State Championship

“I have been asked what I mean by word of honor. I will tell you. Place me behind prison walls—walls of stone ever so high, ever so thick, reaching ever so far into the ground—there is a possibility that in some way or another I may be able to escape, but stand me on that floor and draw a chalk line around me and have me give my word of honor never to cross it. Can I get out of that circle? No, never! I’d die first.”

-Karl G. Maeser-

I think of this comment by Karl Maeser when I think of our son Paul. In high school he was a great swimmer and enjoyed competing, but one event defined his career.

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It happened at the state swimming championship when Paul was a sophomore at Murray High School. He was swimming the 200-yard freestyle, and his coach, Larry Swim, expected Paul to pick-up 3 points in his event. With those points, Coach Swim thought Murray had a good chance to win the state championship.

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Paul swam his heart out in this event, but as he made his final turn the lane referee threw the disqualification flag. Paul had been disqualified and Murray would not get the points they so badly needed. Paul finished the race unaware of what had happened.

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The head umpire at that meet went over to the lane referee to talk with him and find out why he disqualified Paul. The ref told him that Paul didn’t touch the wall. The umpire then said something like this, “I know this kid and I know that he will not lie to me. So, I am going to ask him if he touched the wall and if he says yes, I will overrule your decision.”

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The umpire called Paul over and asked if he touched the wall and Paul responded, “Coach (he was the head coach at Skyline High School) I had a bad turn but as I flipped my middle toe barely touched the wall, but it touched.”

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The head umpire immediately overruled the lane referee, and Paul scored 3 points. Murray High School went on to win the Boys State Championship for the first time under Coach Larry Swim, by a single point. Paul’s race was critical.

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His mother, my first wife Carol, and I were both proud of Paul that night for his contribution to winning the championship, but our real pride came later after we talked with him.

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Both of us were concerned about Paul’s race being reversed. We could hardly wait to talk with him, even though we believed that he had told the truth and were sure that he would never lie about something like this, even if it meant pressure and negative feelings from his teammates and perhaps the coach. Yet still, we were anxious to talk and make absolutely sure.

When we finally had the chance to talk with Paul, the first question we asked was, “Did you touch?”

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He said, “I touched! It was only the skin of my toe, but I touched.” Neither Carol nor I had to ask anymore. All doubt was gone.

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As I write to you about this memory, I’m reminded of and grateful for the powerful influence Carol played in the lives of our children and want to give her high marks for teaching our sons about honesty and integrity, two important resiliency traits. She taught them not just by word, but by example. Without her guidance, wisdom, and ability to relate and talk with Paul and Peter they would not be the type of men they are today.

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As parents let’s take advantage of every opportunity to interact with and teach our children, and always remember the importance of teaching by example in addition to the words we share with them. I’m so grateful for the mother of my sons and all mothers who teach and guide and help us become responsible men and women who are prepared to take on the challenges of life.

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Take another peek at Karl Maeser’s words above, and let’s pass on his approach to honor and integrity to our kids, values that were never more important than today.

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Happy Failing Forward,

Calvert

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