Sidelines
HOW do you explain it? Ever had a coach
like this?SEE SPECIAL SECTION:
ALOHA COACH LESHow do you sum up a legacy?
In the beginning, there was nothing.
And at the end, there were memories.
And in between, what a ride.
Have you ever had a coach?
Maybe you know of a mentor who was old fashioned and stoic and proud. Who said the same old lines over and over again, things like, "The cream rises to the top."
And you knew it sounded silly, but somehow, deep down, it was comforting and real and you nodded your head.
Because you knew he was right.
And any show of approval, however rare, lifted you. Made you soar. Because you knew if this man thought you were doing something right, you'd earned it.
And you killed yourself for those little affirmations. Everyone did. And together, hopes and dreams were suddenly within reach.
And that was his plan all along.
Have you ever had a coach like that?
Have you ever known someone who could get something out of nothing?
A person who saw the potential when there was none?
A man who knew what you could do before you had the slightest notion?
And when you saw that he was right, what a feeling.
Circumstances couldn't hold him back. He taught you to keep plugging ahead, quietly. With dignity. But doggedly.
So what if it had never been done before? You were doing it now.
He scraped to get by, but with him it didn't seem like scraping.
No uniforms? You had to use some orange hand-me-downs? You wore them. And you were proud of it.
And when he got new ones, they had orange, too, just so you would never forget. Just as a reminder to keep working hard.
He made orange look good.
Maybe you had a coach like that.
Maybe he could have gone on to bigger and better things. Maybe he should have. But he never did.
Maybe you had a hold on him the way he had a hold on you.
His boys. His team.
His dream.
MAYBE HE HAD more passion than he let on.
And he could see it all starting to come together.
And after all he had done with nothing, when he finally got something -- players and facilities and fans -- he was able to work magic.
More magic than anyone had ever dreamed.
And you were right in the middle of it, and you'll never forget that gift.
Because he had a vision, and he made you see it too.
Have you ever had someone like that?
Maybe the impossible became possible so often, and the magic so routine, that a lot of people forgot how special it was.
But you knew.
And years later, when the time came, you told the stories and hugged the hugs, and on a special night, in the stadium he built, you shed a tear.
Because he was your coach.
And you'd loved him all along. You just didn't know it until years later.
Aloha, Coach Les.
The cream rises to the top.
Kalani Simpson's column runs Sundays, Tuesdays and Fridays.
He can be reached at ksimpson@starbulletin.com