Yah, what the title says. But, I’ll make it easy for you. www.soulfoc.us
(Both in the world and in my life and also in no particular order)
- First off, Mr. Obama made a real nice comeback at the end of 2010. He had some huge moves with consensus building tax breaks, a new healthcare bill, and Sotomayor was put on the big bench. I like the name Sotomayor because it’s fun to say, but I know some dude in Kansas right now is probably saying what’s so fun about “psuedo-mayor.” Try it for real. MyyyyOrrrr. See, fun. And finally they eliminated the antiquated notion of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. (Apparently the new placeholder policy name for gays in the military is “Peek-a-boo Camouflage”) Not really sure if that’s funny, but it might be very funny.
- Back in my world I fully took over the Karno Kids Foundation charity and I think it has a ton of potential: We have to keep these kids motivated to seek active lives or as they say in Hawaii, “We have to inspire the keiki!”
- www.karnokids.org or
- www.crowdrise.com/karnokidscharity to support with warm soft cash
- THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS WON THE MOTHER FUCKING WORLD SERIES: Been waiting most of my life for this and I think I gave the organization about $2000 in exchange for an unmentionable number of $7 beers. Worth every penny. (Is it weird that I run a charity for kids and then swore in the next bulleted vignette? Let us all interpret that blank double-space between the aforementioned vignettes as the space between “work J.T.” and “Giants game JT”)
- I also had the pleasure of making a beautiful and exciting woman my girlfriend. Which, in turn, led to the pleasure of learning new lessons in heartbreak. Still working out the deets on this one, but it certainly makes life interesting. Uh, oh all the dirty laundry is out there. I feel like Kanye.
- Mega Babe Upset about Ms. Pac Man Game that was apparently “cheating” again.
- I had the opportunity to do some serious domestic and international traveling and made some great new friends: To my homies in Kauai, my new/old friends in New York, Dude Barn boys in Portland, family friends in Atlanta and Tennessee, Socal love, Big Wave Surfers in Mexico, Shasta Lake funsicles, Tokyo cousins, and my teammates in Charlotte…thank you for putting up with my enthusiasm.
- There were numerous tragedies that rocked our world in 2010, but three in particular stuck in my mind. Now, I’m not saying these tragedies were “cool things in 2010,” but each did reveal a certain silver lining. The first two disasters include Haiti ‘s earthquake and the Gulf spill. While both are completely and perpetually disastrous, I contend that our immediate reactions show that charity is still alive. Humans are once again proving to be inherently good and I welcome the reminder. The last disaster is a combination of the iPhone 4 and AT&T’s service. The silver lining here is that in six years I’ll get a .25-cent rebate from some phantom class action. The other silver lining was witnessing the agent I share office space with throw his iPhone out of his car window on the highway. He’d just dropped his 4th call in a row and this led to his amazing statement of disgust.
- Hang on now, we’re almost there. I just have to give some love to some of my freakishly talented friends that had really big years in 2010. First off, Nam Nguyen (my web designer, idea cushion, and #1 Asian friend) was named employee of the year at the hugely successful ad agency Goodby, Silverstein and something. No one deserves it more than Nam. Next, my former training partner, Sergio Reyes, won the 2010 U.S. Marathon Championships with a huge personal best 0f 2:14. Well, maybe Sergio deserves it more, but it’s apples and oranges. And finally huge congratulations go to my father who recently stepped down from coaching cross-country and track & field at Santa Clara University. My father had coached at some level for over 40 years and in more than ten different sports. From my 7th grade St. Christopher’s basketball team to guiding a Division One All-American in cross-country, Tom Service gave his life to teaching sports the right way. And in the end everyone loved him. I can’t ask for a better role model than that.
- Sergio Winning the U.S. Champs. Looking all patriotic.
- Tom Service Doing His Thing
- 2010 also saw the rescue of the Chilean miners. These guys were unflappable, not to mention one of them finished the NYC Marathon on a mangled knee. We should get Tom Service to coach him and maybe next time he would beat Jared the Subway guy.
- Major Effort from the Miner
- And as always lets bring it back to me. Admittedly narcissistic and yet deceptively honest. It’s called branding…take notes. So 2010 marked the year I started my own sports management business called Soul Focus, LLC. It was tough to leave Evolve Sports and Mavericks, but it was just my time. It has taken a few months but we have a website, new digs in SOMA, new clients and some attitude. Life is good and I owe it to all my friends and family that support me. Thank you to my roommates at the Daly City Palo Mar Stables, to all my lovers, some insatiable charm and to my Barb & Tom and the rest of the family. I’m just appreciative for another year of beautiful memories.
If you like you can check out the new Soul Focus digital footprint at the links below. Plus, I’ve included my favorite inter-web music video from 2010 as a treat for getting to the bottom of the blog. You are welcome.
Website: www.soulfoc.us
Facebook: www.facebook.com/soulfocussports
Twitter: www.twitter.com/soulfocussports
Special Music Video Bonus from the Inter-Web:
I am actually a ninja.
While it is likely a result of some subtle lessons from my college coach father, I’ve always believed that sports are not just entertainment, but that they also carry important life lessons. This never proved to be more true than over the past few weeks of the Giant baseball season. Through out the 2010 season fans of the San Francisco Giants’ have witnessed an undervalued and over matched team overcome enormous obstacles. While their pitching is on par with the best in the league they bring an offense that lacks a major slugger. We watched the Phillies bring All Star’s Utley, Howard and Werth to the plate, while the misfit Giants splattered journeymen and rookies through out their line up. They say good pitching wins championships, but that’s just something teams with good hitters say. However, you already know the outcome. The Giants have won the National League Championship and now they’re continuing their dream season into the World Series where they continue to be branded as underdogs. This brand burns cleanly into the team skin of the Giants, as it’s the only feeling they have known this year. This team was picked to finish 3rd in the N.L. West let along the entire National League and now they have climbed the mountain. I’ve watched this group develop since April and it was not always pretty, but certain things have struck me as the season matured through the summer and into the early fall. Now more than ever do I believe that there are life lessons to be extracted from this team and as a teacher or a parent or just as a boss there may be ways to implement such techniques to create any cohesive and successful effort.
First, the media loves to talk about the “weirdness” of the group and how they’re a bunch of misfits. This intrigues not only the national press, but also a San Francisco fan base that prides itself on an eccentric cultural history. Their most notable player, Tim Lincecum, is a two time Cy Young Award winner, but is also a pot smoking, long-haired hippy. He pitches funny and swears consistently in post-game interviews. Their closing pitcher is likely a little insane and continues to give some of the most bizarre interviews I’ve seen in years. The key is that there must be an air of trust amongst the team because they feel like they can be themselves. So often in peer pressure filled situations (read elite level sports teams) participants feel forced to fit in and be a typical jock or play a role. Here it seems someone on the team or maybe a few made it acceptable to be your weird self. Dye your beard, wear a red thong to loosen people up, and just enjoy your job. The lesson here for those of you scoring at home is to create and ensure an environment of acceptance. While this is not easy, it facilitates a place where team members or students can be themselves and perform to the best of their ability. Further, it fosters community and it allows a little bit of fun. When work becomes fun and you trust those around you, guess what, it’s not really work anymore.
Next, this Giants team has been resilient. Players and media alike have overused the word, but it’s the perfect adjective. They don’t get down, they get even or even better, they get ahead. The players themselves have even individually reinvented entire careers as we’ve seen veterans such as Andres Torres, Aubrey Huff, and Pat Burrell have very solid seasons. Another example is the Tim Lincecum’s mid-season self-assessment. In July it looked like Lincecum was going to have an off year and just have a mediocre season. This likely would have been an acceptable result to most professionals who may have chalked it up to “off” year, especially after winning baseballs pitching crown for consecutive year’s prior. However, he is a perfect example of looking at one’s personal routine, going back to your strengths and refusing to accept mediocrity. Lincecum seemed to have a “Michael Jackson Man in the Mirror” moment and he made the change. The lesson here is that it is never over. Your career does not have to end because others say it’s over. Your season or year does not have to be a waste because the first few months were rocky. It’s October 26, 2010 today and you could still have the best year ever. Just pull a Timmy and get back to what made you happy in the past. Get back to the foundation and get your swagger back. This team and these players are a resilient group and I believe it is those individual examples of resilience from Timmy to Andres Torres that fostered a larger team version. If you don’t give up, then others won’t either.
Finally, this group is selfless. A team is a group of individuals that puts a common goal before the individual glory. Radio talk shows and announcers have consistently commented on the amazing job the manager, Bruce Bochy, has done with the team. However, it takes an ego-less team to pull off some of the things he has done. He constantly makes changes, plays some individuals sparingly, but then expects the world from those he has demoted. This can only be done with a team that wants to win for each other and disregards personal preference. Further, their selfless behavior can be seen after their mistakes and after their successes. There is understanding and support in the former and more often pure elation in the latter. Once a team gets on a roll like that it creates an unbelievable feeling of trust. Not only trust in each other, but also you begin to believe in yourself as well because your teammates believe in you. This manager has done a great job with strategic maneuvers, but he has probably done a better job allowing the group mold themselves. In the end, a group like this can more easily controlled because trust is at the foundation of each relationship, both top-down and amongst one’s peers.
In conclusion, the 2010 Giants are not just a baseball team. They’re a lesson plan, a business model, and an inspiration to individuals to Never Give Up. When I hear school administrators or parents complain that sports are not as valuable as education, I simply cringe. While I agree that a good education is important it should not be separated from athletics or the arts or day-to-day lesson of social awareness when in fact education can be found everywhere especially in the 2010 Giants dugout.
Went for a run today. I suppose I could write that statement just about everyday, but today was special. I’m traveling through Georgia and Tennessee this week on a quest to quench some southern thirst. It’s not a thirst that some sweet tea or even Seagram’s sweet tea can relieve, but more of an “ants in the pants” feeling. Not really sure what started this obsession, but I’ve been psychologically pulled to the idea of living in Tennessee for the past year. While I have been all over the U.S. and a few places around the world, I have never lived more than 30 miles from the California coast. I think that is a shame. I don’t know how the Volunteer state attracted my unknowing attention; but I think I’m starting to figure it out.
As I said I went for a run today in the town of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. Since I arrived in the south signs of the Civil War kept sneaking up on me. A rebel bumper sticker would plant itself on the truck in front of me or maybe a billboard advertising different reenactment experiences would flash by the window of my rental car. Now driving slightly hung over from Chattanooga en route to Nashville, I saw a sign for the Battlefield of Stones River and promptly veered off the freeway to check it out. My aforementioned hang over has it’s own anecdote involving a run in with the only middle-aged gay dude in Chattanooga who thought he hit the jack pot when he found out the bar stool next to him was occupied by a real life San Franciscan. Lets just say I drank for free for the rest of the night, but not enough to send my new friend home whistling Dixie. Real nice guy though.
Beautiful East Tennessee from Lookout Mountain
Hang over in tact I was fixing to get my run on and sweat out the spirits. Turning off the freeway I decided to first track down the battlefield’s visitor center. You’re likely aware, but if not, our U.S. National Parks Service preserves and hosts most of the Civil War battlefields. They do a beautiful job of caring for the space and providing the historical accounts of not only these battles, but on topics through out our nations time line. PSA aside, in this case they have a beautiful center to check out the history around the battle including a short re-enactment film that almost brings you to tears, and then a free battlefield tour. I had a short conversation with the center’s host, whose name was Bob, and who was impressed that I had visited alone and loved that I was from California. He said he didn’t meet too many Californians and I expressed that I wasn’t surprised. Clinch your asshole for a big generalization coming at you, but Californians like to go to islands, Mexicos, and Europes. Oh, but my friends, COME HITHER, this country has beauty and stories right under its thumbs. It’s a road trip away; it’s everywhere and not just Paris. But I too often digress. So Bob gave me a little special treatment because of my California roots, not to mention the fact that it looked like it was going to be a pretty slow day around the middle Tennessee visitor center. He personally walked me through the museum and gave me a few of his personal historical tidbits. Little nuggets such as this battle was a must win for Mr. Abraham Lincoln. The gauntlet of the Emancipation Proclamation had just been laid down and now he needed some rebel blood to seal the deal. The thought of two groups of young American men killing each other in battle still sickens me because I cannot imagine it occurring today. However, in 150 years our ancestors will probably say the same thing about our modern day wars. The merry-go-round of blood and tears will likely remain unless we begin to see the past as the future.
Off on my own now I finally went for that run I’ve been talking about. I started with a route they call the cotton trail and it runs through four different fields that hosted the clashing of the Yankees and their southern counterparts. I imagined myself breathing hard and fighting in that era only to break into a retreating sprint from exploding canons or surging troops. I sprinted up hills envisioning that now I was on the attack and flashing my bayonet. Through out the run I stopped repeatedly to read scripted accounts of the field’s encounters. Jogging through the cemetery and past the civil war’s oldest monument I tried to imagine the scene and then saw the number. 24, 000 men were killed or wounded during the three-day battle of Stones River. Young and old, North and South. I asked myself, what motivated these individuals to join in the Civil War? I assume there were some honorable freedom seekers on the Union side, but I also feel it was likely an economic or familial decision. The key seems to be that all of the people in America would soon be free. Free to their preferred way of life or actually free in the case of a Union victory. But I suppose freedom only awaited those that survived. Black or white, North or South fighting for freedom. I started to run again because I needed to keep moving, but I kept telling myself that the Civil War was such a bummer. I kept running because like this country it had to keep moving after those bloody three days. The war kept chugging and after the war the country kept chugging. There will always be mistakes and hiccups in every nations past and in every life lived. But then what? What to do next? The history will always be there, but the south is no longer burning, and instead it’s beautiful. Fall is in full swing through out Tennessee and the changing the leaves reveal our world has not stopped turning. The people are still clamoring for Saturday morning college football and Nashville’s music is calling me from my hotel window. It’s okay to look back, but don’t stop and try not to make the same mistakes again. That goes for you to America, you’re a beautiful thing.
Finally learning that solo sunsets and leaving bars alone is a good thing. (Especially in Chattanooga)
“Rubba Slippas”
There is a man on the island of Kauai by the name of Godwin Esaki. I’ve mentioned him in previous blogs and I’m proud to call him a close friend. Godwin founded and manages the Kapaa Banana Farm on the east side of the Kauai. His life is bananas and even after 18 years of farming he is still constantly searching for ways to improve his farm. I view it as a personal quest for perfection and only now does he believe he is starting to get efficient. Godwin is also a master of Hapkido where he guides local boys and girls through one of the most respected journeys in martial arts. The lessons he has taken from Hapkido are woven into the fabric of his being as he teaches patience, balance, mental fortitude, and human respect to his students.
You may ask, “What does a 55-year-old banana farmer and a 29-year-old sports lawyer have in common? Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t get it either, but we see eye to eye. We just straight up understand each other and he earned his way right back onto my blog due to an incredible performance at this year’s race.
This year Godwin wanted to utilize the marathon to inspire all of the people on Kauai so he decided to train and run the half marathon in “rubba slippas” (Read Rubber Slippers, aka Locals, aka $2 flip flops from Big Save), which are the footwear of choice through out the islands. Godwin had never run over 6 miles, but he wanted prove that anything is possible and he wanted to do it in local style. People told him his feet would tear, blister and that he couldn’t finish. Instead Godwin stayed the course and created a mantra. “We have to inspire the keiki.” We have to inspire our little ones, we have to inspire our local children. With the economy down, the sugar mills closing, drugs on the rise, and obesity running rampant…Godwin takes it upon himself to inspire the keiki daily. He decided that if he could run 13 miles in slippers, something unheard of, yet familiar, then the local youth could start to believe in the seemingly impossible.
As an aside I don’t believe Godwin put a ton of thought into the act. However, in the end it was incredibly symbolic. The marathon is owned by non-islanders and further it features a sport that the locals are not real passionate about. Running has nothing to do with the ocean and thus it is rarely practiced locally. In this light, Godwin’s goal created a symbolic bridge between this new sport and Kauai’s life style. Laid back slippers running marathons…brilliant. “You gotta be kidding me, you the guy that run in slippers? You crazy brada!” It’s a connector.
Leading up to race day the cards were stacked against Godwin as he twisted his ankle three weeks prior and only snuck in one run before the big day. Fortunately this martial arts master knew his body and through self-massage and self-belief he lined up amongst 1500 shoe clad runners. He even had an extra pair of slippers in his hands just in case he needed a pit stop or suffered a Jimmy Buffet blow out.
It wasn’t easy, but Godwin’s spirit conquered the hilly and humid course. At mile 11 he slid on his fresh Locals and went to the line with a smile. Inspiring the keiki and the old alike he showed the islanders that anything was possible. Fitness on the island is attainable; hard work can bring the economy back to Kauai, and above all respect awaits you at your finish line. A local man running in slippers is the new symbol of authentic inspiration for Soul Focus Sports.
Featured on the front page, Godwin is all smiles as he finishes in slippers.
Marcel the Shell…With Shoes On.
This is just funny.
A study conducted by UCSF is about to be released highlighting some strong gains in the fight against childhood obesity. Most of the children across the state of California benefiting from numerous campaigns striving to improve the nutrition of our youth. That’s the good news. This is fantastic as school lunch improvements and the importance of youth health is starting to catch. The bad news is that a few racial groups are not only failing to plateau, but instead they’re getting increasingly obese.
Like many public information campaigns, this one is not reaching the people who need it the most. For example 4.6 percent of black girls and 4.9 percent of American Indian girls are severely obese while only 1% of Asian and white girls fall in the same category. This sucks. Lets work on it.
The article in its entirety can be found here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2010/08/16/MN3O1ETQO8.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0wmkRBtKZ
Example of the coupon being prescribed. Fricken Fantastic.
In an effort to continue our new positive tip I wanted to share an incredible article from the New York Times. Three Massachusetts health centers are providing “Produce Prescriptions” for low-income families to use at local farmer’s markets. Qualifying families receive $1 per day/per child to use at the markets in an effort to quell childhood obesity. Good for the parents, great for the farmers, and absolutely necessary for our Coked (read Coca Cola’d) up kids of today. Check the whole story here.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/13/business/13veggies.html?_r=1&ref=business
I used to be more positive in all aspects of my life. I now deem the period golden, as the sun shined incessantly. Perhaps it was because the sun always shines on the Central California coast, but there was a simultaneous attitude that accompanied the era. Each encounter was greeted with a smirk of mischief and each day coated with an adventurous attitude. I didn’t have much money and had even less free time, but I had expectations and I knew whatever I had, I had it good. Just work hard, run a few times a day, and live with great expectations.
I was on drugs.
Naw, not really, not hard ones at least. No instead, it was just a constant flow of instinctual living. Through out that time I seemed to engage purely on the gut feelings of letting my soul govern my compass and my heart set my sail. I believed in myself and thought anything was possible. First off, I was running like mad. Everyday, twice a day, with friends or solo journeys. Trying to run farther and attempting to run faster. I loved different scenes so I’d tackle mountains, sprint along firmly packed beaches and even enjoy an inner city life game of Frogger. The idea at the time was the Olympics, but now I realize the motivation was more deeply rooted in human history. After recently reading Chris McDougal’s incredible book “Born to Run” I finally realized why I was so innately compelled to move. It was natural. We are meant to move. A sedentary life does not jive with the hands of time. Whether it was run, play, hike or ride…I had to go. There are naturally created chemicals waiting to excrete happiness after each step and especially after the last one. I felt it everyday and I wanted more. I told you I was on drugs.
My crew at the time was also surfing. George Greenough said it best in the title of his famous wave riding film “The Innermosst Limits of Pure Fun.” You can touch joy along a peeling wave as the immediate future is set up in front of you. Sitting on your board amongst glistening water conjures serenity like no other. My roommates and I would prefer to pick less crowded breaks in an attempt to escape everything and everyone. It created a blank canvas of goofy surfing, but also a situation of zero pressure to compete and perform. You could just sit there and smile. After the session we would hike back to the house, drink a few beers or dip into the ol’ Kessler, try to make out with girls and get to bed to run and do it again.
I could have lived off just the running and the sun, but you throw the innermost limits of pure fun and plain positivity reined our world. As they say…those were the days.
I only look back upon these times because they seem better than the present. Not quite sure why, but skepticism is certainly running parallel with age. Blue. I suppose I was just a bit blue. Not even a dark blue, but a slightly darker blue than the running, surfing, smirker of ’03-’04 that blushed a nuclear neon version of blue.
However, I think we should realize that the same care free asshole still exists in all of us. Maybe I can’t run twice a day and cap it with a surf, but I sure as hell can do one of those things and then after I’ll smile regardless. Also, there are some great things going on in the world which I promise to highlight at this very blog. So get out your SPF 99 and tune in for some sunshine.
Who’s with me? Let’s get positive again. Let’s get tropical.
Last week I was invited by The North Face to take part in a listening session and a limited public comment discussing Obama’s new “America’s Great Outdoors” memorandum. This promotion is motivated by our current administration’s passion to recognize the incredible parks, open spaces, water ways, beaches, etc. in the U.S. Essentially the idea is to get people to use these areas and thus become stewards for their protection in the future.
The seminar was led and organized by the US Dept. of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior, but the invitees involved numerous non-profits such as the one under my thumb (Karnokids.org) and local US Park groups. Our task on Friday was to primarily focus on ways to get our youth out to these parks. We abided and each group gave a few recommendations, however, the best of the day was listening the youth that had been subjected with the same task down stairs.
These kids came up with all kinds of ways to increase interest in the outdoors including the creation of outdoor “Apps”, advertising on Facebook, and utilizing the education system for mandatory park visits while in school. Another encouraging site was the obvious ethnic diversity amongst the group. It is a great sign to see young people of color passionate about the enviroment and our natural park resources and speaking their mind. The Deputy Director of the National Park Service, Mickey Hearn, is an African-American gentlemen that mentioned the equivalent meeting amongst adults had only a sprinkling of people of color. In this young group he saw hope and so did I.
The key part for Karno Kids and other non-profits focused on healthy activity amongst our youth is that when we preserve and utilize these park we are also enabling physical activity. You can hike, run, climb or just play in the parks. And that is what Karno Kids is all about; we keep the open spaces open and we ”Leave No Child Inside.”
For more information on the America’s Great Outdoors Initiative visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-americas-great-outdoors
For more information about The Karno Kids Foundation visit: www.karnokids.org
