Hard Work vs. Talent

Came across this article on a friend's FB news feed:

Montana High Schools Ranked by Enrollment Numbers

If you click on it and scroll down, you can take a look at a well-organized chart of enrollment numbers for all Montana high schools, organized by class. Here's a few thoughts that come to mind after glancing at the chart.

North Star, where I work, is in Class C. Class C is the largest of all four classes of Montana schools/sports, but is comprised of the smallest schools. This tells the astute reader that Montana has A LOT of small towns.

For sports, many of the small schools listed in the Class C column co-opt for one or all of the athletic seasons. Our sports offerings are much fewer than a school in AA, as well. At North Star, we have only Football/Volleyball in the fall, Basketball in winter, and Track and Field in the spring. Some Class C schools also have Cheerleading, Golf, Wrestling and Tennis, but often only if they're one of the larger Class C schools or Co-Opted teams.

Some schools, again, such as North Star, are actually an agglomeration of several small towns together in one school. Another example on the list would be Chester-Joplin-Inverness, or Powder River.

Ames, IA, where I grew up, had enrollment of around 1600 students when I graduated in 2002.  If Ames High were in Montana, it would be Class AA. When I graduated, Ames was class AAAA, but in Iowa the class system is a little different. If I remember correctly, from smallest to largest, it went A, AA, AAA, AAAA. In Montana it's, C, B, A, AA.

Something else worth noting is that there is some overlap in enrollment numbers between the different classes. Chinook, a Class C school with 145 students could very easily be in Class B. Butte Central is Class A, but only has 136 enrolled students. That makes them even smaller than Chinook, so one could argue they should jump all the way down to Class C. My understanding is that there is some governing body that initially decides or recommends to different schools whether or not they should change classes, but that a school board or superintendent perhaps could appeal that recommendation and remain where they are.

If you're the school who is the top dog on the pile for your class, you're likely the most despised adversary in your district or conference, especially when competing against schools much smaller than you. In my high school days, that school was West Des Moines Valley. They were a common enemy among foes.

Something that one of my fellow Track coaches says often when we're all talking about competing against bigger schools, is, "They still gotta compete." They still have to show up and work just as hard as we do. Even if we feel like we're perennially the underdogs, facing teams that are larger, or drawing from a larger talent pool, good work ethic makes a difference. A phrase I like is "Hard Work Beats Talent When Talent Doesn't Work Hard."

So anyway. Those are just a few thoughts to ponder. The plaque above is a reward I gave myself for sticking with running so well this year. I think it'll be a great way to chronicle races over time and show off my hardwear- ha! Ok, so two of those medals are from the IceBreaker 5K in Great Falls, where every finisher wins a medal. The middle medal is from Dawson's Run, in Joplin, MT, which I did this year for the second time and actually was the first-place female finisher. Even though it was a small race, I'm still proud of that medal.

Really, I'm proud of all my races because of the hard work and dedication I have put in to training and staying in shape. Each finish memorializes that. Hopefully, an athlete from Ames competing against Valley (or whoever today's Valley is), or a kid from North Star going up against Chinook feels like their hard work is memorialized in battle, too. And hopefully, sometimes that hard work will pay off and beat the talent pool they're facing.

Go Cyclones, Go Knights!

  

Open Doors

We’ve all heard the saying “When One Door Closes another Opens.”  How we approach that open door varies for each of us, and varies by circumstance.  Some of us don’t wait for the door to open but barge on through anyway.  Some of us forget the door and hop out the open window (Defenestration of Self?).  Some of us stand before the door without ever seeing it before us.

 

In my case, recently, I didn’t know I was standing before an open door at all.  Sometimes all of life’s crazy decisions lead us on a path we don’t recognize until someone points it out to us, even if unknowingly. 

 

Right now, the door that opened for me is a new job opportunity.  The door first cracked open an inch when I was asked to apply, then the door opened completely when I was offered and accepted a position with Altacare/Acadia of Montana as a Mental Health Associate, working with K-12 students at the local public school.  I didn’t even think I could apply for the job because I have no background or experience in mental health. But after some encouragement, I applied anyway and was told that for the Associate position, as long as I’d be willing to learn, previous experience with mental health was not a prerequisite.  At one point the job was explained to me as “You are essentially a teacher. You are teaching kids how to succeed in life.”

 

In considering whether or not to move on to a new job, I thought a lot about where I have come from in my life.  I don’t know where this came from or why it came to me all of a sudden, but I can remember talking to a friend in my college days about the future.  Of course, then the future was a distant constellation of opportunities that would happen…someday.  Now I am among the stars and choosing which to land on.

 

We were on a service trip to Kentucky to build and repair houses.  My friend, Ryan, who was always asking the heavy-hitting questions, asked me, “What do you want to do with your life?”  I remember being struck by it, thinking, Well… I am an Apparel Design and French major, so surely I’ll enter into a career in one or both of those fields, right?  But what I said was, “I just want to help people.”  I knew even then that what gave me the greatest satisfaction was simply helping people.  I remember Ryan’s expression as I said that—thinking he had misjudged me.

 

It’s no secret that I did not enjoy some key aspects of the job I am leaving as a Financial Counselor.  I will, however, miss many of the people I have gotten to know very well over the short two years I was here, and I have learned a lot.  One of the biggest things I learned is how to communicate with people who don’t want to communicate with you.  That is a skill I can take anywhere and will likely transfer in my new job in one way or another.

 

There are some great aspects of my current job that I did truly enjoy that I will be leaving behind.  I liked connecting patients to services that could make it more affordable for them to pay their healthcare bills.  I liked training to be a Certified Application Counselor, to assist people in enrolling for coverage on the new healthcare exchange. Or at least, I liked the idea of it. I am leaving this position before even delving into that. I liked my roll on Wellness Committee and TLC Committee: encouraging workplace health, camaraderie, and well-being for the staff.    But again, the heart of each of these activities and the reason I enjoyed them comes back to a want to simply help people.

 

As I thought back about it, I do have some experience teaching kids. I taught swimming lessons to kids of all ages and abilities when I was in High School.  Upon moving here, I immediately got myself on the Substitute Teacher list for the school.  Then, last spring, I fell in love with Track and Field all over again as I had the wonderful opportunity to be an assistant coach. I’ll certainly lean on what I’ve gleaned from each of these experiences as I begin my new job.

 

I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing as a Mental Health Associate, or MHA, but I do know a few things.  I will be working with an actual licensed counselor.  I will be working with kids in kindergarten through 12^th grade.  I will be working much closer to home. I will not be behind a computer in an office.  I could be doing anything from assisting in teachers’ classrooms, to recess duty, to group activity therapy sessions with kids, to helping older students learn how to balance a checkbook.  Each day will be different and each day will offer its own challenges and rewards. 

 

I know it was a big surprise to my current employer when I called and gave my notice yesterday.  Today has been a day filled with explanations and long conversations with my supervisor and coworkers.  It’s bittersweet and surreal already, and it’s only the first day of my notice period.  It doesn’t feel like I am leaving yet, even though I know that I am.  Similarly, my new job doesn’t feel real yet—and probably won’t until I am walking into the school on my first day.  Walking through that open door. 

Track Season Wrap Up

As I type this, rain is falling steadily outside.  After a long, dry April and most of May, we finally got several impressive rain events in quick succession, just as we were about to become seriously discouraged over the outlook of our crops this year.  Now, there are puddles all about, all the grass and trees are green, roads are muddy, and crops are growing up gangbusters.  Ducks and other waterfowl have set up camp in our farmyard and song birds happily chirp away.  I imagine they are extolling the sudden boon of earthworms slithering to the surface of the soggy ground. Farmers are happy.  Rain is a sigh of relief.

 

Our computer has been on the fritz again lately, over the past few weeks, and we finally were able to take it to Havre to get it looked at. Despite our antivirus software, the computer keeps contracting various illnesses, rendering it virtually unusable.  A shame, I was in a nice roll with posting on the blog! I should be able to get back into it now.  There may even be a guest-blogger appearance by my husband sometime soon…

 

During the absence of blog posts, my time with the North Star Track Team came to an end for this season.  Memorial Day weekend was our State track meet, located in Laurel, MT this year.  It was a coed meet, as were all the meets we went to this year as a team, and featured the championships for Class C (North Star is Class C) and Class A.  Class AA and Class B were held together in Bozeman.  Next year, Class C will be with AA and the meet will be in Great Falls.  Class C alternates each year between holding their meet with A or with AA.  I am told C and B are never together because both classes tend to have many more fans in attendance than A or AA, and most track stadiums would not be big enough to accommodate so many people.  Something about small towns—people really seem to support their local kids in all endeavors.  If you haven't read the book Blind Your Ponies, do it.  It's about Class C basketball, but the way the small town in the book rallies around their team is applicable and accurate for any sport.

 

The North Star fans were out in numbers in Laurel to watch our kids compete. Even Jeff, who admittedly does not care much for track and field, made the drive down.  Sure, he got in a few rounds of golf in Billings, which was most definitely a major draw for him.  I was glad he was there for some of the meet- to see what I had put so much time into this spring. 

 

It was a great track season.  The girls won the District meet in early May, took second in Divisionals, and third as a team at State.  They also set several new school records in multiple events, including Triple Jump and 4 x 400 meter relay, and perhaps others, too.  Boys took second at Districts, and qualified 2 individuals for State at the Divisional meet. Both boys competed very well at State- one of them medaled in all three events that he qualified in, and I believe he also set at least one new school record.  Two of my hurdlers made it to State- one of the boys, and one of the girls. They both did fantastic- I am so happy for the progress they made over the season!  There is so much to be proud of over the course of the season, and State was the culmination of it all.

 

After Memorial Day weekend, it was strange for me to not stop in Rudyard for track practice on my way home from work in Chester.  I knew I would really enjoy coaching, and I did enjoy it all throughout the season, but I didn’t realize how much I would miss it after the season ended.  Such a great group of kids- they worked so hard day in and day out.  The track team is a great example of how a group of unrelated people can come together for a common purpose, and come to act as family to one another. It is definitely something special to be part of. Hopefully, helping with Track will be something I can be part of for many years to come, however, I am sure there will be no other season, no other group of kids, just like this one.

 

Photo by Tiffany Boehm Rettig
This is the girls team after claiming the 3rd place trophy at State. I'm on the left with a few of the other coaches. 

 

Running

Just got back in from a 3+ mile run.  Running in the country has its perks. No traffic to watch out for, no people at all to speak of, really. My running buddy is my dog and we are entertained by pronghorn, partridge and cows at pasture.

As with nearly everything about living out here, I have had to make a few adjustments to my running routine as well.  In the warmer months, we have to be on the lookout for rattlesnakes in the roadways.  While I never used to run or walk without my trusty iPod, I have become accustomed to running without it, so I could hear a warning rattle.  Now, I find that I actually prefer to run without music as distraction. Now, I hear the sounds of the environment around me. Birds chirping and breeze through the grass or wheat fields that line the gravel roadways. I am also more in-tune with how my body feels as I am running, which can't be a bad thing. Perhaps the music was so necessary in the city to drown out all those non-nature noises...

Seems like my life has been all about running lately.  I was fortunate enough to snag an opening on the North Star High School Track and Field coaching staff, as an Assistant Coach to the high school team, the Knights, as they are known. Track and Field in Montana Class C schools is generally not a sport of great tradition, but it is at North Star.  They have had many successful teams over the past several years, and this year is no exception. 

Our team is made of 11 girls and 9 boys. They practice together, and compete at the same meets. Besides the fact that there are many talented athletes on the team, what impresses me most is the quality of their character.  They genuinely seem to like each other, to want to be at track practice, and to want to work as hard as it takes.  They understand the currency of toil when it comes to self-improvement. As a first year coach, I couldn't ask for a better group of kids to work with.

All that being said, time to get myself cleaned up after my morning run and get ready to head to town to catch the bus for this afternoon's track meet in Malta.  Go Knights!