house, it was immediately dubbed "the man cave". It has carpet, a light (switch included), two wall plugs and a phone plug. Most importantly, it has space for my computer, desk and television (decor my wife certainly would not allow anywhere else in the house). With a couple of golf pictures on the wall, it's all I need. If there was a toilet in here, the family would never see me!

For me personally, Father's Day is just another day. We'll leave as a family for Lubbock this morning for our oldest daughter's basketball game. Yes I know, we are missing church... not a good thing. My preacher has a difficult time with youth sports interfering with church. Rightfully so. Hopefully, we will return home in time for the wife and I to get in nine holes of golf before heading into the work week.

As a son, I will think of my Dad all day long. He'll spend the day at his house in Dumas with his faithful companion, Buffy (his golden retriever also known as "Her Highness"). No one will ever know all the things he has done for me. I'll give him a call and that will suffice for him. He certainly wants no theatre production made of this day. We'll have lunch later in the week. No fanfare, no pomp and circumstance, just a casual father and son get-together, hopefully with the wife and grandkids in tow.

I'll think of my Father-In-Law today as well. He has certainly been very good to me over the years. He worked hard to provide for his wife and three children. Most importantly to me, he is a wonderful Granddad to my three children.

On this Father's Day, I also think of my close friends who too are fathers. Craig will have Kenna today and I know how special that is for him. Kim's girls are in San Angelo away at college for the summer. Perhaps, he and Pam will join me and "my Kim" on the golf course this evening. Even though Bill doesn't have any kids of his own, I guarantee he is helping make someone's Father's Day more special by offering a helping hand or cooking dinner for some family.

So what does any of this hoo-haw have to do with the youth sports industry? In my humble opinion... EVERYTHING!!!

Being a father is about leadership. Plain and simple. My girls would let me stay and play golf all day if I wanted to. They would probably have more fun in Lubbock without me, but would never tell me so. Nevertheless, my role today is to be the bus driver to and from Lubbock, spend quality time with my wife and kids and serve as the number one cheerleader for my child during her game today.

A father is not singularly defined as being the male parent. Think about how many kiddos today have two parents that both work. Our kids certainly fall into this category. What about the single parents out there that work their tails off and still find time to spend with their children?

Children today spend far less quality time with their parents than when I was a child. With the invention of the internet, high-tech video games, cell phones and other such influences, the role of the parent is more important today than ever before.

So to all the fathers out there, here is my wish for you today. Raise a child who is both strong and respectable. Be there when they need a shoulder to cry on. Be their friend, but also a disciplinarian when called for. Be their coach, their adviser and their support system.

Regardless of your personal situation, fathers MUST be leaders. So go out today and lead your children. Show your son how to be a good father. Demonstrate to your daughter what a good father looks like so when she marries someday, perhaps she will look for those qualities in a husband.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Birthday Dad! My First "Blog"

Thank you for dropping in on my first official "blog". I can think of no better way to begin this experience than by wishing a special Happy 75th Birthday to my Dad. If I am lucky enough to make it to 75, I hope I am still making a difference in the lives of children and others around me just like he continues to do each and every day. Happy Birthday Coach!

I really don't know where the term "blog" came from or what it actually means. What I do know is that I can use this space to share my own thoughts and ideas regarding the youth sports industry and other subjects as they come along.

Since this is my first edition, I suppose a brief introduction is in order. I was raised in Dumas, Texas with some of the finest people in the world, many of whom I still communicate with on a regular basis. I attended West Texas A&M University and received a bachelor’s degree in secondary education in 1985. I obtained a master’s degree in educational administration in 1996. I have been married to my wonderful wife, Kim, for over 20 years. She serves as an elementary principal in Amarillo, Texas. We have three beautiful daughters, Jayla, Kennedy and Hallie.

For the past 14 years, I have served as the President and CEO for Kids, Incorporated, a comprehensive nonprofit youth sports organization located in Amarillo, Texas. The organization was founded in 1945 by Mr. Cal Farley. In 2008, our enrollment and program figures were as follows:

• 17,375 participants
• 1,659 teams
• 6,199 games

Kids, Incorporated currently offers 24 separate sports venues for boys and girls, ages four through high school. Our sports menu includes leagues in basketball, soccer (indoor and outdoor), track, t-ball, coach-pitch softball, USSSA softball, tackle football, flag football (indoor and outdoor), volleyball, and cheerleading. We even have year-round indoor soccer leagues for adults that are very popular!

I would be remiss if I failed to mention I work with the finest colleagues the youth sports industry has to offer. The tenure of our professional staff averages nine years each. Maintaining a strong employee base is the largest obstacle for any organization. We also enjoy the greatest volunteer network in the world! Over 3,000 adults volunteer their time annually to serve as coaches and assistant coaches in our program. Our volunteer Board of Directors also plays an integral role in the overall fiduciary responsibilities of our company.

Youth sports have become a huge industry across America. All you have to do is "Google" a particular sport, with the word "youth" in the search bar, and you'll see what I mean. It has been interesting to monitor the ebb and flow of this industry over the past 14 years.

I am a firm believer that children need to be involved in organized group activities. I am certainly not implying that it must always be sports. Church events, band, choir, theatre and scouting are just a few other examples. I think children learn how to become part of a "community" when they participate in organized activities.

In the coming weeks, I would like to use this space to share my experiences in this industry and make every effort to bring awareness to the fact that youth sports are for KIDS! We as adults seem to find a way to distort the integrity of the whole process from time to time. My staff could write a novel on some of the experiences from our office. I'll touch on some of these and other issues in future editions.

I look forward to continuing this discussion in the coming weeks. I hope you will take time to drop in again soon. If you have a topic for discussion related to youth sports or just a question about Kids, Incorporated in general, please send me an email at jlackey@kidsinc.org.

Until then, I hope you will take every opportunity to make a positive impact in the life of a child. Have a great day!