# 201

The first and most important step toward success is the expectation that we can succeed. Nelson Boswell

Regardless of circumstances, each man lives is a world of his own making. Josepha Murray Emms

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Does the name Rosie Ruiz ring a bell? For a very short period of time in 1980 she became a very famous athlete. During the 1980 Boston Marathon, Rosie Ruiz was the first female runner to cross the finish line. She was declared the women’s winner. However there were several individuals that were very shocked at the result. Jacqueline Gareau was perhaps the most shocked. Gareau had trained for the Boston Marathon for three full years. She was not favored to win the race. Somewhere along the 26 mile course Gareau passed all the other women to take the lead. There were no other women runners in front of her, and she knew that victory would be hers.

About a mile from the finish line, another woman suddenly appeared. She was ahead of Gareau, and crossed the finish line first. Boston Marathon race officials immediately declared her the winner. That woman was Rosie Ruiz.

Bill Rodgers who won the Men’s Marathon was very leery of Ruiz’s victory. Rodgers said she had too much body fat, and not enough muscle to be a marathon runner. And, Rodgers added, Ruiz did not appear to be fatigued. I can tell you personally from running a Marathon that fatigue is a major factor after having run 26 plus miles.

Boston Marathon officials immediately began to investigate. Ruiz qualified for the Boston Marathon by obtaining a bogus qualifying time from the New York City Marathon. Race officials concluded that Ruiz jumped into the pack with about a mile to go, never thinking that she was actually going to win the race. Ruiz was stripped of her title, and Gareau was declared the winner and given her rightful place in Boston Marathon history.

Years later, Gareau and Ruiz’s paths again crossed. It was at a race in Miami. Gareau approached Ruiz and asked her why she did it. Ruiz responded that she did run the race.

It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of our responsibilities. Josiah Stamp

Oscar Wilde said: I can resist anything but temptation.

Dealing with students in Alternative School and In-School Suspension, I deal with students on a daily basis who, like Rosie Ruiz, are not willing to fully accept the consequences of their actions. Most of the kids know that they have done something wrong – yet are often unwilling to make the changes necessary to keep them from continued problems in school, at home, and with the law enforcement community.

Recently, while speaking with my mentor Stan Kellner, we talked about the pain and pleasure principle.

And, during my recent visit to Hawaii, I met with Allan Silva. Silva works for the Hawaii Department of Education. His task it to visit schools throughout the islands and meet with students who are at risk. Allan told me about a program he was working on. This program involved

Regardless of the program—whether it is behavior modification,

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Meet Tom Hughes

Tom is the founder of Motivational Moments. A highly successful coach, educator, author and speaker, Hughes believes in the life-long learning process. I can remember as a child my Dad sitting at the kitchen table reading. He never had the opportunity we did. He was a teenager when his father died. Being the man of the house he quit school to support his family. Raising his own family of eight children, he was forced to work multiple jobs to make ends meet. It is from my father that I got my passion for learning, for competing, for achieving, Hughes stated.

That passion carried over to the basketball court where Toms coached successfully on the high school, college and professional levels. At Wentworth Military Academy his junior college basketball teams did something no other team in decades did win! His Kansas Wesleyan University teams won back-to-back NSCAA National Championships (1996-1997). He was selected NSCAA National Coach of the Year in 1996. On the professional level, Tom led the Kansas Cagerz to the USBL Southern Division Championship in 1999 and a second place finish in 2000.

In April of 2001, Tom was looking for a way to share with friends and family the motivational stories he had collected over his years of coaching and teaching. The Internet was the perfect way to get the stories out. Starting with a handful of readers in the US, the Motivational Moments newsletters is distributed to professionals, business persons, educators, politicians, clergy, and coaches and athletes throughout the world.

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Hughes has spoken to college and high school student groups, faculty and staff workshops, business groups, and civic organizations. His high energy program will motivate, inspire, educate, and entertain the audience. Tom uses a unique blend of stories, music, humor, theory, and interactive exercises to reach his audience with a message they wont soon forget.

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