The official Rusty Davidson Blog: Speaking with teenagers about wrestling and values
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by Rusty Davidson
February 16, 2015 - As I put this chapter to rest, I want to share the conversation I had with teen athletes in Dubai, Saturday morning.
I have the distinct privilege to get to talk with a lot of teenagers in a lot of settings. This one is unique.
Many of the teens I see at the American School Championship are “of privilege.” One that I spoke to Saturday drives the Lamborghini he got for his sixteenth birthday to school. Another told me she recently got some wrestling advice from her driver and her body-guard. A third has a parent that is the Managing Director of Atlantis Dubai.
I have to fall back on wrestling, itself, to talk to these kids about values. It has become my habit to bring t-shirts, as gifts, for wrestling people, in all roles, of all ages, to anywhere on the planet. This trip, I packed exactly 50 pounds of giveaways in my checked bag.
As I unpacked the bag, Saturday morning, I explained to the teenagers gathered, “I have always believed that a wrestler will do anything for an Atta’ Boy and a t-shirt. This is the reason I say, to female competitors ‘Atta’ boy, girl’. Women, in our sport, deserve an Atta’ Boy’ as much as men!
I finish my gift-giving by explaining, “This t-shirt is not meant to be a gift of wealth. No wrestler values a gift of wealth. This t-shirt is a gift of passion and, in my experience, every wrestler respects and appreciates anything born of passion.”
I’m feeling pretty good, sitting here in Grants, New Mexico, USA. I got to watch my son teach technique, philosophy and values. This young professional is everything any father could ever hope for. I feel like I got to help wrestling, for the sake of wrestling. And… I had more than a few teenagers… well-to-do teenagers… come up and say, “Thanks, Coach. You gave me something to think about.” Mission accomplished.
Ciao
February 15, 2015 - We are back in the States. Our flight left Dubai 1:00 this morning and we got into Dulles (Washington, DC) at 6:30. The three of us seemed to have a pretty good Nap Rotation going, during the 14 hour flight.
Sterling had the tight turn around. We cleared customs at about 7:45 and his flight boarded at 8:30. Eva and I don’t go out until noon. The irony is: Sterling has to connect in Dallas to get home in Denver. Eva and I have to connect in Denver to get to Albuquerque. Sterling arrives in Denver 15 minutes before we do. “Fly the Friendly Skies?”
The weather is noticeable, as well. When we left the hotel, around 10:00 last night, it was 81 degrees. From what I can get from the silent TVs, in the terminal, DC might get up to Zero before we leave !
As always, the process of blogging for you really helps me collect and sort my own thoughts. I’m really caught up in “How to continue to grow these American School programs”.
I keep applauding the efforts these coaches and administrations are making, as well as USA Wrestling’s demonstrated commitment to assistance. That applause is earned and sincere.
I feel like my responsibility is to create, propose and implement connections that legitimize that relationship. USAW needs to know that their help is making a difference, and they need to be able to provide real help without simply ‘Throwing Money at it’. These programs don’t need things that hit anybody’s budget. They need human resources.
From the perspective of the programs, their coaches, parents and administrators, the assistance they get has to be usable, immediately. They are also budgeting money to grow. They have to get rather immediate, hands-on benefit for their kids.
So, that’ll be my task, as we look to the future of the relationship. I’m making a list of lists, so I can help keep the idea flow active.
My immediate task is to get home, get back to school, and referee New Mexico’s High School Sate Championship, next weekend. I will summarize and conclude this chapter, tomorrow, after a little sleep.
Ciao
February 14, 2015 - OK ! NOW, we’ve been to Dubai ! We accomplished our goal of visiting the Souks, or Bazaar. But, first, a quick ‘Happy Valentine’s Day” to folks back home. You are loved.
Yes, indeed we did go shopping ! The Souks are one of those ‘Amazing’ places. Right along side each other, the bazaars of gold, spice, and general merchandise are the place to escape the twenty-first century towers and immerse into the ancient culture of the Arabian Peninsula.
I mentioned that I enjoy the sport of haggling. It didn’t take me long to figure out I can’t afford gold, at any price. But, I gotta’ tell you, I made a helluva deal on a refrigerator magnet !
We finished competition today, and attended the awards banquet. The athletes, coaches, administration and families here are quality people. The individual matches held the proper intensity, but the host team crushed the team race.
There is a strong desire, from all the programs, that we continue to nurture their relationship with USA Wrestling. From my perspective, it’s a must.
Reason one is, simply, that the guys are doing right things the right way. It’s right to support that. Reason two is that we are continuing to grow the base. That’s good for every stake-holder.
Reason three is that the locations of these programs can be advantageous to our National Teams Program. All of the programs have expressed an interest in hosting acclimation camps for our teams on tour.
Dubai is a twenty minute boat ride from Iran. ASD has enough floor space, in their fieldhouse, to accommodate a dozen mats. There are no finer accommodations to be found.
OK… time for a quick rinse and we’re off to the airport... back to the world. I’ll fill you in on our upcoming 14 hour flight, when we get to Washington.
Ciao
February 13, 2015 - Our first competition day went pretty smoothly. We had no major boo-boos and it seemed like the right kid won. Part of the on-going Coach Education, in this unique paradigm, is teaching our overseas Coaches to be self-sufficient in officiating their own events. Our guys did fine.
I spend a lot of time, when I’m officiating myself, contemplating the rhyme and reason… the Zen… that wrestling offers. Every event, something becomes more clear to me. Today was no exception.
In viewing the typical High School kid that wrestles in these programs, the stereotype is that they are all “rich”. In truth, the majority of these kids really are economically ‘advantaged’.
What I saw today is nothing astonishing or new. It just made more sense. Wrestling provides different social mechanisms to different people. And all of them profit.
We brag a lot, in the states, about our Beat the Streets programs. In those, and programs like them, wrestling offers kids, mired in adversity, a shot at success. The American School programs offer kids, mired in success, a shot at adversity !
That said, I have developed a strong respect for what these coaches are doing for kids. Maybe more importantly, I have a strong respect for what the kids, themselves, and their parents see in our beloved sport.
I just think it’s cool how life balances out. That relationship, between struggle and achievement, defines our sport. It’s what we promise the parents of every kid we recruit. And, I’m convinced, we honor that promise.
So… we’re taking our little break, back at the hotel. This evening, Sterling, Eva and I are planning to visit the Gold, Spice and Old Souks… in other words, Dubai’s Grand Bazaar. Let the haggling begin !
February 12, 2015 - Today was Clinic Day… and it was a good one. Joe Byles, Athletic Director at ASD (American School of Dubai), sent a car for us early and gave us a full tour of the venue. Joe and his assistant, Karen Nicholls, impress me as awesome professionals. This event, along with others running on campus this week, is organized, to the ‘T’.
We discovered a real bonus when we learned that Ed Giese (OverTime WC, Chicago) was joining us for the Clinic. We divided the kids into two groups and rotated them, along with the Coaches’ group, between Sterling, Ed and me.
It worked well. The Coaches seemed to appreciate being test-pilots for USAW’s improved Bronze presentation. The athletes got pretty good doses of technique, motivation and philosophy.
After our clinics ended, this evening, the hosts facilitated a seeding and organization meeting, over dinner. We leave the hotel tomorrow, at 7:00am for an early start.
Teams represented here include AES New Delhi, AES Mumbai, AES Egypt and the hosts, ASD. One thing I really respect is that there are three full women’s brackets.
All three of us will be on hand, through both tomorrow and Saturday, just to answer any questions and, maybe offer bits of constructive advice. Eva will start the day with us, but the hosts are planning to take her to Jumeirah Beach for a good part of the day.
As much as I love wrestling, I have to admit to being jealous !
February 11 - We got up early, which was really not too hard. We are eleven hours’ time difference from New Mexico and Colorado. Having left Washington, DC at almost 11:00, Monday night, we all slept quite a bit on our 13 hour flight.
We should be here just long enough to get completely upside down for the return. I always find the jet-lag thing tougher, traveling west than east.
Today was not Everything one would hope to do and see in Dubai, but we put a pretty good dent in it. After a magnificent hotel breakfast, we hooked up with Khaled, the hotel concierge. He successfully sidetracked several “Tour” companies, connected us with a private car and driver, and saved us about 300 bucks.
The geography of the city helped us maximize. We started out, just a twenty minute drive, with the Jumeirah Mosque. The volunteers there do a very insightful presentation. The building motto is “Open Doors, Open Minds.” After an enlightening tour, we visited the Cultural Center for some Raw Camel Milk Milkshakes !
Next, we drove down to the “old” part of Dubai, and along the major shipping channel, called Dubai Creek. With some polished haggling, we arranged a personal, full hour tour of the Creek on a small boat, called an Abra. Our Captain was a remarkably personable young man. He filled us in on both the long and short histories of the city.
Unfortunately, time reared its ugly head and we had to hurry to get to the Palm Island, Jumeirah. We missed the treat of walking through the ‘Souks’, the bazaars for both spices and gold. Being one who loves to haggle, I hope we can get back to the Souks, before we leave. I do not need either spices or gold… probably can’t afford ‘em, anyway. But I do love a good haggle !
The Palm Island, Juneirah, is cool. But, to be honest, it didn’t rock our world. I realize it’s one of those things you have to say you saw, if you visit Dubai. Maybe it’s just the burden of my own middle class-ness, but I was really put off by the decadent display of wealth saturating the place. We cut that visit pretty short.
Getting back to the hotel, we had time to rinse, refresh, relax. We got our dressy-up clothes on and walked the three minutes to the brand new Metro station. Five stops and we were at the Mall of the Emirates. Walking through this huge mall, the anticiapation built for what we knew we were about to see.
The crowning glory (pun intended) was our visit to the Burj Khalifa. I have to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to Athletic Secretary, Karen Nicholls, at the American School of Dubai. I tried, for four months, to secure a reservation at the Burj’s famous At.Mosphere, and was unsuccessful. Karen got us hooked up in an hour.
Our original goal was to celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner in the Burj… Good idea… bad budget ! The original event schedule that I saw, back in October, had our clinic on Wednesday and our competition on Thursday and Friday. That left us Saturday for all our sight-seeing. To top it off, reserving a window table for Valentine’s evening requires a minimum expenditure, just over $1,000 per person. Did I mention, we’re poor?
Fortunately, the final schedule has our clinic on Thursday, with competition Friday and Saturday. There’s a banquet for all teams, Saturday evening. We would never miss that. So, Karen helped us reserve a window table, for a fraction of the Valentine’s Day expense. Still pricy, but liveable.
And, there we sat, arriving 45 minutes before sunset and staying until around 9:00. We sipped overpriced champagne and pretended to be “Them”, on the 122nd floor for the world’s tallest man-made structure ! Awesome ! Thanx, Wrestling !
Tomorrow will be a work day… and a good one. We have Coach and Athlete Clinics running simultaneously. Coach Sterling and I will ping-pong sessions throughout the day.
Today was one of those that we live for. I’m sure all three of us will sleep well tonight. Coach Sterling’s ‘app’ says we walked 14,600 steps today, and that was for us. Tomorrow, we walk the philosophical walk for USA Wrestling’s Coach Education Program.
Ciao
February 10 - After a long ride, we are in Dubai. The trip went smoothly and everything was reasonably on time. We left Dulles, Monday night, at 10:30 eastern time. With a straight shot, we arrived in Dubai at about 8:30 Tuesday night.
The drive from the airport to the hotel was pretty spectacular. People who live here describe Dubai as “Disneyland for Grown Ups”. Clearly, there has been exorbitant investment in tourism.
We got to see many of the top attractions, on our ride from airport to hotel. There are several large towers, but the Burj Khalif dwarfs ‘em all. We also saw the relatively new Metro rail system and some of the more noteworthy malls. Tomorrow will offer closer inspection.
Now, we have to find a way to sleep… and do it quickly. (Could boil down to ‘Better Living Through Chemistry). Tomorrow is our only day off, so we want to see as much as possible.
There’s a ‘Big Bus’ tour, that lets tourists hop on and hop off at various sites. Our goal is to visit the Grand Mosque, first thing in the morning. After that, we hope to visit the first of the two Palm Islands. (The second is still under construction.)
In the afternoon, we hope to cruise both the Gold Souk (market) and Spice Souk. We’ve been told we must see the giant mall, too.
We have a reservation, at 5:30, at a restaurant called At.Mosphere. My understanding is that it takes both the 142nd and 143rd floors of the Burj Khalifa, tallest manmade structure on the planet. Did I mention how lucky I feel ?
It’ll be interesting to see exactly how much of this we get accomplished ! But, I do know it’ll be an extraordinary day.
Eva may get to experience more of the UAE culture on Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Coach Sterling and I will work most of the day, all three. I’m sure we’ll have some shorter excursions, in the evening, after our clinic is done.
The world is full of things that make me say, “Wow”. Dubai is on that list.
Ciao
February 9, 2015: On the road again ! And, as usual, I’m feeling pretty lucky to be me. I.m on my way to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to help offer a USAW Bronze Level Coaches’ Clinic to Coaches of American Schools Abroad.
I need to start the trip by recognizing, for you, all the reasons I feel so lucky. First, I have to credit USAW’s Associate Executive Director, Les Gutches, for having the vision to support these programs abroad. I have watched Gutches go to bat for Folkstyle wrestling, at home and abroad, as a very important wrestling style.
Secondly, I have to applaud the American Schools, themselves, for committing to excellence. It would be easy to just offer students, abroad, the minimum. The coaches and administrators of these schools have clearly demonstrated their devotion to their Student/Athletes by asking USAW to provide educational advancement..
I was fortunate that USAW asked me to facilitate last year’s initial clinic, in New Delhi. I’m even more fortunate that I got invited back, as part of a team, for this year’s event in Dubai.
The good fortune doesn’t end there. This year, I get to be part of a tandom of Coach Education Instructors. The lead instructor is my own son, Sterling. Besides being my personal hero, Coach Sterling presents one of the most responsibly developed coaching philosophies on the planet. I expect to learn a lot !
As instructors, Coach Sterling and I get to roll out the Brand New Bronze Coach curriculum that Coach Education manager, Mike Clayton, spent last fall developing. Being first is always a compliment.
I’m also very lucky, in that my wife, Eva, is addicted to the wrestling lifestyle. Eva will accompany us to Dubai for one of the best Valentine’s Days ever !
So, this is one of those infamous Travel Days ! Total anonymity. Eva and I left Grants last night. We flew out of Albuquerque, early this morning. We meet the “Real” Coach Davidson in Houston, around noon, have dinner at Dulles, in DC, then start the 13 hour marathon flight to Dubai.
It is my goal to get something, at least for my students at Jimmy Carter Middle School, before Tuesday noon. With an eleven hour time change, that seems possible.
I have to thank USAW’s Communication Department, Gary Abbott, Craig Sesker, and Richard Immel, for helping get this blog published.
Stay tuned for a great adventure !
Ciao
I have the distinct privilege to get to talk with a lot of teenagers in a lot of settings. This one is unique.
Many of the teens I see at the American School Championship are “of privilege.” One that I spoke to Saturday drives the Lamborghini he got for his sixteenth birthday to school. Another told me she recently got some wrestling advice from her driver and her body-guard. A third has a parent that is the Managing Director of Atlantis Dubai.
I have to fall back on wrestling, itself, to talk to these kids about values. It has become my habit to bring t-shirts, as gifts, for wrestling people, in all roles, of all ages, to anywhere on the planet. This trip, I packed exactly 50 pounds of giveaways in my checked bag.
As I unpacked the bag, Saturday morning, I explained to the teenagers gathered, “I have always believed that a wrestler will do anything for an Atta’ Boy and a t-shirt. This is the reason I say, to female competitors ‘Atta’ boy, girl’. Women, in our sport, deserve an Atta’ Boy’ as much as men!
I finish my gift-giving by explaining, “This t-shirt is not meant to be a gift of wealth. No wrestler values a gift of wealth. This t-shirt is a gift of passion and, in my experience, every wrestler respects and appreciates anything born of passion.”
I’m feeling pretty good, sitting here in Grants, New Mexico, USA. I got to watch my son teach technique, philosophy and values. This young professional is everything any father could ever hope for. I feel like I got to help wrestling, for the sake of wrestling. And… I had more than a few teenagers… well-to-do teenagers… come up and say, “Thanks, Coach. You gave me something to think about.” Mission accomplished.
Ciao
February 15, 2015 - We are back in the States. Our flight left Dubai 1:00 this morning and we got into Dulles (Washington, DC) at 6:30. The three of us seemed to have a pretty good Nap Rotation going, during the 14 hour flight.
Sterling had the tight turn around. We cleared customs at about 7:45 and his flight boarded at 8:30. Eva and I don’t go out until noon. The irony is: Sterling has to connect in Dallas to get home in Denver. Eva and I have to connect in Denver to get to Albuquerque. Sterling arrives in Denver 15 minutes before we do. “Fly the Friendly Skies?”
The weather is noticeable, as well. When we left the hotel, around 10:00 last night, it was 81 degrees. From what I can get from the silent TVs, in the terminal, DC might get up to Zero before we leave !
As always, the process of blogging for you really helps me collect and sort my own thoughts. I’m really caught up in “How to continue to grow these American School programs”.
I keep applauding the efforts these coaches and administrations are making, as well as USA Wrestling’s demonstrated commitment to assistance. That applause is earned and sincere.
I feel like my responsibility is to create, propose and implement connections that legitimize that relationship. USAW needs to know that their help is making a difference, and they need to be able to provide real help without simply ‘Throwing Money at it’. These programs don’t need things that hit anybody’s budget. They need human resources.
From the perspective of the programs, their coaches, parents and administrators, the assistance they get has to be usable, immediately. They are also budgeting money to grow. They have to get rather immediate, hands-on benefit for their kids.
So, that’ll be my task, as we look to the future of the relationship. I’m making a list of lists, so I can help keep the idea flow active.
My immediate task is to get home, get back to school, and referee New Mexico’s High School Sate Championship, next weekend. I will summarize and conclude this chapter, tomorrow, after a little sleep.
Ciao
February 14, 2015 - OK ! NOW, we’ve been to Dubai ! We accomplished our goal of visiting the Souks, or Bazaar. But, first, a quick ‘Happy Valentine’s Day” to folks back home. You are loved.
Yes, indeed we did go shopping ! The Souks are one of those ‘Amazing’ places. Right along side each other, the bazaars of gold, spice, and general merchandise are the place to escape the twenty-first century towers and immerse into the ancient culture of the Arabian Peninsula.
I mentioned that I enjoy the sport of haggling. It didn’t take me long to figure out I can’t afford gold, at any price. But, I gotta’ tell you, I made a helluva deal on a refrigerator magnet !
We finished competition today, and attended the awards banquet. The athletes, coaches, administration and families here are quality people. The individual matches held the proper intensity, but the host team crushed the team race.
There is a strong desire, from all the programs, that we continue to nurture their relationship with USA Wrestling. From my perspective, it’s a must.
Reason one is, simply, that the guys are doing right things the right way. It’s right to support that. Reason two is that we are continuing to grow the base. That’s good for every stake-holder.
Reason three is that the locations of these programs can be advantageous to our National Teams Program. All of the programs have expressed an interest in hosting acclimation camps for our teams on tour.
Dubai is a twenty minute boat ride from Iran. ASD has enough floor space, in their fieldhouse, to accommodate a dozen mats. There are no finer accommodations to be found.
OK… time for a quick rinse and we’re off to the airport... back to the world. I’ll fill you in on our upcoming 14 hour flight, when we get to Washington.
Ciao
February 13, 2015 - Our first competition day went pretty smoothly. We had no major boo-boos and it seemed like the right kid won. Part of the on-going Coach Education, in this unique paradigm, is teaching our overseas Coaches to be self-sufficient in officiating their own events. Our guys did fine.
I spend a lot of time, when I’m officiating myself, contemplating the rhyme and reason… the Zen… that wrestling offers. Every event, something becomes more clear to me. Today was no exception.
In viewing the typical High School kid that wrestles in these programs, the stereotype is that they are all “rich”. In truth, the majority of these kids really are economically ‘advantaged’.
What I saw today is nothing astonishing or new. It just made more sense. Wrestling provides different social mechanisms to different people. And all of them profit.
We brag a lot, in the states, about our Beat the Streets programs. In those, and programs like them, wrestling offers kids, mired in adversity, a shot at success. The American School programs offer kids, mired in success, a shot at adversity !
That said, I have developed a strong respect for what these coaches are doing for kids. Maybe more importantly, I have a strong respect for what the kids, themselves, and their parents see in our beloved sport.
I just think it’s cool how life balances out. That relationship, between struggle and achievement, defines our sport. It’s what we promise the parents of every kid we recruit. And, I’m convinced, we honor that promise.
So… we’re taking our little break, back at the hotel. This evening, Sterling, Eva and I are planning to visit the Gold, Spice and Old Souks… in other words, Dubai’s Grand Bazaar. Let the haggling begin !
February 12, 2015 - Today was Clinic Day… and it was a good one. Joe Byles, Athletic Director at ASD (American School of Dubai), sent a car for us early and gave us a full tour of the venue. Joe and his assistant, Karen Nicholls, impress me as awesome professionals. This event, along with others running on campus this week, is organized, to the ‘T’.
We discovered a real bonus when we learned that Ed Giese (OverTime WC, Chicago) was joining us for the Clinic. We divided the kids into two groups and rotated them, along with the Coaches’ group, between Sterling, Ed and me.
It worked well. The Coaches seemed to appreciate being test-pilots for USAW’s improved Bronze presentation. The athletes got pretty good doses of technique, motivation and philosophy.
After our clinics ended, this evening, the hosts facilitated a seeding and organization meeting, over dinner. We leave the hotel tomorrow, at 7:00am for an early start.
Teams represented here include AES New Delhi, AES Mumbai, AES Egypt and the hosts, ASD. One thing I really respect is that there are three full women’s brackets.
All three of us will be on hand, through both tomorrow and Saturday, just to answer any questions and, maybe offer bits of constructive advice. Eva will start the day with us, but the hosts are planning to take her to Jumeirah Beach for a good part of the day.
As much as I love wrestling, I have to admit to being jealous !
February 11 - We got up early, which was really not too hard. We are eleven hours’ time difference from New Mexico and Colorado. Having left Washington, DC at almost 11:00, Monday night, we all slept quite a bit on our 13 hour flight.
We should be here just long enough to get completely upside down for the return. I always find the jet-lag thing tougher, traveling west than east.
Today was not Everything one would hope to do and see in Dubai, but we put a pretty good dent in it. After a magnificent hotel breakfast, we hooked up with Khaled, the hotel concierge. He successfully sidetracked several “Tour” companies, connected us with a private car and driver, and saved us about 300 bucks.
The geography of the city helped us maximize. We started out, just a twenty minute drive, with the Jumeirah Mosque. The volunteers there do a very insightful presentation. The building motto is “Open Doors, Open Minds.” After an enlightening tour, we visited the Cultural Center for some Raw Camel Milk Milkshakes !
Next, we drove down to the “old” part of Dubai, and along the major shipping channel, called Dubai Creek. With some polished haggling, we arranged a personal, full hour tour of the Creek on a small boat, called an Abra. Our Captain was a remarkably personable young man. He filled us in on both the long and short histories of the city.
Unfortunately, time reared its ugly head and we had to hurry to get to the Palm Island, Jumeirah. We missed the treat of walking through the ‘Souks’, the bazaars for both spices and gold. Being one who loves to haggle, I hope we can get back to the Souks, before we leave. I do not need either spices or gold… probably can’t afford ‘em, anyway. But I do love a good haggle !
The Palm Island, Juneirah, is cool. But, to be honest, it didn’t rock our world. I realize it’s one of those things you have to say you saw, if you visit Dubai. Maybe it’s just the burden of my own middle class-ness, but I was really put off by the decadent display of wealth saturating the place. We cut that visit pretty short.
Getting back to the hotel, we had time to rinse, refresh, relax. We got our dressy-up clothes on and walked the three minutes to the brand new Metro station. Five stops and we were at the Mall of the Emirates. Walking through this huge mall, the anticiapation built for what we knew we were about to see.
The crowning glory (pun intended) was our visit to the Burj Khalifa. I have to say a huge ‘Thank You’ to Athletic Secretary, Karen Nicholls, at the American School of Dubai. I tried, for four months, to secure a reservation at the Burj’s famous At.Mosphere, and was unsuccessful. Karen got us hooked up in an hour.
Our original goal was to celebrate Valentine’s Day with dinner in the Burj… Good idea… bad budget ! The original event schedule that I saw, back in October, had our clinic on Wednesday and our competition on Thursday and Friday. That left us Saturday for all our sight-seeing. To top it off, reserving a window table for Valentine’s evening requires a minimum expenditure, just over $1,000 per person. Did I mention, we’re poor?
Fortunately, the final schedule has our clinic on Thursday, with competition Friday and Saturday. There’s a banquet for all teams, Saturday evening. We would never miss that. So, Karen helped us reserve a window table, for a fraction of the Valentine’s Day expense. Still pricy, but liveable.
And, there we sat, arriving 45 minutes before sunset and staying until around 9:00. We sipped overpriced champagne and pretended to be “Them”, on the 122nd floor for the world’s tallest man-made structure ! Awesome ! Thanx, Wrestling !
Tomorrow will be a work day… and a good one. We have Coach and Athlete Clinics running simultaneously. Coach Sterling and I will ping-pong sessions throughout the day.
Today was one of those that we live for. I’m sure all three of us will sleep well tonight. Coach Sterling’s ‘app’ says we walked 14,600 steps today, and that was for us. Tomorrow, we walk the philosophical walk for USA Wrestling’s Coach Education Program.
Ciao
February 10 - After a long ride, we are in Dubai. The trip went smoothly and everything was reasonably on time. We left Dulles, Monday night, at 10:30 eastern time. With a straight shot, we arrived in Dubai at about 8:30 Tuesday night.
The drive from the airport to the hotel was pretty spectacular. People who live here describe Dubai as “Disneyland for Grown Ups”. Clearly, there has been exorbitant investment in tourism.
We got to see many of the top attractions, on our ride from airport to hotel. There are several large towers, but the Burj Khalif dwarfs ‘em all. We also saw the relatively new Metro rail system and some of the more noteworthy malls. Tomorrow will offer closer inspection.
Now, we have to find a way to sleep… and do it quickly. (Could boil down to ‘Better Living Through Chemistry). Tomorrow is our only day off, so we want to see as much as possible.
There’s a ‘Big Bus’ tour, that lets tourists hop on and hop off at various sites. Our goal is to visit the Grand Mosque, first thing in the morning. After that, we hope to visit the first of the two Palm Islands. (The second is still under construction.)
In the afternoon, we hope to cruise both the Gold Souk (market) and Spice Souk. We’ve been told we must see the giant mall, too.
We have a reservation, at 5:30, at a restaurant called At.Mosphere. My understanding is that it takes both the 142nd and 143rd floors of the Burj Khalifa, tallest manmade structure on the planet. Did I mention how lucky I feel ?
It’ll be interesting to see exactly how much of this we get accomplished ! But, I do know it’ll be an extraordinary day.
Eva may get to experience more of the UAE culture on Thursday, Friday, Saturday. Coach Sterling and I will work most of the day, all three. I’m sure we’ll have some shorter excursions, in the evening, after our clinic is done.
The world is full of things that make me say, “Wow”. Dubai is on that list.
Ciao
February 9, 2015: On the road again ! And, as usual, I’m feeling pretty lucky to be me. I.m on my way to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, to help offer a USAW Bronze Level Coaches’ Clinic to Coaches of American Schools Abroad.
I need to start the trip by recognizing, for you, all the reasons I feel so lucky. First, I have to credit USAW’s Associate Executive Director, Les Gutches, for having the vision to support these programs abroad. I have watched Gutches go to bat for Folkstyle wrestling, at home and abroad, as a very important wrestling style.
Secondly, I have to applaud the American Schools, themselves, for committing to excellence. It would be easy to just offer students, abroad, the minimum. The coaches and administrators of these schools have clearly demonstrated their devotion to their Student/Athletes by asking USAW to provide educational advancement..
I was fortunate that USAW asked me to facilitate last year’s initial clinic, in New Delhi. I’m even more fortunate that I got invited back, as part of a team, for this year’s event in Dubai.
The good fortune doesn’t end there. This year, I get to be part of a tandom of Coach Education Instructors. The lead instructor is my own son, Sterling. Besides being my personal hero, Coach Sterling presents one of the most responsibly developed coaching philosophies on the planet. I expect to learn a lot !
As instructors, Coach Sterling and I get to roll out the Brand New Bronze Coach curriculum that Coach Education manager, Mike Clayton, spent last fall developing. Being first is always a compliment.
I’m also very lucky, in that my wife, Eva, is addicted to the wrestling lifestyle. Eva will accompany us to Dubai for one of the best Valentine’s Days ever !
So, this is one of those infamous Travel Days ! Total anonymity. Eva and I left Grants last night. We flew out of Albuquerque, early this morning. We meet the “Real” Coach Davidson in Houston, around noon, have dinner at Dulles, in DC, then start the 13 hour marathon flight to Dubai.
It is my goal to get something, at least for my students at Jimmy Carter Middle School, before Tuesday noon. With an eleven hour time change, that seems possible.
I have to thank USAW’s Communication Department, Gary Abbott, Craig Sesker, and Richard Immel, for helping get this blog published.
Stay tuned for a great adventure !
Ciao
