Queen of the 1-Lap (400m)
Sanya Richards Ross – Hear Ye Her!
Sanya Richards Ross has run more sub 50’s in the 400m than any other woman on the planet. Her career has been breath taking. She has staked her claim on the World stage by winning the 400m in 2012 London Games.
The Jamaican American, 5’8 powerhouse, and University of Texas Alum has racked up quite an impressive Team USA track resume which includes:
- 2004 Olympic Games, 4x400m gold medalist
- 2008 Olympic Games, 4x400m gold medalist, 400m bronze medalist
- 2012 Olympic Games, Gold in 400-Meter, Gold in 4×400 Relay
In 2009 she was named IAAF World Female Athlete of the Year and was nominated for the prestigious Laureus Award, in the same category.
In February 2015 she will have been married for 5 years to NFL outstanding corner-back Aaron Ross who won a Superbowl with the NY Giants during the 2008 season.
Sanya is one of the BP TeamUSA athletes and I was fortunate to catch up with her (she is very hard to catch up with, she’s pretty fast) and ask her what was the turning point from just playing track to realizing she could dominate in this sport as well as who was in her life to inspired her.
Find out more about this stellar young lady on her website at SanyaRichardsRoss.com and catch her 2014 Diamond League 400 win in Brussels earlier this year.
16 Minutes with First Lady Michelle Obama! Part 3
MEETING #3 – 2 minutes
The First Lady was coming to Colorado to open up the Warrior Games an inter-service military sporting event hosted by Deloitte and the United States Olympic Committee for wounded ill and injured service members who serve in America’s Armed Forces. This year there was also an exhibition team from Great Britain.
Prior to Mrs. Obama’s speech at the Olympic Training Center she visited Hillside Community Center to say thank you to the volunteers who were making phone calls over the past weekend on behalf of the re-election campaign that past weekend.
[image-shortcode url=”https://johnregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/first-lady-part-03-01.jpg” size=”33″ caption=”The First Lady came by the Hillside Community Center to say thank you to hundreds of volunteers.”]As one of 35 Co-Chairs for OFA I was asked to warm up the volunteers who had been invited to a special “closed event” with the First Lady, as well as introduce the speakers on the program.
Again, very humbled an honored to do this.
Hillside Community Center in Colorado Springs serves a great need in Colorado Springs but was on the chopping block in the city budget cuts. I am glad the city has kept these doors open to many community members who live in House District 17.
After I finished the emceeing of the event on the main floor of the gymnasium Alice and I were taken upstairs to stand in line with about 60 people to meet Mrs. Obama. She entered the room and all eyes fixed on her. At 6 feet tall the First Lady has a commanding presence. But her humbleness and graciousness extends far above her stature.
I noticed how she took time to listen to each person that was presented to her as well as give them a big hug. I have been fortunate to meet four Presidents and none have been as outgoing as the Obama’s. That last comment does not have anything to do with how well they were or were not effective in office just how genuine a person is.
When it was our turn to meet the First Lady she remembered both Alice and me from the State dinner.
“Wasn’t that such a wonderful event! And John Legend was awesome. We’ll have to do that again sometime,” the First Lady said as she gave Alice a great big Momma Bear Hug.
I really hope we can do that again! I’m sure SHE will do it again – I just don’t know if we will get another invite! And, if we do, hopefully it will come to the right John Register! LoL
We took another photo with her and then were ushered downstairs by the secret service to hear her speak.
When she was announced to the eager volunteers the cheers in the little Hillside Community Center erupted into a frenzied pitch.
She took to the podium and…she took over the crowd.
I was scrambling trying to get my camera out and ready to take a photo when I overheard the First Lady say “And, let’s not forget Co-Chair John Register who has done a remarkable job.”
What…? Me? In her notes?
The Inspiration of Puddle Splashing
View the narrated text of this blog online at: http://youtu.be/quT4Xtp-wHc
Robert Frost wrote a poem called, “Mending Wall.” It begins with the words…
“Something there is that doesn’t love a wall that makes the ground swell under it…”
I won’t finish it, you can look it up. It’s a good poem and one I would like to commit to memory. (http://writing.upenn.edu/~afilreis/88/frost-mending.html)
[image-shortcode url=”https://johnregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011_blog_splash-puddle_1.jpg” size=”50″ align=”center”]Anyway, the poem was the first thing I thought about after having a conversation with my seat mate Tina who I was next to on a very short 18 minute flight from Colorado Springs to Denver. I was in 5D and she was in 5C. Since the plane’s seating on the commuter flight is very close we struck up a polite conversation.
She was on the way to Phoenix and I to Anaheim California.
Our conversation drifted to growing up and the similar comparisons between two different experiences that wound up getting us to common ground. You see, “(she) is all pine and I am apple orchard.”
Anyway, as we chatted about growing up we quickly placed the conversation squarely on our children and the topic of puddles. Yes, those small pools of water, especially rain water, or the after effects of a good fire hydrant water park. (Some of you may remember this).
“Do you remember puddles?” I asked.
She looked at me with curiosity in her eyes.
“Puddles,” she said.
“You know puddles that appear after a fresh rain. I have never found a puddle that didn’t call out to be jumped in with either one or both feet,” I told her.
She laughed and said, “You know my boy used to always jump in puddles and get my pantyhose all splotched up with the water. Knowing I had to go to work with those splotches on my leg wear I would et so mad at him for getting me all wet.”
I laughed and told her, “As a kid I was always was jumping into a puddle. I too had probably made my mother upset with the cloths I dirtied up by getting wet.” I explained.
[image-shortcode url=”https://johnregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011_blog_splash-puddle_2.jpg” size=”50″ align=”right”]“Do you jump in puddles now?” I asked her.
“No way,” she said.
“Did you jump in puddles when you were a kid?” I asked.
“Of course I did. I used to play all the time on the playground with my friends. And, when it would rain we would splash each other. We would kick water on each other or splash the water at our intended targets by angling our foot towards them and then slamming our foot into the water,” she explained with a smile. Laughter broke across her face as she seemed nostalgic thinking about her youth.
“So, why don’t you jump in now? What’s changed,” I asked.
“I don’t know,” she admitted.
I began again, “The joy of puddle splashing, or jumping in a puddle, has lost a lot of it’s appeal in our adult lives. You know, we tell our kids (like our parents told us) “Don’t jump in that puddle you’ll get wet!” I said.
“But so what! Isn’t that the whole purpose?” I continued.
“Ya know,” I told Tina, “My son and my daughter’s friends think I am a bit crazy because if I am with them and I see a puddle I jump in and make an intended splash!”
“Your Dad is so weird,” my kid’s friends say.
“So,” I said, “I always like to make my splashes big. I can do it with either one foot or both feet! I think if you are going to get wet, why not go for it all.”
Tina just looked at me with the same look as my children’s friends. Her face seemed to say, “You’re so weird.”
We laughed about it for a moment and went on to the next topic. I don’t remember what the next topic was.
However, later on I thought to myself maybe this puddle conversation is a metaphor in some ways for life?
Maybe jumping in a good puddle speaks to when you are in pursuit of something you should go all in! Don’t hold back! Show your passion and jump in with both feet. Make a big splash. Take the risk and get dirty. Of course maybe it might not be best idea to do in your Sunday’s best!
Or maybe puddles speak to the passion in pour lives. They force us to tear down our inhibitions of perfection and allow us to just have some plain ol’ get wet and dirty fun.
Or maybe still the effects of jumping in a puddle help us to see that all of us are a little dirty on the inside of our hidden lives and only we only appear clean to our friends and other acquaintances on the outside. And maybe, if we revealed a little more of our “hidden” dirty puddle effects, we would not be so quick to clean the puddle effects of someone else.
So, the next time there are puddles on the ground after a good down pouring of rain, run outside and splash about in a good puddle and bring a friend to jump in with you!
[image-shortcode url=”https://johnregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/2011_blog_splash-puddle_3.jpg” size=”50″ caption=”May All Your Splashes Be Big!”]Bring back the essence of your youth and allow your kids to experience this great art of splashing about! By all means have fun and by accounts may your splashes big.
Those who live in the mountainous regions of our nation, you all can wait until the late spring. Puddles to you are now called ice. Jumping on ice is a slippery slope.
In relationship to why I thought about the Frost poem was only the play on words in the first line of his poem, “something there is that doesn’t love a “puddle.” And, of course the play on two other lines, “Good Puddles Make Good Friendships and create great memories.”
Lesson from a Wind Miller at a Windmill in Holland
I was in Holland a few weeks ago and had the opportunity to speak with a real life windmiller.
I thought that wind mills in Holland were used for grinding grain or creating some type of power. Boy was I way off base.
The lowest lands in Holland sit about 4 meter below sea level and each of the windmills was used to pump the water out and into dykes. In 1633 there were about 52 windmills in the region that moved, on a good day, 1000 liters of water every second to pump the water out of fields!
I was inspired by this just because of the sheer ingenuity of the process. I also learned that each mill had a family that lived inside the windmill at all times because they never knew when the wind was going to come and they had to be ready to turn the sails in the direction of the wind.
Well instead of letting me bore you with these details and writing this out, why don’t I just introduce you to Fred who operates a mill that has been in his family for generations.
Take it away Fred!