The Choice of Company

“I will stick with those that push me up the hill, not those that drag me down. The choice of company is mine.”

-Coach Thomas and Coach Kerns

There is a small, but steep hill that borders the baseball field on which Coach Thomas held practice. Across the street there is a longer slope running from the road to the tennis courts and the Sacred Acre. Both hills were, and I assume still are, utilized heavily in conditioning drills for track and football. I loved the short, steep hill. It required great explosion for a short time and getting down was easy as gravity brought you back to the start. I hated the long slope because it required disciplined strides over a long stretch and became harder with each step. Getting back to the start required effort as well. However, both were equally adept at conditioning an athlete.

As I considered the quote above, I immediately thought of those hills. What if someone was pulling on my jersey as I tried to go up that hill? At times, Coach Kerns would harness us to a tractor tire and make us run up the short, steep hill. The tire made it hard, and as exhaustion set in, it could pull you down the hill. When you were pulled down the hill it resulted in a tangled mass of limbs, nylon cords, pads, and hard rubber. In other words, it would take more effort to get out of the mess at the bottom than it would have to pull it to the top!

We all have hills to climb, right? Some are a product of our circumstances, some are self-made. Personally, I specialize in the self-made variety. So, when faced with a “hill,” how do we get up and over it? Many times, getting up the “hills” requires help from others. It could be a coach pushing you to achieve and get over the hill, or it could be a close friend with wise counsel on overcoming an obstacle in your life. But, invariably there are those that do not offer help, but instead pull against you and drag you back down in to the heap at the bottom of the hill. Bad advice, selfish urging, outright obstruction, getting you to stay still when you should move forward are all ways people can drag you down.

Today, consider your “hills.” Who or what is pushing you up, and who or what is dragging you down? To Coach Thomas and Coach Kerns the answer was simple – cut what holds you back, and embrace what propels you forward. Life can be more complicated than that – but maybe it isn’t – maybe it is that simple. Also, consider your role in helping others with their “hills.” Are you dragging them down, offering no assistance at all, or are you pushing them up and over?

The key word in the above quote, and in many of Coach’s quotes, is “choice.” We make a choice to move up the “hill” and we make a choice to be dragged down. Make the choice to run up your “hill,” with assistance, with effort, and to bring others with you.