If you have been following my campaign in my bid for Ulster County legislator (District 12 - Plattekill), you probably know that I am an educator and that I bring my background as an educator to the forefront of my vision for the office I hope to hold. Educators are those among us, in my mind, who play a special role in building the community and the future by building people.
Every great elected official has a suite of teachers to thank for helping hone the skills that now allow that person to thrive as a public servant.
Every great physician has an army of teachers, from kindergarten teachers through faculty in advanced post-MD internships, that set him or her up for success.
And so forth.
To my mind, teachers matter - a ton. And no matter what field you are in, you can probably name a special teacher or set of teachers who played a pivotal role in getting you to where you are now.
Caldwell Wrestling and Coach Gibbons' Legacy
When I was a student at James Caldwell High School some years back, I was probably not the most motivated student, to be sure. At that point in my life, my grades were ho-hum, as was my interest in all things academic. I liked playing electric guitar and goofing off with my friends - these were my passions!
But I was fortunate to be a student at James Caldwell High School. You see, we had an amazing wrestling program led by the formidable Ed Gibbons. This guy was so motivating that even in a rinky dink school, he was able to get a huge number of boys - from all different walks of life and shapes and sizes, to commit to the wrestling program. Somehow, he even convinced me to join! And I am fully convinced that some the attributes that have allowed me to do alright in life come directly from what I learned from being in that program.
A highly decorated coach, Coach Gibbons had an enormous capacity to get everyone to work hard. Practices were famously brutal.The first fifteen minutes might have been 20 pushups, 20 situps, 20 neckies, two minutes of sitouts, followed by repeating this entire thing three times. Or four. All to the sound of Coach's whistle. We must have had 50 kids crammed into the cafeteria on those blue mats each afternoon for two hours of relentless intensity.
Two things that I always appreciated about Coach's approach were as follows:
1. He cared about you just as much if you were a
scrub versus if you were a kid who was almost definitely heading to states. And everyone in between. He really took an active interest in each and every kid and he made you feel like he cared. He was pretty much the only teacher in the high school, in fact, that made me feel like he really believed in me. What a feat given that he made the other 49 kids on the team feel the same way!
2. More than any other person I have ever met, Coach Gibbons was all about hard work. Every now and then there would be a three-minute break in practice. Invariably during these moments, Coach Gibbons would tell us some quick anecdote - always having something to do with Iowa ... and always with the punch line being that hard work pays off. The phrase Coach used was this:
Adversity builds character.
I can honestly, say that through being in the Caldwell wrestling program under Coach Gibbons' mentorship, I have come to fully internalize and appreciate this concept. I try my best to impart it to my own students and to my two kids. And I certainly try to live this message each and every day.
Caldwell Wrestling Prepared Me for the Campaign Trail!
Anyone who has ever run for office will tell you: The experience is intense. There are ups and downs - and there are goals of all kinds that you find yourself working toward. Putting up a certain number of signs, knocking on a certain number of doors, attending a certain number of events, raising a certain amount of money, learning about all the relevant issues, etc. etc. Trust me, no matter how smooth your campaign goes, you will run into adversity. And being able to deal with the adversity is critical for your ability to positively advance on the trail. Moving forward is, of course, key at all times.
And I am fully convinced that my ability to turn adversity into positives and to "smile at the rain," so to speak, has benefited my campaign enormously. Underlying each and every facet of my work on the campaign is this quiet mantra that I learned from Coach Gibbons in the 1980s:
Adversity builds character.
Thank you Coach Gibbons!
There are hundreds or even thousands of alumni of the Gibbons-infused Caldwell wrestling program out there in the world. I have no doubt that each and every one of them has a similar story to tell. Educators matter - and the reach of the work of an educator, especially of an educator who truly cares, is long.
I end by thanking the inspiration that is Coach Ed Gibbons of the storied Caldwell High School wrestling program. And a promise that as I head to "the end of Round 3" in this campaign, I have zero intention of slowing down. I certainly am hoping and planning on a victory - but however things turn out, I want it to be known that Coach Gibbons has played a major role in my ability to campaign as full-guns as I have been. Thanks, Coach.
Coda
Sure, I know what you are wondering - what the heck did Glenn look like when he was a high school wrestler in the 80s. See pic below. Don't judge! It was the 80s!!!
