Posted April 08, 2020, 10:30 am

In the fall of 2019, my hospital put out word that it was looking for physicians who might wish to undergo intensive training to become certified health and wellness coaches. Having worked with patients who have used health coaching, I jumped at the chance. Their experiences were almost universally positive: many of them had attained health goals that had been otherwise elusive, such as the weight loss they invoked annually and fruitlessly as a New Years resolution. The few physicians I knew who were also coaches seemed to be able to fuse the different skill sets in a way that expanded their ability to connect with their patients and address their health needs on a deeper level.

Just as a sports coach can help an athlete develop and excel at a sport, a health and wellness coach can help anyone excel at living their life, even or especially if they have chronic medical conditions. The coaching process is similar to talk therapy in that it involves two people discussing ideas and issues, but it is different in that the person who is being coached is in the drivers seat, creating their goals as well as the strategies on how to arrive at these goals.

People tend to hire health coaches to help them with a broad variety of health issues, such as weight loss, stress reduction, the management of chronic conditions, improving diet and exercise, tobacco cessation, addiction, and adjusting to a life-altering health event, like a heart attack. There is overlap between what a health coach does and what a life coach does, but a life coachs domain is much broader, and includes career issues, executive coaching, and professional effectiveness.

A key technique utilized by coaches is motivational interviewing, in which a coach asks open-ended questions intended to help their client elicit his or her own reasons for change. Instead of the doctor saying, You need to lose weight, a coach might ask, How might your life be different if you lost the weight that youve been trying to lose? The concept, which has been proven effective in many research studies, is that people who are changing for their own reasons, on their own terms, are far more likely to succeed when compared with someone telling them what to do which is less motivating and is more likely to instill resistance to change.

Motivational interviewing has been creeping into the medical profession as well, with great success. With the intensive focus on it I received in my coaching training, I now put it in the forefront in my interactions with patients, trying to really hear what they are saying and to engage them as much as possible in coming up with solutions for the various health issues that arise. Patients seem to genuinely appreciate this, and while I havent conducted a study, this approach certainly seems successful in terms of both my relationships with patients and the results I am seeing.

Whereas traditional psychology has focused on what is wrong with people and what needs to be fixed, coaching philosophy focuses on what has, can, and will work better for you. This means that instead of rooting around for problems to dwell on, a coach will work with you to harness your strengths, in order to improve the health behaviors you want to address.

Coaching is effective for people managing a variety of health conditions. According to a recent study, coaching results in clinically relevant improvements in multiple biomarker risk factors (including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, body weight, body mass index, waist circumference, and cardiorespiratory fitness) in diverse populations. Coaching has also helped improve health-related quality of life and reduced hospital admissions in patients with COPD. No wonder some doctors offices are offering it, some insurance companies are paying for it, and private companies are even starting to offer coaching to their employees in order to lower their healthcare costs.

Coaching is a relatively new field, and it is an unregulated industry, so you do not need any certification to practice as a health coach. There is no strict definition of what a health coach even is, which adds to the confusion. In other words, anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a coach. However, there are many programs that do train and certify coaches, both in person and online. Among the most popular and well-respected are: The National Society of Health Coaches, The American Council on Exercise, Dr. Sears Wellness Institute, Duke Integrative Medicine, and Wellcoaches School of Coaching (which is where I was trained). It is strongly recommended that you choose a certified coach, to ensure that they have a certain level of training and experience.

The time commitment and cost of coaching are highly variable. Some people do very brief coaching even one session for a discrete problem, such as whether or not to accept a job offer, whereas others may participate in coaching for months or years, for something like managing weight, diabetes, depression, or hypertension. The cost varies with the skill and experience of the coach. As mentioned previously, some employers and medical plans may cover this, as there is abundant evidence that, for example, health coaching around issues such as weight loss can significantly lower healthcare costs. It is important to note that coaches take privacy very seriously, and they have a professional code of ethics, but there are not the same HIPAA-level privacy protections as there are when you visit a medical office.

Coaching appears to be as effective when administered remotely by phone or the Internet when compared with face-to-face coaching. This provides great flexibility, as coaching can be performed in person, over the phone, or via videoconferencing.

Coaches resumes will often be available for you to review, so see if their interests and experience overlap with the issues you wish to address. Coaches enter the field from a wide variety of different backgrounds, and it might be an advantage to pick a coach who has a background in a health or wellness-related field, though many extremely talented coaches come from careers in different realms. Word of mouth is always an excellent way to find a coach, or you could call your insurance company and, if this is an offered benefit, its likely that they have coaches they can recommend.

Unlike health fads that come and go, health coaching has strong evidence behind it backing its effectiveness for improving health and well-being. Becoming a health coach has been deeply rewarding to me, because it is rare in life that you get to promote happiness, build resiliency, save people money, and help people live longer and more fulfilling lives at the same time.

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Health coaching is effective. Should you try it? - Harvard Health Blog - Harvard Health

SAN MARCOS, Texas -- A year ago, Alex Muntefering didnt think hed be discussing his departure from Texas State University.

The Parkston native was thankful for the Division-I assistant coach opportunity he held on the cross-country and track and field staff for three and a half years.

He developed as a mid-distance and long distance coach, built strong relationships with his runners and helped guide the Bobcats to unprecedented long-distance running success. They won three Sun Belt Conference championships -- 2019 womens indoor track, 2019 mens outdoor track and 2017-18 womens cross-country -- and he coached multiple runners to all-conference placing and school records.

The long road trips for meets and recruiting weighed on him, though, and forced him to start thinking about his future. As hard as it was to step down in December, he wanted to find a better balance in his life between coaching and family.

Over the course of this past fall, I think there were some seeds that were starting to be planted in my heart about what I wanted my life to look like, Muntefering said. What I wanted my role as a coach to look like. More importantly, what I wanted my role as a family person to look like.

Muntefering took a chance, leaving Texas State in December 2019 to open a private coaching business in San Marcos, Texas, called PR Project. Hes still located in the same town as Texas State, utilizing the highly-populated market between Austin and San Antonio where the presence of private coaching is evident.

Thats what it came down to for me, Muntefering said. Having this passion to coach, but to see how I can design my life to maximize my ability to coach and not let it be a sacrifice to other parts of my life.

Hes still learning how to run a business, but hes formulated a plan in how he wants it to develop. As of now, Muntefering is coaching seven runners, with hopes of obtaining as many as 30. Its different from other private coaches who work with 75-100 athletes, but hes focused on quality rather than quantity.

I want to have a smaller amount of athletes, but be able to pour more and more of my time into them, Muntefering said. I know if I took in a large number of athletes, like 75 to 100, I would sacrifice the quality of my coaching.

This wasnt the passion Muntefering envisioned growing up. Even during college, he figured hed continue running or go into physical therapy. Now, hes blending what he learned at all of his stops, even if he didnt know he wanted to be a coach until he was a junior at Colorado State University.

The work ethic comes from growing up on a farm in the state he still owns the Class A 800-meter state record (1:53.76). Hes dealt with transferring from the University of Oklahoma to Colorado State, then excelled on the track despite not having the most talent.

As a graduate assistant at South Dakota State University, Muntefering was able to observe the training and interactions between runners and coaches. His knowledge behind the science of different workouts grew at Texas State, as well as learning to not just work hard but to work efficiently.

Most importantly what I learned here at Texas State (was) how to pour into people, Muntefering said. Using my role as a coach, how to positively impact people. I knew it was something I wanted to gain in my lifetime as a coach, but Texas State afforded me the opportunity to actually do that. To really be able to get deep with each of my athletes.

If the right opportunity arose, Muntefering would return to collegiate coaching. For now, hes focused on growing PR Project, and having the same influence his coaches had on him.

I think slowly over time as I got to learn and see some really great coaches of mine practice their art of coaching, Muntefering said. I think it just slowly started to get ingrained in me that this would be a really (good) opportunity for me to use in my lifetime to positively impact others.

Link:
Still on the track: Parkston native Muntefering dives into private coaching after DI opportunity - The Daily Republic

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - APRIL 29: Pitching coach Steve Foster meets with Kyle Freeland #21 of the ... [+] Colorado Rockies in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on April 29, 2019 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)

Ideally, the Rockies would have played their 12th game of the season Wednesday, completing their first homestand in the process. The starting pitchers would have been on their third turn through the rotation.

Of course, none of that has happened with the COVID-19 pandemic delaying the start of the season and causing concerns whether there will even be games this year.

Rockies pitching coach Steve Foster said when Major League Baseball halted spring training March 12, the starting pitchers were given a road map of sorts about what would be needed when a second spring training began.

This is kind of an unprecedented time, Foster said Wednesday on a conference call with Denver media. The thing that I know is if you give us 20-25 days, I think its going to give us plenty of time to get our pitchers built up enough to be able to compete. Theres enough history in this game to know what it takes to build a starting pitcher up. It all comes down to that, because the relievers and the position players can get ready in plenty short time.

Foster said weekly Zoom meetings began this week. Pods have been established for both the major league and minor league pitchers with the pitching coaches and coordinators serving as pod leaders for the weekly meetings that can include discussion of training regimens to keep arms and bodies in shape and go well beyond those conventional areas.

Coaching isnt just coaching when were on a baseball field, Foster said. Coaching is life coaching as well. And sometimes life goes in directions we didnt expect, and we certainly didnt expect this.

Mental skills development director Doug Chadwick is in charge of distributing a weekly YouTube clip or article to pitchers throughout the organization. Foster said Chadwick gets input from pitching coaches, and then hes going to pick what the weekly discussion is going to be centered on. This week, Chadwick selected a YouTube clip from author, speaker and pastor John Maxwell titled, The Reasons Why Most People Fail Dont Make This Mistake.

Foster said Chadwicks choices are something to spearhead a discussion. But with pitchers widely disbursed Foster said about 15 Rockies pitchers live near the clubs complex in Scottsdale, Ariz. - there is an added benefit to these discussions.

It pales in comparison to just seeing faces and laughing, Foster said, and if we need to cry, well cry. But most importantly, its that were connecting, were staying engaged, were encouraging, were finding out the information from guys on how theyre doing because no ones been here before.

Foster said the pitchers are following health mandates, and some have been pairing off when it comes to playing catch Kyle Freeland and Jeff Hoffman, Chi Chi Gonzalez and Jairo Diaz and Carlos Estevez and Antonio Senzatela.

Freeland has purchased a portable mound. And reliever Scott Oberg has brought one out of storage, as he noted in his Instagram post showing the mound outside his home in Sewell, N.J., and captioned: What bullpens look like for the forseeable future.

Foster was speaking from his home in Mosinee, Wis. He said his daughter, Lauren, a shortstop on the University of Wisconsin softball team will finish her junior year online next month. They have been working out together, but not playing catch or hitting since she wont be playing until next spring.

Foster said what he missed most being away from baseball are the people and the competition and being part of the team.

Our everyday existence is about a win and a loss, Foster said, and risking it all and being all-in and engaged and interacting with people and laughing and loving and crying.

Its by no means the same as trying to weave through nine innings and prevail, but Foster has found some competitive outlets around the house.

We do have Yahtzee here, he said. We have ping-pong. We have a pool table. Weve got some things around the house to draw a little blood.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected Fosters family in other, more serious ways as well. His brother P.J. Foster, 39, was getting ready to leave the U.S. Navy after 20 years and was on his way home from the western Pacific Ocean. But when crew members of the USS Theodore Roosevelt tested positive for COVID-19, the aircraft carrier went to port in Guam so crew members could be tested and isolated, causing an extension of the younger Fosters tour of duty.

Hes been recalled, and now hes on a warship in the South China Sea, Foster said. Thats as much as I know.

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Rockies Pitching Coach Steve Foster Remains Connected With His Pitchers - Forbes

Ralph Davis poses with a Milwaukee Washington High School student at the school's graduation. Davis, 60, who had diabetes, died of COVID-19 on March 25.(Photo: Courtesy of Paul Edward Davis)

A beloved Milwaukee high school basketball coach. A grandfather eagerlyawaiting his first great-grandchildren. A woman who remained close to her five children even as she depended on dialysis.

Theseare some of the people who have succumbed to COVID-19 in the past three weeks as the death toll surged across Wisconsin. The count passed 100 this week, more than half of them in Milwaukee County.

The virus, which spread around the globe, claimed its first victims in Wisconsin on March 19. That day, three men died in three counties:

A66-year-oldretired firefighter in Milwaukee who served as a father figure to boys in the Sherman Park neighborhood; a92-year-old Grafton man who served in the U.S. Air Force and then worked as a mechanic in the paper industry who wasin the late stages of life; and an airplane buff and longtime Mercury Marine employee from Fond du Lac who contracted the virus while on a cruise inEgyptfor his 55th birthday.

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Over the next three weeks, deaths came in 17 of the state's 72 counties. Trends have surfaced, most notably the high percentage of African Americans affected by the virus in Milwaukee County. Roughly 70% of those who have died were black.

Those dying have tended to be men in their 60s or older, and almost every one had underlying medical conditions making them vulnerable to the ravages of the virus.

The illness has hit many victims quickly.

One man,who asked not to be named, said his mother depended on dialysis but seemed fine the last time he saw her in mid-March. The next morning, she was found unresponsive, and was rushed to the hospital. A week later she died.

But beyond the statistics, the state's coronavirus victims are defined more by how they lived than how they died.

Ralph Davis learned how to play basketball from his older brother when he was in grade school. Soon Ralph was showing his brother and many others his moves on the playground courts of Milwaukee

By the late 1970s, Davis became part of the powerhouse Purgolder teams at Washington High School.

They were running folks off the court," said Henry Davis, one of Ralph's brothers.

Ralph Davis joined the boys basketball coaching staff at Washington in 1994.

He said it would be for a year. He never left.

Ralph Davis (rear left) poses with one of the teams he coached during his 25 years at Milwaukee Washington High School.(Photo: Courtesy of Paul Edward Davis)

Davis was on the staffthat coached the Purgolders to state runner-up finishes in 1997 and 2000. He later coachedthe girls basketball team and was the schools track coach last season when Elijah Johnson won state titles in the 100 and 200 meters.

Davis also worked as a teacher's aide at Washington for 25 years.

He really connected with the people in many different ways, Washington Athletic Director Marlon Boyd said. He was a down-to-earth guy, a comedian, always telling jokes, telling stories and cheating the basketball players when they played horse."

Outside Washington High School, a makeshift memorial has gone up this week.It says, "RIP Coach Davis," spelled in cups jammed in the fence.Former players and students have been stopping by to leave a memory.

A memorial has been erected outside Milwaukee's Washington High School for Ralph Davis, the schools basketball and track coach who died of COVID-19 complications March 25.(Photo: Angela Peterson / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

As news of his death spread, people flooded his Facebook pages with stories about the impact he made on their lives.

"I think its crazy how one person can leave such an impact on sooooo many kids,"one former student wrote."If tough love was a person, it wasRalph Davis."

Davis, 60, who haddiabetes, went to get a COVID-19 test on March 20. He was told to expect a call in 24 hours. He never heard back and was found dead in bed earlyMarch 25. The test result came later that same day, according to the medical examiner's report.

Family members said they were trying not to ask"what if," but remembering the man whom many simply knew as "coach."

"My brother was one of the nicest, most gentle guys," one of his brothers said."Hewould bend over backward for anybody and he did."

Richard Malmberg was a large, vibrant man who could filla room.

He grew up in Cudahy, did a stint in the Army, moved back to Wisconsinand married at 21. He went to work at Ladish Co., a metal forging factory in Cudahy where he rose to become a supervisor.

Karen Kazmierski remembers hearing her dad talking in his sleep, bossing subordinates as he was conked out in a living room chair.

"He literally would be bossing people around in his sleep," she said.

Malmberg also was a charmer and a character. He would start whistling or singing 1950s tunes in the grocery store, driving his wife crazy.

"Everybodyloved him. He was reallyoutgoing," Kazmierski said.

Later in life, Malmberg retired from his Ladish job and turned in his golf clubs to becomea devoted grandfather. But he always kept that sharp wit.

Richard Malmberg at a "gender reveal" party in 2019 for his first great-grandchildren, fraternal twins. Malmberg, 89, died from COVID-19 on April 1, 2020.(Photo: Courtesy of Malmberg family)

"He was a character. He liked to give you a hard time, get you riled up, keep it going and then look at someone else and laugh becausehe knew he riled you up,"Kazmierski said, adding she fell for that every time.

Eight years ago, his wife of 62 years, Dawn, died. He was in a rehab center, which he thought he would hate, but he soon started making friends. There he met a woman who would become his girlfriend.

Malmberg was his bubbly self late last year when he had attended a "gender reveal" baby shower. As he closed in on 90, he was giddy over the prospect of becoming a great-grandfather. In a photofrom the party, Malmbergis shown with pink and blue beads around his neck, smiling broadly. It will be a boy and girl, due in May.

But before the birth, Malmberg and his daughter were scheduled to go on the Honor Flight taking veterans to Washington, D.C., on March 23.

In mid-March, Franciscan Courts assisted-living facility in South Milwaukee where Malmberg lived closed to visitors, but residents could leave to go shopping, Kazmierski said.

Malmberg, 89, had heard the news about how toilet paper was in short supply because of panic overCOVID-19. He didn't need to buy his own toilet paper. The facility would supply it if he needed it. But Malmberg was determined, his daughter said.

"He was just a man on a mission," she said. "I was mad at the staff. I said, 'Isnt this defeating the purpose of lockdown if you are letting my dad go out?"

The facility did not return calls requesting an interview.

Kazmierski can't be sure, but she thinks her dad picked up the virus at one of the three stores where he searched for toilet paper.

She couldn't see her dad in person then, but in the days that followed, she heard a worsening coughover the phone. Late one night, Kazmierski said she got a call from anursing aide who found her dad shaking and disoriented. 911 was called.Kazmierski met her dad at the Aurora South Shore Hospital ER.

His voice was what she noticed.

"Hehad this bigboisterous voice, and every day you could hear it get littler and littler until he sounded like a little frail man at the end," said Kazmierski, who remainedin quarantine Thursday at home because she went to see her dad in the hospital.

At the emergency room, he told her he just felt terrible.

Malmberg had faced illness in his later years with grit and determination. There were heart issues and a pacemaker, cancer and the removal of a kidney.

"He had beaten everything, made it through everything but he got this virus, and it just took him out. He had health issues, but it was COVIDthat took him out. It just took over his body and lungs," Kazmierski said. "I never thought this is the way it would end with me not being able to be with him never in a million years."

The last time Kazmierski saw her dad was over Skype with her son at her side. The hospital, she said, would not allowfamily to come in person for fear of infection.

"We were trying to get his attention and it was pretty much just, 'We love you,'" she said. "It was just heartbreaking."

Cary Spivak of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.

Contact John Diedrich at (414) 224-2408 or jdiedrich@journalsentinel.com. Followhim on Twitter at @john_diedrich,Instagram at @john_diedrich, LinkedInorFacebook.

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The charmer, the coach, the firefighter: These are just a few of the lives lost as Wisconsin's coronavirus death toll passes 100 - Milwaukee Journal...

COVID19, or coronavirus, while causing serious physical health challenges to many, self-isolation is causing mental health challenges to even more. For many, modern living brings considerable stress, with work, family, money and more all bringing mental health issues through anxiety and in cases fear.

Coronavirus, along with self-isolation, has leveled that stress up even higher though.

With fear not only of contracting the COVID19 virus itself, but of whether friends and loved ones will be OK, when they will meet them next, what will happen with their work or business. And for those who lost their jobs, how long it will be till they can get another job. Or in certain cases whether theyll actually be able to get another job.

This is the most stressful situation that many have ever experienced, when it will end, how it will end, is all completely unknown. Being isolated at this time, unable to talk things through, or just enjoy that distraction of spending time with friends, edges stress higher for many.

So having some solid mental health tips, so that your mental health can be managed, without going crazy, is worth taking a few minutes to digest.

These are some mental health tips from my online coaching practice that can really help you come through successfully.

What undoes most people is focusing on what they havent got, or have lost. It triggers a negative spiral, which leads into ever worse anxiety and depression, deepening that mental health challenge.

This is where mindful practice really is beneficial.

Being mindful of your thoughts, consciously pivoting and choosing to find positives, focusing on what is good, will reduce mental health challenges from self-isolation in a big way.

Enabling you to stride into a state of self-assurance which has you feeling good about yourself, and your life.

By focusing on your ability to enjoy calm relaxation, taking time to heal, away from the stress of work is good. For most, constant stress from work gets debilitating. This time when youre essentially forced into staying home is a perfect time for getting into personal development that can empower you through life in greater ways.

Whether youre taking up meditation, starting a course of study online, or delving into something else which helps you grow as a person, you have an incredible opportunity now.

Taking time for meditation especially is good. It is calming, and by building up a practice now, you can develop a practice which empowers you ever more for the rest of your life.

Meditation is great, it is calming and helps you build your mental strength in a beautiful way.

Meditating with a notebook, allowing your mind free flow of what youll do post COVID19 opens up realms for positive visualization that will strengthen your resilience for getting through current mental health challenges.

This type of activity gives you thing that you can really look forward to.

Thus increasing your positivity.

Just flow with pen onto paper all the great things you are looking forward to doing. Places, activities, people, everything.

Hold off from putting dates in, though do add what day and time things are. Whether its a Saturday, Thursday evening, Sunday morning, or whatever. Describe in detail what youre enjoying doing. Build it out.

Visualization is an incredibly powerful thing, it has helped me through some of the toughest times in my life. Whats more, the more you go through these visualizations, the more positivity you fill your mind with about the future, the more you actually draw positive events to you. Simply speaking it puts the law of attraction into action in your favor, which right now, as always, has to be good.

Living in Japan had me getting comfortable with online communications and video meetings years ago.

With lock downs and self-isolation in place getting out and seeing friends and family is impossible for many. However, you can still stay in and enjoy time with your loved ones via video call.

With incredible services like Zoom Cloud Meetings, Skype and Messenger you can easily link up with friends, or even groups of friends, and hangout.

You are only isolated if you choose to be isolated.

Technology has enabled us to reach around the world and back with minimal time lag for years. When I video call friends and family half way around the world it is like theyre practically there in the room with me. Removing feelings of isolation, along with those mental health challenges that self-isolation brings.

I remember as a kid calling family on the other side of the world, and the massive time lag involved. We are in a seriously empowered time technology wise. Something which has allowed me opportunity to coach people internationally without getting on a plane. Online coaching means my clients can chat with me in their living rooms. That same technology means that even in isolation you can have your friends and family with you.

These things are all great for helping you overcome mental health challenges from self-isolation.

There are times when stronger help is good. There is never any need for struggling on alone, especially with technology as it is now. Support exists in so many places, much of it online, though there are also hotlines for depression, anxiety and many other things.

Mental health need never be faced alone, regardless of its cause.

When things are getting darker than you can face, reach out.

There are people ready to help you, who truly wish to help you. If you can get your mind into positive space, then keep it there using those tips for overcoming mental health challenges listed above, thats great.

Never allow yourself to feel overwhelmed though. When things start getting too much, reach out and get help.

Call someone, if not a friend then a professional. Allow yourself to have benefit from help. If youre concerned about what others think, just let that thought go. Things like online coaching benefit you with anonymity for a start, many hotlines do too.

Getting help for mental health challenges never makes you a lesser person, it makes you a more enlightened person. Seeking help and then using it means you are accepting that spreading the load has you cross challenges with greater ease, which is very positive.

Whatever your state of mental health, however COVID19 has touched your life, I wish you every success in coming through healthy, and in better state psychologically than you were before. Just remember, if you feel yourself needing help, whether its online coaching, help with meditation, someone to talk to and just let go, reach out and get that help. And if I can help you, then I would be happy to.

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Top Online Coaching Mental Health Tips To Overcome COVID19 Isolation - Thrive Global

Courier Journal sports reporters Dominique Yates, Lucas Aulbach and Cameron Teague Robinson sit down for a roundtable discussion to talk about what life has been like without sports due to the coronavirus. Louisville Courier Journal

The son of a truck driver and a homemaker, Jason Mays says he wasnt exactly born to be a basketball coach.

But it didnt take Mays long to figure out what he wanted to do with his life.

I was 8 years old and loved basketball and shot a basketball every day in my driveway, Mays said. I eventually started charging kids 10 cents for free-throw lessons in my driveway when I was 10 years old.

Now 44, Mays has spent most of his professional life as a coach taking a six-year break to be a financial advisor and is in Year Two as the boys basketball coach at Ashland Blazer High School.

The Tomcats enjoyed an amazing 2019-20 campaign going 33-0, winning the 16th Region title and achieving a No. 2 state ranking from The Associated Press. Ashland Blazer was scheduled to face Elizabethtown in the first round of the Sweet 16, which was postponed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ashland Paul Blazer boys coach Jason Mays talks to his Tomcats during their final regular-season home game against Rose Hill. Feb. 20, 2020(Photo: John Flavell/Special to Courier Journal)

The states coaches took notice of Mays work, voting him the Courier Journals Kentucky Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.

Its because of our players, Mays said. Any coach worth his salt will tell you that. Any guy who gets a Coach of the Year award, its because they had really good players. Probably had some luck along the way.

Mays received 34 votes from the 110 coaches from Kentucky who returned ballots. Males Tim Haworth was the runner-up with 21 votes, followed by Elizabethtowns James Haire (eight votes), Collins Chris Gaither (five) and Scott Countys Tim Glenn (four).

Mays is the third Ashland coach to take the CJ honor, joining George Conley (1953) and Bob Wright (1961).

More:Bullitt East's Stallings named girls Coach of the Year

Mays arrived in Ashland in August of 2018 and says he loves the town.

If I left Ashland, within two weeks I would miss how much people love basketball in this city, he said. Its a throw-back town. They rally around their high school sports teams. Whatever I say about basketball, I could say the same thing about our football program and our baseball program and other sports. They value winning here, so you get a lot of support.

Mays was born and raised in Cincinnati and moved to Georgetown, Kentucky,in the summer of 1992 when his father got a job as a car hauler at the Toyota plant.

Mays played two seasons of basketball at Scott County under former coach Billy Ray Reynolds I wasnt very good, Mays said before graduating in 1994. Mays said he wrote letters to head coaches at every NCAA Division I and Division II school, wanting to get a head start on a coaching career as a student manager.

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He had narrowed his choices to Arizona, Indiana and Louisiana State before Happy Osborne the head coach at Georgetown College pulled him out of history class one day and took him on a trip to recruit Elkhorn Citys Todd Conley.

Mays said he had no desire to attend Georgetown before Reynolds provided some perspective.

He said, You can go to Indiana and be the best jock washer Bobby Knight ever had, or you can go to Georgetown and learn how to coach right away. Its your choice, Mays said. That resonated with me.

Mays spent five years at Georgetown, had brief stints as an assistant coach at St. Catharine and Campbellsville University after graduation and then returned to Georgetown as an assistant coach under Osborne from 2000-07. Mays son, Jayse, was born in November of 2006 and had some complications.

I panicked, Mays said. I didnt think I could work as hard and do my job and be the husband my wife needed and be the father my son needed me to be.

Mays stepped down from Georgetown in 2007 and became a financial advisor for Northwestern Mutual in Lexington. He also had a failed run at becoming a state representative in 2008.

Dumbest thing Ive ever done in my life, he said.

More: Here are the 2020 Courier Journal All-Area Swimming Teams

He got back into coaching in 2014 at Lexington Christian, had stints at Valdosta State and Kentucky Wesleyan and then landed the Ashland Blazer job in 2018. His first team overcame a slow start, won the 16th Region and reached the Sweet 16 before falling to eventual champion Trinity in the quarterfinals.

This season, the Tomcats ranked first in the state in 3-point attempts (859), second in the state in 3-pointers made (339) and reinvigorated the Ashland community with an undefeated season. The Tomcats were led by second-team All-State pick and sophomore Cole Villers (17.1 ppg) and honorable-mention All-State pick and freshman Colin Porter (15.1 ppg).

If I was preparing against us, man, were hard to guard, Mays said. What are you going to take away? If youre going to let us shoot 3s, we had five kids that made 48 3s or more. If youre going to play tight, we have a little point guard named Colin Porter thats going to go by you and get to the rim. I dont know if anybody really figured out how to stop both options.

Mays and the entire Ashland community were excited about a chance to win the schools first state title since 1961. The coach said hes proud of how his players have handled the disappointment of not getting to play in the Sweet 16.

They cant take away 33-0, Mays said. They cant take away our district and regional championships. And they cant take away our undefeated season. Most important, they cant take away the togetherness and relationships that have been forged in our locker room this year.

Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com; Twitter: @kyhighs. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: http://www.courier-journal.com/jasonf.

1946 Bobby Laughlin, Breckinridge Training; 1947 Earle Jones, Maysville; 1948 McCoy Tarry, Brewers; 1949 Letcher Norton, Clark County; 1950 Ralph Carlisle, Lafayette.

1951 Dale Barnstable, Manual; 1952 Norton, Clark County; 1953 George Conley, Ashland; 1954 Delmas Gish, Central City; 1955 John Burr, Adair County; 1956 Bill Carter, Heath; 1957 John Bill Trivette, Pikeville; 1958 Norton, Clark County; 1959 Charlie Lampley, North Marshall; 1960 Jim Morris, Flaget.

1961 Bob Wright, Ashland; 1962 Elmer Baldy Gilb, Henry Clay; 1963 Morton Combs, Carr Creek; 1964 Gene Rhodes, Male; 1965 Bill Harrell, Shelby County; 1966 Harrell, Shelby County; 1967 Bob Fox, Earlington; 1968 Jim Richards, Glasgow; 1969 Bob Graves, Louisville Central; 1970 Gary Schaffer, Pleasure Ridge Park.

1971 Jack Upchurch, Anderson County; 1972 Ray Vencil, Elizabethtown; 1973 Bob Barlow, Bryan Station; 1974 Graves, Central; 1975 Wade Houston, Male; 1976 Richard Schmidt, Ballard; 1977 Schmidt, Ballard; 1978 Wayne Chapman, Apollo; 1979 Charles Jock Sutherland, Lafayette; 1980 Bobby Watson, Owensboro.

1981 Barlow, Bryan Station; 1982 Allen Feldhaus Sr., Mason County; 1983 Craynor Slone, Carlisle County; 1984 Gerald Sinclair, Logan County; 1985 Glenn Collie, Seneca; 1986 Feldhaus Sr., Mason County; 1987 Bobby Keith, Clay County; 1988 Keith, Clay County; 1989 Keith, Clay County; 1990 Gary French, Elizabethtown.

1991 Nolan Barger, Tates Creek; 1992 Danny Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1993 Tim Davis, Marion County; 1994 Billy Hicks, Corbin; 1995 Gary Moore, Franklin County; 1996 Curtis Turley, Greenwood; 1997 Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1998 Haney, Lexington Catholic; 1999 Ernie Simpson, Bowling Green; 2000 Jimmy Just, Iroquois.

2001 Bryce Hibbard, Male; 2002 Rodney Woods, Wayne County; 2003 Kelly Wells, Mason County; 2004 Wells, Mason County; 2005 Mike Szabo, Trinity; 2006 Buddy Biggs, Pendleton County; 2007 Billy Hicks, Scott County; 2008 Champ Ligon Jr., Bryan Station; 2009 Jason Booher, Shelby Valley; 2010 Szabo, Trinity.

2011 Wayne Breeden, Tates Creek; 2012 Allen Feldhaus Jr., Madison Central; 2013 Feldhaus Jr., Madison Central; 2014 Scott Ruthsatz, Covington Catholic; 2015 Rod Drake, Owensboro; 2016 Josh Cook, Mercer County; 2017 Tim Sullivan, Cooper; 2018 Hicks, Scott County; 2019 Jared McCurry, John Hardin.

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Ashland Blazer's Jason Mays voted Courier Journal's Boys Basketball Coach of the Year - Courier Journal

One by one, Missouri Southern's seniors handed in their uniforms for the final time in the weeks following the sudden halt to their season in March due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The Lady Lions had six seniors decide not to retain their final year of eligibility and return as seniors next year.

In contrast, for Nixa grad Makaila Leonhart, it was an easy call to decide she wanted to play again.

"Everybody asks me, Why do you want to go back?" Leonhart said. "After school Im not sure what I want to do. It's still up in the air. The other seniors have internships or jobs. I dont have anything specifically lined up. So, why not use the only year I have left to play softball? I have the rest of my life to go to work.

"Ive added two majors in order to postpone my graduation date and be eligible another year," she added. "Honestly, its surreal. Im excited to come back another year. Im ready to get started."

Leonhart was off to splendid start this year, hitting .344 with eight extra-base hits that included a pair of home runs, 20 runs scored and 13 RBIs. She ranked second on the team in most offensive categories.

Southern was 11-9, having won five in a row during one stretch.

After the NCAA cancelled all spring sports, Leonhart has done her best not to feel overwhelmed with grief or frustration.

"We were having a practice when we found out," she said. "Coach (Hallie Blackney) told us to come in from the field and right away you could tell something was wrong. We already knew the Ivy League schools had cancelled their season. But we didnt know what was going to happen to us. When we found out, we all lost it. I was in shock. It still hasnt fully hit me. Theres not much I can do. I can't control it, so being upset or mad doesnt do much other than ruin my mood."

Otherwise, Leonhart has had much to be happy about during her two years at Southern. She assumed the Lady Lions' starting second base job last year and hit .343 with three triples, three home runs and 25 RBIs.

"It wasnt a major transition for me, coming from Crowder to Southern," she said. "It was pretty easy. Everybody welcomed me from the start. We do a lot of team-building activities and are close to each other. Our coaches get everyone involved in everything we do."

At the same time Leonhart arrived at Southern, Jakki (Prater) Schneider joined Southern's coaching staff as an assistant. Schneider is also a Nixa grad and a former Lady Eagles teammate of Leonhart's older sister, Alex.

"Growing up, I was always around her and saw her as another older sister," Makaila said of Schneider. "The respect has always been there. Having her there at Southern to sort of guide me has helped a lot."

Prior to Southern, Leonhart played two years at Crowder, where she hit .383 and .423 and helped the Lady Roughriders to a 55-10 record and an NJCAA Region 16 championship her freshman year.

"I dont know if I fully knew what I was getting myself into at Crowder," Leonhart said. "After high school, I didnt have a bunch of schools coming after me. Crowder was my only option at that point and at the beginning, I didnt think they really wanted me. Nobody ever said that. But I had that feeling. I felt like I had to prove myself the entire time I was there.

"Jucos are crazy. You work harder there than you ever have," she added. "It takes special people to do that. Our team dwindled down so much because its not for everybody and some people cant handle it. But I wouldnt change anything about it at all. It made me the person I am today."

As Leonhart said, she didn't receive much recruiting interest initially from colleges, despite a very productive Nixa career. She ranks among the Lady Eagles' top five all-time leaders with 141 hits, 32 doubles and 103 runs scored.

Even with Alex being a three-year starter at Central Missouri State, the Jennies never recruited Makaila.

"Ive never been a standout player. Im not some huge hitter who is going to hit a lot of home runs," Makaila said. "Im more of a consistent player who does the job, can get overlooked and isnt on everybodys radar.Ive stayed consistent. Occasionally, I hit home runs and in high-pressure situations, I get the job done.

"(Alex) and I are wired differently," she added. "She knew exactly what she wanted to do out of high school. I kind of just went with the flow. She knew she didnt want to go to a juco. She went to Central had a successful career."

Alex is now part of Joplin's coaching staff.

The Leonharts drew their passion at a young age for softball from their father, David. He played college ball at Kansas State and Oklahoma Christian and was drafted by the New York Mets in 1994. He pitched one season of Single-A ball for the Pittsfield Mets in the New York-Penn League.

"Hes the main reason we both started playing softball andfor as long as I can remember, hes always been there through everything with us," Makaila said. "Pretty much every day hed come home from work and wed have to go hit and throw. Im so lucky to have him. I wouldnt be near the player I am today without him.

"(Alex and I) do a lot of the same things as players that he did," she added. "We put our heads down and go to work. We dont like to talk a lot. We like to see it out on the field."

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Proclaiming 'I have the rest of my life to work,' Nixa's Leonhart happy to return to Southern - Christian County Headliner News

He was the greatest athlete that never was.

Drew Henson couldnt miss in two sports yet he did.

I didnt have the success for which I hoped or expected, Henson told The Post in a recent interview, but I have this wealth of life experiences.

Does he ever. He is a sports Zelig experiencing brushes with greatness over and over, though never getting there himself.

He ties Tom Brady to Derek Jeter more closely than a mansion on Tampas Davis Islands does. He played for Joe Torre, George Steinbrenner and the Yankees, and he played for Bill Parcells, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys.

He not Jeter is arguably the greatest schoolboy baseball player ever produced by the state of Michigan.

He not Brady is the last University of Michigan quarterback to beat Ohio State in Columbus.

Yet an athlete once compared to Mike Schmidt in one sport and to John Elway in another totaled one major league hit and one NFL touchdown pass. His failure at third base led to Aaron Boone, and then Alex Rodriguez, for the Yankees. His failure at quarterback led to Tony Romos rise for the Cowboys.

Henson signed his first pro contract with a baseball dynasty and finished with an 0-16 NFL team the 2008 Lions. Detroit then drafted Matthew Stafford with the first-overall pick in 2009 and immediately waived Henson.

This being Drew Henson, though, his wife just happened to have gone to the same Dallas high school as Stafford, her brothers attended school with Stafford, and Henson himself just happened to be a Cowboy, so he sat in the stands with Staffords father and watched him in high school.

Of course, he did.

When Henson was in high school, he was convinced to go to Michigan by legendary Wolverines football coach Bo Schembechler. He also was cold-called by Jeter to recommend an agent call-waiting clicked in while Henson was on the phone with a friend. Somehow Henson ended up living next door to A-Rod when he was on the way out from the Yankees and A-Rod was on the way in. And, of course, when Brady finally left the Patriots, he wound up on the Buccaneers, moving into Jeters place on Davis Islands which is a short drive from South Tampa, where a 40-year-old ex-third baseman/ex-quarterback lives.

And my story is not done, Henson said.

Henson has a wife, Madeleine, and 7-year-old daughter, Perry, who goes to the same private school as the children of Bucs GM Jason Licht, though the coronavirus pandemic has the Hensons home-schooling Perry. And Hensons hopscotch life has him eyeing football again.

After playing, there were two years at ESPN calling ACC college football games, then six years back with the Yankees, first as a minor league hitting coach who logged some instructional league time with Aaron Judge and Gary Sanchez, and then as a scout.

Last August, he served two weeks as a coaching intern with the Steelers Mike Tomlin was the defensive coordinator with the Vikings during Hensons cup of coffee there (really, he crisscrosses with so many notables) and in January he was a group leader for quarterbacks such as Justin Herbert and Jordan Love at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., helping to guide practices and writing scouting reports for NFL teams.

He is hoping to join an NFL team as a scout now because he believes a life full of Schembechler and Steinbrenner, Jones and Torre, Playboy All-America-status and 0-16 Lions has taught him what the predicted greatness could not. About the best and worst leadership. About huge expectations and bigger downfalls. About the need for patience and fortitude and trusting yourself.

So, I dont have Pro Bowls and I dont have All-Star Games, but I have this wealth of experience and can use it to help a team for the next 20 or 30 years, Henson said. Because I have lived these. And for scouting, I can use myself as an example and all the people I have been around.

Henson has always been around football. His father was a college coach. When Dan Henson was quarterbacks coach at Arizona State, he recruited a kid named Tom Brady. Before his high school senior year, Brady went to a summer football camp that Dan helped run, and there was a ninth grader there. Yep, Drew.

That was the first time the quarterbacks met. Brady went to Michigan, and shortly after that, Dan Henson got a job at Eastern Michigan and moved the family there.

At Brighton High School, Drew Henson averaged 22 points a game and was All-State in basketball. He was rated the countrys top high school quarterback while also being a defensive back and USA Todays All-American punter. On the baseball field, he set high school career records with 70 homers and 290 RBIs. Oh yeah, he also threw 95 mph as a pitcher, whiffed 20 of 21 in one game and was the consensus national player of the year as a senior (this March he was named to the Michigan Baseball Hall of Fame).

He really was a cant-miss prospect.

As a high school junior, Henson was torn between Michigan and Florida State, loving the Seminoles because he so admired offensive coordinator Mark Richt, who (of course) went on to be Staffords head coach at Georgia.

I was 15 and Bo [Schembechler, then with an emeritus role at Michigan] sat me down in his office one day and he said, Drew, you are going to have to decide one thing, Henson recalled. He knew I was good. He asked me if I knew he had been president of the Tigers. I was like, Yes, Bo, I know. He wanted me to know he had a baseball background, too. He told me I had to decide how badly I wanted to be the Michigan quarterback. And then I committed the next day.

The commitment was powerful. Henson told Michigan coach Lloyd Carr that no matter what happened in the June 1998 baseball draft, he wanted the college experience and was coming to play quarterback for the Wolverines. Henson would have been a top baseball pick without that. Instead, the Yankees took a gamble in the third round and gave Henson a $2 million bonus with a promise of another $2.7 million if he gave up football.

Carr had just guided an undefeated national championship team in 1997 with Brian Griese at quarterback after he beat out Brady, among others. In 1998, there was no returning starter. But Brady as a red-shirt junior won the job, though Henson played in nine games.

The following year, Carr installed a controversial plan: Brady would quarterback the first quarter, Henson the second, and whoever played the best would play the second half. Perhaps Carr was feeling the pressure that if Henson didnt play, he would jump full-time to the Yankees. After all, at 19 he had just hit 13 homers in only 254 at-bats at High-A before returning for his sophomore season.

With three games left, Carr decided to go with Brady, who won out, including a 35-34 overtime Orange Bowl win over Alabama in which he threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and ran for another.

What people fail to understand is there is competition at every position all the time, Henson said. And at Michigan they preach the competition. It is what develops good culture, a great team and great leadership. You walk in and want to get on the field.

At the same time, you walk into a quarterback room that is close knit. Tom is three years older. I am looking up to him. You learn from the older players, like you do on every team. Preparation, film study, just overall knowledge of the game. From that aspect, I was learning from him. Yet, on the field you are competing for reps.

Obviously, it is something that everyone is talking about, but you know what is going on inside. You control what you can control. You control how you prepare. You support your teammates. And then whoever they go with that is the deal, that is the way sports is.

He was always good to me, and we got along really well. There was nothing negative about it other than the fact that you had two quarterbacks who are alternating. But everything worked itself out and certainly made me better.

Henson said the relationship with Brady was never problematic and that when the two saw each other over the years it was always cordial, but the two havent spoken in years. Now that Brady is in Tampa, though, Henson said, I hope we can go for lunch.

Brady famously lasted until the sixth round and the 199th pick of the 2000 NFL Draft. His exit left Henson as Michigans starter. But first Steinbrenner made a lucrative offer for Henson to forgo his junior year and come to a franchise that had just won three of the past four World Series. Steinbrenner, once a football coach, had a fascination with the sport and once drafted Elway and tried to talk him out of an NFL career to play right field for the Yanks.

Henson turned down Steinbrenners pitch to Casey Close (yes, Henson did pick Jeters agent) to make Drew a Yankee for life. So the Yankees, trying to win a third straight title and needing a starting pitcher, traded Henson in a July deadline package to the Reds for Denny Neagle. Henson played 16 games with Double-A Chattanooga, then returned to Ann Arbor.

Henson, though, broke his foot and missed the first three games of his junior season, but came back to beat Ohio State (yep, the last time the Wolverines won in Columbus) and beat Auburn in the Citrus Bowl. And now came the biggest decision of his life. He could:

1) Leave for the 2001 NFL Draft. Henson said he saw his scouting grade and it was the same as that years No. 1 pick, Michael Vick. But Henson felt he simply did not have enough snaps as a starter to make the jump yet.

2) Return for his senior season. Henson, however, was losing his best receiver (David Terrell) and four offensive linemen (including stars Jeff Backus and Steve Hutchinson) and was concerned his performance would suffer and his NFL stock would drop.

3) Heed Steinbrenners siren call. The Yankees let the Henson camp know they could reacquire him from Cincinnati and fast-track him to the majors, but only if he would throw away football for good.

Those are the three things I am trying to balance at 20 years old, Henson said. Plus, there was this:

I am going on my third year of having no time off. Literally, spring practice one day, spring break, fly to Tampa, do eight days of spring training, fly back to Ann Arbor. Compete with Tom in spring ball. Finish classes. Fly back to Tampa. Play for three months. Have a week off before you begin training camp.

My body was breaking down both mentally and physically. I didnt know if I could do another 12 months of this constant back and forth. And that sped up the timeline of making a decision. After my junior year, hey, 12 months [a year], I am freaking tired now. Im exhausted mentally and physically and I feel I have to make a decision now.

In March 2001, having played 159 minor league games none above Double-A Henson agreed to a six-year, $17 million deal to give up football permanently. The Yankees hoped he would replace Scott Brosius at third base as soon as 2002. In a statement at the time, Henson called baseball my passion.

After so many years of being told he was going to have to choose one sport over another, Henson finally did. At least that is what he thought.

It is like telling a 20-year-old kid, who has two things he loves to do, Hey, you have to give up one, and you will never, ever do it again. And you might be the best kid in the country doing it, Henson said. That is a really hard thing to do. It isnt like picking a sport. It is like retiring from the other. And that is a difficult concept to grasp.

In football, more preparation film study, practice, meetings helped him. In baseball, Henson found himself overthinking every swing and miss. And one item he returns to over and over in conversation is that he learned patience too late in life. He so badly wanted to get to New York that he didnt appreciate how little high-level baseball he had played and how much couldnt be speed-experienced.

There was another problem. The Yankees Triple-A affiliate was still in Columbus, Ohio. So for three years despite being a home player the last Michigan quarterback to win in Columbus was booed during every at-bat at Cooper Stadium.

It all played on Henson the impatience, the jeers. He didnt replace Brosius, and by 2003 it was clear he was not close to playing next to Jeter, who had become a mentor. Plus, he was bored. The ball only came to him a few times a game, and there were just four at-bats. The Yankees traded for Boone in July 2003, and he was under control through 2004. That also was a scream to Henson.

You have a lot of third basemen who hit homers and play good D. I think I am one of them, Henson said. But my quarterback skill set, I felt with all my tools, was higher than my baseball. We are splitting hairs here. I love doing both. But those are all things that went through my mind. And you only get one life. I was 23. And I could have continued playing baseball for another couple of years and the football is gone.

Henson believes if he would have played his senior season, he would have settled on football plus he, not David Carr, would have been the No. 1-overall pick in 2002 by the Texans. Instead, the Texans took him the following year, and like Brady, he was now a sixth-rounder.

Henson had $12 million left on his Yankees contract. But he began working out as a quarterback, and on his 24th birthday, Feb. 13, 2004, the Texans, knowing they were planning to trade Henson, had an audition watched by 21 teams plus a Houston resident named Roger Clemens next to whom Henson lockered in The Bronx during his brief Yankees tenure.

Three days later, the Yankees traded with the Rangers to obtain Alex Rodriguez to replace Boone, who had been released after blowing out his knee playing basketball, but not before hitting the ALCS Game 7-clinching homer versus the Red Sox. If Henson had succeeded in MLB, there would have been no Boone trade and homer, and probably no Boone as Yankees manager.

Rodriguez had been traded from Dallas to New York, while Henson was leaving New York to play with Dallas he and A-Rod were next-door neighbors briefly in Harbor Island. The Cowboys traded a 2005 third-round pick to the Texans for Henson, who signed an eight-year contract at minimum salary each year (with a chance to make considerably more in roster bonuses).

The trade was engineered by Jones. But Parcells was the coach. He had his old Jets quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, and Parcells and his quarterbacks coach really liked an undrafted signee. The quarterbacks coach was Sean Payton. The undrafted signee was Romo. The tension between what Jones wanted and what Parcells wanted was real.

Henson was rusty after having been away from quarterbacking for a long time. He got just one start, his only one in the NFL, on Thanksgiving 2004 against the Bears. He led a TD drive but threw a pick-six, and Parcells benched him at halftime for Testaverde.

I got to start a game, I threw a pick, [Parcells] pulled me, everyone knows the story, Henson said. Here is what I think and what I pretty much know: Jerry Jones is a gambler. He will take chances. And Parcells had found Tony and signed Tony.

Tony should have been drafted. I trained with Tony at IMG before the draft. My father worked with Tony in college in summers. I knew Tony even before he got to Dallas. There are a lot of strange connections. Bill found Tony and signed Tony. And Jerry pushed to trade for me. So there is that dynamic. And I dont think Coach Parcells liked me from the beginning for whatever reason. I had never had a problem with a coach. But looking back, clearly, he didnt like me. So Jerry was always great for me. It worked out how it worked out. Parcells went with his guy. Tony turned out to be a really good play. And they won one playoff game. Make of it what you want.

Henson doesnt regret his time in Dallas it is where he met his wife. That was followed by short stints with the Vikings and Lions, and then, at 29, he was done.

I am [at peace why he didnt make it in either sport], Henson said. You do go through, Why am I 29 years old and not playing any longer? One thing about my personality is wanting to know everything I consider myself a bright guy and continuing things as long as I can. I took the two sports one step farther than I should have, where your natural talent isnt different from anyone elses and maybe they have more experience than you. You are playing catch-up in that regard.

I was a part-time baseball player moving up the minor league ranks at an accelerated pace that, by 21, I was at Triple-A with barely a full season of at-bats. But to me it didnt matter. I was trying to get to the big leagues the next day and be an All-Star at 21.

So, me understanding the progression of my development and realistic expectations that were not anywhere near the expectations in my own mind, that part of it, I just needed more patience. Every step along the way, I felt I made the right decision with the information that I had. But what I lacked was being patient and letting the process play out. I learned that as I got older. . Im as competitive as I have always been. But when you go back through it, yeah, I would never have thought I would fail to accomplish what I did. Again, thats life. And I am a lot tougher because of it.

Even now, though, you hear the pull in both directions. Henson thinks if he had concentrated on football he would have succeeded, and he thinks his skills would have turned out similar to those of Kris Bryant if he had just focused on baseball.

Ive been asked the question a million times: What is your favorite thing? Henson said. I would say I love hitting a baseball more than anything, but there is nothing like playing quarterback. And having the ball in your hands. And being at that position.

So he has gravitated back to football. He believes he was close to a job with an NFL team when the pandemic hit, and he has been asked to wait. A lifetime of experience has finally afforded him what he specifically lacked in baseball.

Finally, Henson said, I learned, like even now with the virus, patience and that not everything happens on my timetable.

So the guy who couldnt miss, but did in two sports, waits patiently to be allowed back into the game.

The rest is here:
Drew Henson, the greatest athlete that never was, has a new sports dream - New York Post

As Brock Olivo gazes out at the wondrous city of Rome from his seventh-floor balcony on Viale Beate Vergine del Carmelo, some of the words that come to mind right now are macabre and apocalyptic.

Amid the sinister sprawl of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, through Friday evening no country had suffered more coronavirus-related deaths than Italy (18,849), where strict quarantine has been enforced for weeks.

So the city with a population of nearly three million is a ghost town where only grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations are open. Its enchanting buzz and bustle have been relegated to a haunting vacuum.

Vanished into the haze are the kisses on the cheeks among what Olivo calls one of the most touchy-feely societies in the world, and ebbed away are the gregarious clang of espresso cups and white noise of normally constant chitter-chatter.

Replaced by a setting Olivo described thusly: By decree, he cant go into the silent streets without a printed consent form to shop (once a week) and might wait in line for hours while clad in a mask and surgical gloves and toting a bottle of spray disinfectant.

Think about this: Rome in the spring, Olivo, the former Chiefs assistant coach and star running back at Missouri, said Thursday in an interview over FaceTime. This is an ethereal place, and you have spring in full bloom all around you. And all the beauty that spring brings with it here. And the paradox is that you also have this silent killer lurking.

So you cant even go outside and enjoy it because you dont know where it is and who has it Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine seeing Rome so empty.

A void in which Olivo more than anything else perceives hope in the unseen. Its an attitude that might be a challenge for many to absorb, let alone execute. But its also one with some vital incentive both abroad and right here now.

You have to see this and approach this as an opportunity to enrich your life, he said. Thats the way Im approaching it, and for me its working. I know everybody is different, but I can just speak from my perspective:

What a great opportunity for introspection. Think of the artists, the singers, the songwriters, the writers, anybody who has to create. Think about the opportunity that they have during this time, especially in the (United States).

Our rhythm, our pace, if you will, is so much more accelerated than most of the other parts of the world that we really dont ever have a chance to sit down and take a deep breath and relax. So what an opportunity for people to embrace this moment and find out, really, who the heck they are.

In my opinion, there are going to be a lot of people who when they come out of this thing take a different direction in life. Be it career-wise, culturally, relationship-wise, etc., etc. Its going to be an eye-opening experience if you embrace it and you approach it optimistically.

Anyone who knows Olivo might not be surprised that he somehow sees fullness, even a richness, in this barrenness.

Anyone who doesnt know him might learn that from a quick glance back at him as a player.

He became MUs career leading rusher (a record since broken) but was all the more distinguished by the work ethic and infectious mojo of a guy who into his Mizzou days had slept with a football most of his life and tended to call his Tigers linemen sir.

Between his high-knee churning and polite, sincere manner, then-Mizzou assistant coach Skip Hall took to calling him Forrest Gump, after the fictional character made famous by Tom Hanks.

And he made an enduring statement on then-coach Larry Smiths recruiting visit during Olivos prep days at St. Francis Borgia in Washington, Missouri.

First of all, he about tore my hand off when I walked in the door. And then he sat across from me, and his eyes got about that big, Smith, who circled his fingers around his eyes for emphasis in a 1997 interview. And he was on the edge of his seat. I was afraid he was going to jump across and attack me.

In a scene that conjures the image of Kramer on Seinfeld instantly accepting a low-ball settlement for a coffee burn, Olivo accepted the offer before Smith finished the sentence.

What I saw in that living room, Smith said then, came out in the uniform.

(When I reminded Olivo of some of Smiths comments in a follow-up message, he wrote back that he was so glad he had made it to Smiths funeral in 2008. Havent cried like that since, he added.)

What Smith saw in that living room has prevailed ever since, actually, leading to Olivo receiving the first Mosi Tatupu Award bestowed on the nations best special teams player and four years in the NFL and playing football and coaching in Italy.

His time at MU doubtless played a role in his being hired by the Chiefs in 2014 as an assistant to special teams coordinator Dave Toub, who was on the staff at Mizzou during Olivos career from 1994-98. Olivo was particularly thrilled for Toub after the Chiefs won Super Bowl LIV and believes this father figure in his life is the archetype of what an NFL head coach should be.

Olivo left the Chiefs in 2016 to become the special teams coordinator in Denver. He was fired after one season and then resumed his role as an assistant special teams coordinator, this time with the Bears. He lost that job after two seasons and returned to Italy in February to coach the Lazio Ducks and get closer to his two children, Sophia and James.

He soon understood he was in a dire situation, including being unable even to see his kids, and that he needed to gird himself for something more while sequestered in his three-bedroom, roughly 2,000-square foot apartment with his girlfriend, Flaminia.

A lot of people are like this: It could cause you to be very acrimonious, very caustic, very bitter about the situation youre in, said Olivo, whose return to Italy came to our attention through the work of the Chicago Tribunes estimable Brad Biggs. But the way I approached this from the beginning was to really embrace it.

Actually, he found himself afloat for a day or two. Then he knew hed go nuts if he didnt create a regimented schedule and tangible goals in this case to enrich himself culturally.

While he wanted to avoid the tedious sensations of the Groundhog Day effect, he also wanted to create a system conducive to being attacked full-speed ahead.

Because otherwise youre going to go sit and think about it, he said. And its going to eat at you, and its going to be depressing.

So hes up every day about 8 a.m., the better to avoid temptation to stay awake all hours and sleep all day. By 9 a.m. he typically is beginning a two-hour session studying to be a sommelier (wine steward).

Then he begins his workouts, bolstered by dumbbells, kettle bells and elastic bands and running up and down the seven flights in his apartment building.

No need for a mask in there, he says, since hes never encountered anyone else within since there is an elevator available.

Its a marble staircase, he said. Its beautiful, and you can get after it.

Then it might be time for lunch and on to study Spanish to go along with his fluent Italian. In the late afternoon, he may be making video calls to family and playing chess with Flaminia and cooking.

But there is nothing more life-affirming and soothing than being out on the balcony and taking part in the magic of the music with guitar or ukulele in hand.

Like a scene from a movie, he said.

Sometimes they hear opera playing out the windows now. Or violins. For a while, there was a national singalong being played every night, so Olivo would learn the song during the day.

As the deaths have risen, Olivo said, there are less of those things. But he and Flaminia still feel the urge to play. The songs keep it light because you have to, he said. Music, in a sense, has been a savior to everybody here. As it often is.

Olivo said he first learned guitar at training camp with the Detroit Lions, and hes carried one as what he called an ambassador of good times with him ever since.

His current repertoire heavily favors Take Me Home, Country Roads, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks and Pearl Jam.

The Italians have no idea what Im saying or singing about, but they like it, he said, laughing and adding, I dont do any justice to any of these songs or musicians. But I hope theyre at least recognizable.

Whether or not they are, at least we can know Olivo is as distinguishable as ever. Something particularly heartening coming from within the macabre all around him.

2020 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)

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Vahe Gregorian: Former Chiefs assistant coach and MU star Brock Olivo unbowed by quarantine in Italy - msnNOW

Many white-collar workers in Bend have made the transition in the last month from a bustling office atmosphere to the chaos and comfort of working from home.

A recent presentation from members of Bend Young Professionals offers some tips and tricks for maintaining productivity and a healthy attitude during the coronavirus crisis.

Fromcommon-sense tips like blocking out time to turn off your phone, to how to transform turn a task list into a morning ritual, three local work-from-home veterans shared their recommendations for getting the most out of your day in the middle of a pandemic and recession.

While home environments vary, the primary challenge of working from home remains the same: How to sustain a productive and focused workday, without the motivation and accountability of actually going to work?

Dave Salcicciolithe chief development officer at Coachwell, a leadership and business coaching organizationsuggested developing new systematic rituals to help you maintain spiritual, physical and emotional energy in the midst of a scary and unpredictable time.

All of the rhythms that we had are all up in the air, he said. They helped us function at our peak, they helped us do really well in our work. We have to establish a new lifestyle to survive and thrive in this moment.

Establish a structure: get up, get dressed, put on your shoes and walk out the door if it helps you to get into the right frame of mind, he said.

Find a physical space in the house as your home office, he suggested.

Communicate this space to your spouse and your family so you are not bombarded with distractions and interruptions, Winn said.

[Your workspace] is not being on the couch with your sweatpants on, Winn said. That only works for a certain amount of time. When you enter that space your are in work mode, when you leave you are in family [or relaxation] mode.

How do you set boundaries when youre in absolute triage mode, when youre working really long days, working more, not less, said Gabriel Davis, the second panelist. Davis has worked remotely for three years in Bend as a growth strategist for a California-based marketing company.

When work is always there, always associated with our place at home, come up with some kind of activity that says Im shutting down for the day, letting the day go,'" he said. "I dont have to open the laptop at 7pm; I can start it tomorrow morning and the world isnt going to end.

At the close of the workday, write down what needs to get done the following day.

Davis added that a quick and easy hack for day planning is starting a shared Google calendar that is open to everyone in the office so co-workers know the best times of the day to check in, and can see your workflow. Davis said hes very transparent about his time and adds time slots for homeschooling his children.

He explained that it is common for people when they first begin working from home to feel nervous that their boss cant see them working, when in fact they are actually more productive.

People are probably very thankful [for their jobs] and want to hang on to that and may be overproducing, Davis said.

Even if you are working unconventional hours, it shows your bosses you are putting the time in, he said.

Document your progress each day to get an objective perspective of what you did, he said.

Working from home tends to be more about results, Davis said. Bosses will be looking for productivity. Treat the work you do as a business, even if you only serve one, the person you are working for.

Winn said that because you are working from home, it's important to clear away distractions.

Get notifications off your phone, he said. Turn it off if you can when you are in the middle of a task.

Davis advised that during this socially isolated time, to try to stay connected with like-minded people across different industries. It helps maintain a sense of camaraderie while also offering fresh perspectives on how to adapt your business during the pandemic.

Join networking groups talk through ideas engage it takes the burden off your own shoulders, Davis said. As we come out of this lock down, the people that leaned in on community, these are going to be the biggest leaders and winners coming out of this.

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Master Working From Home, From Three Bendites Who Do It All the Time - The Source Weekly