Week of Fun

So, I get a phone call from Assistant Principal Jason Joyce that says to have my clubs ready because I might be his fill in for the Henderson County Education Foundation Golf Tournament because his son is sick. Well, unfortunately for Joyce, Kade has strep. So he got me a sub and I proceeded to leave school early and play golf. Because of my good fortune, I hereby dub this, for me and anyone who wants to join, the "Week of Fun".

Here's why:
- Played golf today (with my principal's blessing).
- Playing for free at Kenmure tomorrow (after school though)
- Going to Elon for homecoming festivities this weekend and to see the #7 ranked Phoenix play.
- Playing in North Henderson Athletics Boosters tournament on Sunday.

Josh Nesbitt II

Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution published this piece today. Since I beat him to the piece with my previous blog entry, perhaps the AJC will consider putting me on their payroll. He even used my adjective "warrior":

Josh Nesbitt: ‘Warrior’ quarterback becomes Tech folk hero

Actually, it's a good read.

Josh Nesbitt

Josh Nesbitt will not win the Heisman trophy. He is not going to garner lots of accolades for his passing skills. When talking about great college quarterbacks this year, his name will probably not come up. As a matter of fact, he spent the early part of the season being ripped by Georgia Tech fans for being inadequate as a passer.

Josh Nesbitt is a warrior. He is a great leader. He plays quarterback in an offense where quarterbacks take a beating. He gets hit a lot. He is tough. Josh almost single handledly beat Boston College last year. He was one of the main reasons Georgia Tech nearly beat Virginia Tech last season. And this year, he put the Yellow Jackets on his back and helped carry the team to victory over a very emotion Florida State team.
This clip exemplies the competitor that Josh Nesbitt is. After Florida State picks up the fumbled pitch, Nesbitt rips the ball back in perhaps the most important play of the game. It's incredible. It's very gutsy. But gutsy is Josh Nesbitt.

A few plays later, he scores on this 22 yard touchdown run: a run that would not have existed had he not stripped the ball from the FSU defender.

Nobel and Rio

So, I have thoughts on two major headlines of the last week:

First, the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to President Barack Obama. Many people were annoyed, stumped or disgusted by the pick. If we are going on accomplishments, then I agree that Obama has not accomplished enough to merit the award. Nominations for this year's award were due in February, so Obama was only in office for less than three weeks. But I think it's more than that, which is why I think it is a beautiful thing.
Thinking outside our political attachments and putting ourselves in a more global mindset, here are some things to think about regarding selection of Barack Obama for the Nobel Peace Prize:

Contrary to what some believe, I think that the world is a fan of America. They love the ideals of America; they love what this country stands for. They do not like, however, the arrogance and entitlement that Americans often show abroad and that our nation often displays on the global stage. Like it or not, this award is at least partially an indictment of the Bush administration: unpopular war, unilateralism, "with us or against us". Obama represented a 'change' from the past and a new 'hope'.

Also, foreigners often have a unfair image of America. The way America is portrayed in minds of some Europeans is a place where we are constantly shooting one another and have serious race issues. To a degree, there is a bit a truth behind those portrayals. Racially, America is a scary place for many Europeans. Racially, America is a scary place for many Americans.

America always seemed behind in race relations. When slavery was banned in Britain in 1833, the United States was still 25 years away from fighting a war in which slavery was a crucial issue. While Europe has had multitudes of ethnic and racial issues over the past 200 years (anyone remember the Nazi party?), the view from across pond is that America is the place in the western world where racism festers. In Obama, we have history's first black leader of a country with a white majority. Never has this happened in England, France, Germany or other European country. In this context, I think the prize is more a salute to America for being bold, overcoming the past and setting new standards than it is for Obama the person or president.

I also agree with some of the detractors that say giving the President the prize before he establishes his legacy puts tremendous pressure on him. I can only hope that instead of declaring "Mission accomplished," the President will continue to strive to make America the beacon of hope and torch bearer of peace that other countries can admire.

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So Rio de Janeiro is the host city for the 2016 Olympics. That was less shocking than Chicago, and their strong bid, being eliminated in the firsrt round of voting. Based on commentary, it seems the vote (by a heavily European panel) was not an indictment of Chicago as a city but rather the IOC's jab at the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) and its arrogance and poor leadership. Unfortunately, Chicago was the victim of the squabble.

Here's my take on the 4 potential cities, in ascending order of preference:

4: Madrid- upside: it's Spain and Spain knows how to party, tapas, Barcelona hosted a fanastic Olympiad in 1992. Downside: Basque separatists using the Games for political means, can Spain raise enough money to stage an Olympics, nearby metropolis London is hosting the 2012 Games.

3: Rio de Janeiro- Upside: competing under the Christ the Redeemer (above), Copacabana and thongs, nice weather, first Olympics in South America and only third in southern hemisphere (Melbourne 1956 and Sydney 2000). Downside: Rio's notorious slums (so famous, they are tourist attractions) and crime (murder rate 7 times Chicago's), missing out on Carnival celebrations.

2: Tokyo- Upside: Japanese efficiency and friendliness, solid infrastructure, relatively safe compared to other places. Downside: nearby Beijing hosted in 2008, we might be out of tuna by 2016.

1: Chicago- Upside: Chicago is awesome (architecture, sports, Lake Michigan, food, nightlife, airports), Midwestern friendliness, many facilities in place, great history and a great American city to be showcased. Downside: Americans don't always play well with others, Chicago does have some crime issues, it can get dangerously hot and humid in summer.

"That Guy"

"We got 'that guy' sitting in front of us"

That was the text message I received from John Hart yesterday from the Appalachian State vs Citadel game in Charleston. A few weeks ago, John made the road trip with me to see Elon take on Wake Forest at Groves Stadium. In our row, to the left, was a very obnoxious Elon fan. He was not only loud, but he was annoying. Choose your own orifice adjectives (--hole, --head, etc) didn't seem to fit him. When John asked how would I describe him, I simply replied, "He's 'that guy' ".

This is my simple test to see if you are the jerk fan. If you answer "yes" to one or more of the following, you might be "That Guy".

1) If you start chants or cheers and you are the only one chanting/cheering, you might be "that guy".

2) If you can't just cheer for your team but also have to berate opposing fans (or even your own team's fans), you might be "that guy."

3) If during the game, the area around you gets bigger and more empty (especially amazing in a packed stadium), you might be "that guy".

4) If you curse and have disregard for women, children and humanity in general during games, you might be "that guy".

5) If you yell at the refs for every call, you might be "that guy".

6) If you yell, "HEY REF, THAT'S HOMECOOKING" and your team is the home team, then you ARE "that guy."

You should know: Rachel

"Hey Uy, you wanna teach Bible school to 5th and 6th graders in Alaska?"

With that question, Rachel Willingham and I went from being just colleagues to friends. Before, Rachel was the mostly just woman in the math department that had to drive a 15 passenger van because of all the kids she had. Once, she did hire some of my wrestlers to do some work building a patio and clearing brush as we raised money for camp. Oh, and she was also a NC Teaching Fellow, so we had that in common.
I did accept her invitation to go to Nikiski, Alaska and teach Vacation Bible School for a week. And I loved every minute of it. I do believe, however, that Rachel thought I would bail on her. I actually arrived in Alaska about 10 days early and proceeded to hang out in Anchorage, backpack in Denali and relax in Seward. I got a phone call the morning of the day I was to arrive. It went something like this:

Rachel: "What are you doing?"
Heang: "Trying to get a ride to Nikiski." [I was hitchhiking]
Rachel: "Do you want me to come get you" [A two hour drive]
Heang: "No, I'll find a ride."

A few hours and 4 cars later, I was dropped off at the Fred Meyer in Kenai where a van load from the group was shopping and waiting to deliver me to Lighthouse Community Church. The next week, I get to play, sing and teach awesome kids and become closer friends with Rachel and the rest of the team.

This past summer, Rachel was diagnosed with breast cancer. It's a pretty aggressive cancer she is fighting. Rachel had her first chemo treatment just last Thursday. I say this not so that you will feel sorry for Rachel. I say this because I, and many others, am inspired by Rachel. Her Facebook status updates reflect her personality: encouraging and humorous. She has committed to teaching through the treatment. As a matter of fact, she is at school every day unless she has a doctor's appointment (of which there are many). Rachel spoke to our FCA Huddle [pic below] on Thursday morning, went to her first class and then went to get chemo. She was out Friday because of the side effects but was back with us on Monday. That's an amazing woman.Fortunately for Rachel, she's not alone. She has a great family in her husband Keeth and her childern. Her church home has been there for her. And she is fortunate to work with the most caring faculty anywhere. Teachers have stepped up to cover her classes while she is at appointments, helped cater meals to the family and even shuttle the kids. A few teachers have committed to shaving their heads if individual goals are met by the school and community. The goal is between $200 (Hale) and $2000 (Audra), depending on the head/hair. I'm worth $400. Hopefully, we can raise some awareness of cancer while we raise money to help Rachel.

Rainbow Falls

I've always said that my favorite place to just sit is at the top of Rainbow Falls, looking downstream of the Horsepasture River.

After church today, I took the 45 minute drive to Lake Toxaway to see Rainbow Falls. I knew that it would be spectacular because of the heavy rains of the last week. And I was not disappointed. The first picture below is today, the second is what the water flow normally looks like.

Rainbow Falls is located on the Horsepasture River within the Pisgah National Forest. At 4.5 miles long, it is the nation's shortest designated Wild and Scenic River. Rainbow is the third and highest waterfall in a spectacular 1/4 mile section of the river. The other two are Turtleback (below) and Drift (aka Bust yer Butt) Falls.

Today was a new experience. The state has finally gotten around to building permanent facilites at Gorges State Park. The new trail to Rainbow Falls takes you upstream to Rainbow Falls in 30-45 minute hike. You used to walk an old, rutted from HWY 281 which put you on the river right below Drift Falls. From there it was a short walk downstream to Turtleback and Rainbow.

As a matter of fact, the entire experience is new. Rainbow Falls and the Horsepasture is just so accessible. When I first started visiting in the early '90s, Turtleback was a "secret" swimming hole that only the locals knew about. You had to park on the side of HWy 281, jump the rail and in some places bushwack your way to unimproved trails that would take you to the river. But when you got there, there were lots (but never too many) people sliding down Turtleback and sunning on the rocks along the river.

There were so many great trips to the Horsepasture. It was lots of swimming, hiking and laughing with good people. There was that time when a girl (nobody we knew) jumped into the swimming hole beneath Turtleback and mangled her leg on a hidden rock. About 6 of us carried her over a mile, uphill back to the highway where an ambulance could pick her up.

View downriver: looking across Turtleback Falls in foreground and drop of Rainbow Falls in back

One time, Ryan and I climbed along the rock on the opposite side of Rainbow Falls and ended up at the top of the waterfall. That was great, except that all our stuff was on the otherside of the river. Being too tired and lazy to descend, we crossed the river. Above the falls! It was a great idea until we got halfway and I looked downstream and only saw where the river ended. In the photo above, imagine two guys in the middle of the river about 80 feet from the precipice. That was one of the stupidest things I have ever done and am very thankful that I'm even here to write about it. Just a few years ago, someone slipped and fell over the waterfall.


Even though it's a long drive from me, it has always been my favorite place to be in Western North Carolina. Sitting on the rock with the river roaring beside me, the foot of Rainbow Falls 180 feet below me and the magnificent river valley before me always humbles and inspires me. In the winter, the trees below often wear a stunningly layer of frost. It is truly a worthwhile hike. You should go. Call me and there's a chance I'll go with you.