Rain Delay
Well holy cow, I have a few minutes to sit down in my hotel room in Champaign Illinois to think about the last 6 days.  

We ran into some nasty weather conditions in Springfield this morning and have basically been forced to take an impromptu day off.  The rain started early this morning and continued until about noon.  We began the day thinking that we could run through the rain.  But as we approached the capital building of the state of Illinois, a rain storm kicked in and forced us to seek shelter under a high rise apartment building.  While the storm passed we waited for a television crew from Springfield to come and shoot some pictures of us while running. They never showed.  

While checking the radar, we discovered that the line of storms covered almost our entire course that we were planning on running that day.  So we decided to take in some of the sites in downtown Springfield and then drive ahead to Champaign.  While sitting in my hotel room I decided to write out some of my thoughts. 

Why go?
Before I left and even during the trip, I have had several colleagues, friends, family members, and complete strangers ask me why I am going on this trip.  The asked me why I am willing to give up part of my precious summer vacation, to drive across the country at 8 mph behind or in front of some runners.  The answer I gave was the same as was advertised on TV and in newspapers, “to bring awareness to genocide etc.”   But the truth was up until about a week ago, I didn’t want to go.  

What changed?
My frustrations were continuing up until the day we left. I kept telling myself that this is for the kids.  I am helping them grow as young men.  But then that selfish part of me kept asking, “What’s in it for me?”  

The answer to that question came to me while I was listening to a book on tape that I brought on the trip to read/listen to while driving.  The book is called American Creation: Triumphs and Tragedies at the Founding of the Republic by Joseph Ellis (I already disclosed that I was a giant history nerd.)  I came to a chapter in the book on George Washington’s winter at Valley Forge.  For those of you who don’t know about that winter in 1777-78 in which the Continental Army was forced to settle in Valley Forge, a small but densely populated region in Southeastern Pennsylvania. Here’s the readers digest version

Valley Forge
It was agreed in warfare at that time that two opposing armies did not fight during the winter.  Therefore Washington and the Continental Army settled down for a long winter with poor shelters; food and medical supplies; as well as poor clothing and equipment.  Many soldiers froze and starved to death or where stricken with disease while in Valley Forge.  Many others deserted the army because of the conditions.  

General George Washington pleaded with the area farmers to assist him but, the farmers could not afford to.  You see, the value of the Colonial currency had dropped and inflation was rising in the colonies.  The British Army that had occupied nearby Philadelphia was able to pay the farmers in the British Pound Sterling which was actually worth something.  So many farmers in order to survive were selling their crops to the British, instead of helping the Colonials. 

Many of these farmers were ardent patriots believing in what the Continental Army was doing.  But they were forced by their economic situation to support the British Army. So it became important for the Continentals to inspire the people of the colonies to be willing to sacrifice on behalf of the cause of independence. The Revolutionary War was not just a war fought on the battlefield, perhaps the most important aspect of the war was the fight for the hearts and minds of the people.  

Therefore the Continental Army was forced to endure the conditions all winter.  However, this had two results:

First, the soldiers who stayed in Valley Forge or joined that winter developed a close bond with themselves and their commander.  They became the leading force after the war for America to be a unified republic rather than a loosely governed confederation.

Second, the images of these soldiers braving the elements in Valley Forge helped sway people to sacrifice for the new nation.  If these soldiers could make this sacrifice then ordinary citizens could too.

GET ON WITH IT!!!
SO, the point of this whole history lesson is that I see both of the results of the winter at Valley Forge happening here.  

First, a close bond is being built between the participants.  There are certain jokes and memories that only they will be able to share with each other.  And as the coach, sitting back and watching, I am witnessing something great.  Each of these guys is growing because of this experience.  They are finding things out about themselves as they brave these conditions: new city every night, high temperatures and humidity, and being in a small minivan for 3 straight weeks.  Also I am getting to know and respect each of these young men in different ways.  Which I believe is the most important aspect of the teacher’s job.  Not test scores, but relationships.  I had some great teachers and coaches during my career and one of the reasons that I became a teacher was to try and be that for someone else.

Second, people are taking notice.  It may seem like they are not because of certain media outlets not responding to the press releases and the phone calls that the guys have been making.  But when people see us in our shirts or watch us while running, they are seeing our example.  Genocide is not something that just goes on over seas.  It is not something that we should allow to go on simply because it doesn’t affect us directly.  Every time a driver honks, a customer in a Subway at lunchtime asks about our shirts, or a person is lead to our website or reads our blogs, their perception of this issue changes.  I should know.  I am one of the converts.  So if you are reading this, spread the word.  Tell someone about the website.  Get more people to notice and get involved.  I will leave you with this quote from the late Senator Robert F Kennedy.

“All of us might wish at times that we lived in a more tranquil world, but we don’t. And if our times are difficult and perplexing, so are they challenging and filled with opportunity.”

This entry was posted on Monday, June 9th, 2008 at 8:48 pm by Darham Roger and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.