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On A Roll documentary
The Strength Coach
Kate's Journey

 

On A Roll documentary
ON A ROLL

On A Roll documentary


Produced by Joanne Caputo, in association with the Independent Television Service, with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

 

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National Speakers Association
The Strength Coach!

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Greetings from Xenia Ohio.

Life has been very stressful and hectic since the hurricane. Now, I'm making some marked progress in rebuilding my business while my family rebuilds our home, which was flooded in the storm.

I wish I had been journaling throughout the ordeal, but through much of it, I was confined to a bed, a manual wheelchair, or a loaned power chair that did not fit me, making it more than uncomfortable to sit upright and type. You see, the day before Katrina, my family evacuated our Ocean Springs, Mississippi home, but I left my power wheelchair and modified mini-van in the garage, confident that they would be safe. The 25 foot storm surge claimed both, and my radio studio, 13 years of my radio show archives, not to mention home videos of the births of my children!!

I'll begin my Katrina story on August 24, a big day for my family. It was the day of the player evaluations at the Ocean Springs Mississippi Parks and Recreation Youth Football League. Last year, my father Jim and I coached my oldest son Greg's football team. While we didn't win a lot of games, we learned a lot about selecting and coaching kids and vowed that the next year, with my son Donovan at the helm as quarterback we'd give our boys several victories to go along with the important life lessons we would teach. On draft day, we selected a great combination of size and speed... a good mix of eleven and twelve year olds.

After selecting our boys and getting our uniforms, our first practice was Thursday, August 25. It was very revealing. We identified who our line would be. We learned who wanted to play the various skill positions, and who brought the most speed to the team. We also learned a lot about our kids attitudes and desire to be competitive, and we were impressed with our stable of horses.

"Good practice boys," I said. "On Monday, I want you all to come back in full pads. It will be a wet field because of the hurricane blowing through this weekend, but if it isn't raining and lightning, I expect you here on Monday at 6:30!"

For the first week after the storm, I was totally dependent on my parents for mobility inside my uncle's house, without electricity, without a power chair, without air conditioning, I needed help going to the bathroom and moving anywhere in the house. And the most stressful part was waiting... Waiting to find out how bad the damage was and fearing the worst. Finally, after three days, my uncle got a generator and because he had satellite television, we were able to learn what the rest of the world was learning about the horrors of Katrina on CNN.

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About me
Born with muscular dystrophy, raised by a football coach, Greg's inner strength message is woven into all of his programs: "In any situation, great opportunity exists for victory."

Greg Smith