It’s difficult to gauge the impact of our words. Sometimes – in reality, most of the time – we talk without thinking about the present and future impact that our words might have.
Some aspects of our society seem to champion the act of blurting out whatever’s on our mind, consequences be damned. In a nutshell, this (accurately) describes our divisive political discourse – regardless of which “sides” of the agenda you are on!
Anyway, with regard to the impact of our words … coaches need to remind themselves of this all the time. Words carry with them not only meaning but also emotion. Maya Angelou once famously said: “They may not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.” Here’s the thing, though: Remembering how you felt is due in large part to remembering what was said to you.
Loyal Substacker Joaquin Aymerich sent out a note on a local running group email chain to which I belong. He was writing about his lifelong friend Chris Chamuris, who passed away suddenly and unexpectedly back in 2021. Chris was a great runner in high school and in college, where he met and befriended Joaquin. Later in life, Chris became a loyal and caring coach and teacher in central New Jersey.
Joaquin reached out to me after Chris’ sudden passing, and I wrote a story about his life in my Poughkeepsie Journal running column at that time. Through talking with Joaquin and a few others, I got a very clear picture of what a great man Chris Chamuris was, and the lasting impacts he left of so many along the way.
This leads me back to Joaquin’s group email and picture. Here’s what he wrote:
As was mentioned in Pete’s article, my friend Chris coached the son of one of his own high school athletes. That athlete was an age-group AAU champion. Since then, he has gone on to run in high school and recently participated in a national meet. The team did well in the DMR. The pic shows the training shoes he wore to the meet for warm-ups. They have a message from Chris, “all the best. I’ll be watching.” I’m sure that Chris was watching. This athlete will be headed to the University of Chicago and will be on the track team. Chris’ legacy continues.
Our words and our actions matter. We may not know the immediate impact of them. But in the case of Coach Chris Chamuris, three years after his passing, his positive and kind words still echo in the heart and mind of one young runner. Every step of the way.
How’s THAT for Monday Motivation! Have a great week, everyone.
I had two coaches just like this. One was my HS coach John Jordan. The other was YOU! I'm always telling people, I run well now because I had eight years of great coaching to launch me into a 35-year career of running. Couldn't have done it as easily without either one of you.
Pete you also humbly left out my thanks to you for taking the time to speak with the athlete’s mother, when she was looking for guidance on behalf of her son. That is what great coaches do. I will be attending my 50th HS reunion next year. When I attended my 48th it was great to see old HS track team and cross country friends. We all remembered our coach who never once took credit for our success. Thanks for reposting the email. Joaquin