Fat Shortstop

In 1991, I headed into conditioning for the high school varsity baseball team for the first time.
Part of the training included variations of stadium steps. Running, jumping and hopping up the
football stadium steps. Over and over. Well, after one of the climbs to the top my lunch decided
to resurface. If that wasn’t bad enough, one of my coaches was standing right there and his
feet were in the worst possible spot. Right where lunch was heading.

Fast forward to later that season. I’m doing well but coach pulls me aside at some point to talk
about my future. He knew I wanted to play college ball. All I remember from the conversation
was “you are too fat to play shortstop in college. If you want to play college ball you have to
lose weight”. He was right. I had lots of talent but not much discipline. That summer, I injured
my knee (another story) and part of the rehab included jogging in place. Jogging in place led to
jogging a 1⁄2 mile. That’s as far as I could go and not because of my injury. That’s as far as I
could jog because of the rest of my out-of-shape body. But, that eventually led to jogging a
mile. Daily.

By the fall, I had lost 40 lbs and when the baseball team started conditioning I wasn’t tossing my
lunch any more. In fact, I was out front on the distance runs.

I didn’t enjoy my coach telling me I was fat. But, thankfully he was willing to speak the truth and
thankfully I listened. It didn’t just get me in shape for baseball. Turns out, girls started to notice
me. Kaylyn (a cross country runner) and I went out on our first date that November. The
following spring, Oglethorpe University asked me to come play ball there. 4 years after that, in
part because of attending OU, I decided to pursue the role of CFA Operator. In 1997 Kaylyn
and I got married. In 1998 I became a CFA operator. In 1999 we moved to Durham to open
CFAROX. In 2006 I ran a marathon. In 2007 we won Symbol of Success (F-150) the wrong
way (that’s another story). In 2008 we were selected as a test store in Recipe for Service (Core
4 and 2nd Mile Service). In 2015 we won Champions Club (Mustang) the right way. In 2016 we
launched “We Nourish Dreams”.

All because a coach was willing to tell me the truth and I was willing to hear it. Listen to the
truth-tellers around you and commit to the work you need to go after your dreams. Start where
you are and take the next step, even if it is just jogging in place.
And, are you willing to be that coach? The one that changes lives.