Tyler Blades is not a natural-born runner

Blade Runner - Tyler Blades, 15, looks like a natural-born runner, with his blond hair blowing in the wind as he bounds over hill and dale. Except he is not that guy in spite of winning the Herring Point 5K Oct. 15 in 20:32 and placing second in the Mariner’s Bethel trail run Oct. 22 in 20:29. Tyler has lost 110 pounds in less than two years. In his own words, he told me: “Doctors at A.I. said lose weight and get fit if you want to live. My blood pressure was sky-high, which was thickening the walls on one side of my heart. I am fine now, and I’m on the Sussex Central cross country team.” Tyler is an inspirational young man who is too young to realize his positive impact on others of all ages. Martin Rodriguez, 35, has a similar story. He described himself as the “fat kid” when he was in high school. A PhD student may conclude that the secret to becoming a fast runner is to start out as a fat kid, then work your way into ideal shape. 

Tiger Lily - Lily Noonan is just 9 years old, and she looks it. When the Seashore Striders runner crossed the finish line at the Mariner’s Bethel 5K in 23:52 - good for 10th overall in a field of 137 - coach Tim Bamforth exclaimed, “Lily would place in the Henlopen Conference meet. She could win her age group at Nationals too, but we won’t have her that day; she’s in some Irish dance competition.” I asked Lily to jump in front of my camera for a photo at the first break of runners crossing the finish line. She jumped in with both feet, like a dancer in a circle, smiled and jumped back out of the frame. She is a natural at age 9. Tim and I are both experienced with youth following their passion; we would never try to change that because we have both tried, and failed every time.

Playing time - The better the team, the more people who want to coach it. Let me add, the hardest thing about being a player is not playing, and that holds true for all levels, from 10-year-olds through college and the pros. New England was leading Atlanta Sunday night 23-0, and 40-year-old Tom Brady was still in the game. Jimmy Garoppolo is the New England backup, and he is just 26 years old. He played at Eastern Illinois, where he broke all of Tony Romo’s records and won the Walter Payton award as the best player in the FCS. Why do NFL starting quarterbacks mop up their own floors? Why is Jimmy just standing around? The kid is a major talent.

Lame Fox - Fox sports had the Dallas at San Francisco 4 p.m. game on Sunday. During halftime of the game, Dwight Clark, 60, was being honored, and Joe Montana was delivering the message with teammates from the 49ers’ 1981 championship team behind him. Clark made what is known as “The Catch” in the 1982 NFC championship game against Dallas, when he caught a high ball thrown by Montana, arguably the best quarterback to ever play the position along with Brady. Clark played at Clemson. Clark has ALS, and I wanted to see the halftime ceremony, but Fox chose not to show it. I couldn’t believe it. It made me want to pour a bucket of ice water over my head. Clark, No. 87, said all he wanted was to see his teammates one more time.

Tales from the Dark Side - People have asked me over time where the humor comes from, and I tell them the dark side of real-life experiences. I have written more than 30 tributes for athletes dying young, each one of them capturing a celebration of a life lived, but also blending in the sadness of a person gone too soon. I wrote of my own son, Tom, in one sitting - the words came easily yet tearfully - the message heard by many, ignored by some. The community outpouring of love for our family and more importantly for Tom was something you just don’t find in many places. The Freds love all peoples. It sounds stupid to have to even say that, but that is just us inside Sesame Street by the Sea. We all roll together, and we roll deep. Go on now, git!