Chuckie V

The next blog I read frequently is from Chuckie V.

I met Chuckie a long time ago at a race. During the late 80's and early 90's he was wildley famous for that Hair Cut. He was used in Gatoraide ads and tracended magazines outside of the world of Triathlon. That was the comercial side of Chuck. The real side was much different than the comercial side. For instance, to make it as a pro triathlete (not the highest paying job back then) Chuckie lived in his car. A Datsun 200sx I believe. Crazy as that sounds it worked for him. He was a darn good athlete winning a number of races including Ironman Canada. He also moved on to Bike racing and ended up racing here in Europe (Again, not the easiest of tasks especially for an American). After retirement, he dissapeared for a time. That time included not one but two hikes of the Pacific Crest Trail. You know, the trail that goes from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington. 2,000 plus miles of hiking.
He has since taken up coaching for a living. Like Lucho it's not about how much money he makes it's about the quality of the job and the people he helps. What's best about Chuckie is that he is absolutely entertaining. He shares his views on just about everything, never really takes himself too seriously and you can tell that life around Chuckie is one laugh after another. At the same time, he's a good teacher of life. His posts really make you think about simplificiation. They are really good lessons.

It's a good life.....

Dave

Money

For the next week or so I'm going to share with you all the blogs I read on a fairly regular basis. I read blogs because I find them quite a bit more facinating than CNN international. If you watch that show long enough you can begin to recite the news word for word before they do. Most if not all the Blogs I read come from triathletes. I don't read them because they are triathletes but because of who they personally are and what they write. On a personal side I don't even know half of these people.

Yes, triathletes write about training. I find most of that really boring. I even find it boring when I write about it. My favorite blogs are not exciting all the time but they are consistent with what they produce. The consistently make me laugh, cry or think and that's why I read them.

So I start this process with Lucho. For the most part the daily posts Lucho makes are rather boring. Ran 9 miles with a HR of 146. But every once in awhile he posts something that is astonishing. Lucho is a former pro triathlete and a stay at home Dad. The post I linked you to is what makes this guy special. He knows what's important to him and he doesn't let things like money get in the way.

This post got me thinking about our lives. Mary and I often talk about money. Like most married couples money is a topic. We plan, budget and even sometimes fight about it. But our true belief about it is the same. We don't really care about it. We work not for money but for the love of work. We really like what we do and the money is secondary. Fortunately I guess, we both do work that pays well. And at that point we think we deserve the pay we get. The experiences of what we do far out weighs the paycheck we receive. Read my last post. That kid Mary helped out will pay back to Mary 1 million times more than any paycheck she receives. My goal is to build great shoes for people who love running. If they have great momorable runs in a pair of shoes I worked on than that's really cool to me.

When I was a senior in high school I was working 2 to 3 jobs at any one time. I went to work becuase I liked it and I guess I really liked the money too. I worked at a fish resteraunt and made good money in tips. Basketball season came around and I gave up a great deal of fun time at basketball games to make money at the Fish House. As the season went on the team kept winning. Playoff time came around and I went to the games I could on nights I wasn't working. The team kept winning. They made to the regional tourney (Illionois Basketball) then to the sectional and finally the crazy thing is, they made it to State. Anyone that knows midwest basketball, if you go to state you have hit the big time. As soon as they made state I asked for the time off. I was denied. I pleaded with my boss "This is a once in a lifetime thing" he still said no. The game was Friday night the busiest of nights (the most money) and I made a choice. I called and said I wasn't coming in and I went to the game. We lost the game but it was a blast to be in the University of Illinois Arena, all the lights, all the pagentry. An experience I will not forget. I got fired from that job and financially that hurt and emotionally I got blasted by my girlfriend and her parents. But it didn't matter and it still doesn't. I experienced Illinois State Basketball. Bill Siler at guard, Scott Pierce, Brad Burger, Steve Berg at point and rotations off the bench. Only Bill played college basketball. Scott went to West Point and I don't know but I'm sure Brad is coaching some highschool today. Steve is probalbly CEO of some big company. The point is that the experience watching that group play was much better than a few tips.

It's a good life...

Dave

My Hero, Mary!

1992 was the year. The devastating LA Riots were taking place. Mary and I were on the phone like we were almost every night. She lived in Pheonix and I in Encinitas. During this particular phone call Mary was troubled by the Riots. She was sad because this kind of thing could still take place in our great country. She then turned to her own life and said "I'm not doing enough, I want to make a difference in the world" It was during this conversation that Mary decided she would become a teacher, to "make a difference".

A difference she has made and contnues to make. In her first year teaching she turned a badd ass tough talking 9th grader, Zefarina into a student. That student graduated highschool and personally came back to thank Mary for her efforts. This was just the first of year after year, student after student, Mary making a difference. About 6 years ago a similar discussion was taking place. Her students at the time had everything against them. They were brought to the US by there parents and put into the stringent US schooling. They were asked by those same parents to contribute to the family financially. They lived in Gang Central in San Diego. They were going to school but really got no help from family, after all most of the family members hadn't gone past 7th grade and certainly none of them had graducated high school. These same parents because of how they were raised did not really see the benefits of going to school beyond high school. So, Mary and I talked. She wanted to help these kids. She wanted to make a difference in their lives. So she started "First in My Family". A foundation to help kids , who are the first in their family to graduate highschool, go to college.

As you know, foundations don't just happen. Lots of hard work, personal funding and passion goes into creating a foundation. Mary did all of that and more. Becasue funding was weak the first recipients received small amounts $500 or $1000 to pay for books or that first college class. Mary kept plugging away, raising money. Oh yeah, she also had to be mentor, mother and just plain guardian for many of these kids. She made sure they had a safe place to focus on their work so they could graduate.

The first student Mary worked hard with will graduate from San Diego State next Spring.
Two years ago a friend of the family Estela Cohen, had a party to help Mary raise funds for the foundation. That party turned into a Newspaper article. The article turned into a TV inteview. The calls started coming. Cash came in, boats, campers, vans and fund raisers. The foundation (run by the San Diego High) multiplied.
At the party a young man Juan (Highschool sophmore) stood up to a Micorphone and talked about Mary. He was very polished and just a great kid. The bond between he and Mary was visible. It was love, the kind of love a teacher has for a special student and the kind of love a student (in a lonely world) has for his mentor.

The move to Germany was a shock to Juan. He was afraid he couldn't do it without Mary. Mary was also concerned because she new Juan had so much to give if given a chance. Over the past year, Mary and Juan have kept in contact. He emails her when he's having trouble at home or school and she emails him encouragement. It's has not been easy for either of them but they have managed.

On Tuesday of this week, Juan will graduate from Cima at San Diego High. He will graduate at the top of his class. Juan will be the first in his family to ever graduate. On Tuesday Juan will also be handed a certificate from the Foundation. The certificate is scholarship funding of $10,000. In September, Juan will begin classes at San Diego State University. This kid is special, he will go way beyond college and make a difference himself. I think if you ask him today, He would say it wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Mary.

Mary, you are making a difference!

It's a good life....

Dave