Down home, we have convenience stores called “Cumberland Farms,” and they have gas, beer, soda, snacks and all that, but most of them are really easy to get in-and-out of when you’re filling up. One day around the corner from my parents’ house, there was a guy putting gas in his tank and he was listening to this reggae/dancehall type of music on the radio or CD player in his car and I asked him who it was singing.
“Barry Sammon,” the guy said, but in a very thick Bahamian accent.
So, the next time I was at a record store I searched all over to find music by this “Barry Sammon” I enjoyed so much — but so briefly — through that dude’s speakers. I combed the reggae, dancehall, reggaeton, world music and other sections before shifting to pop, rock and all that and I couldn’t find this guy anywhere. It was such good music I refused to believe he wasn’t popular (even though I hadn’t heard of him before) and then came across a compilation CD with a song on it by a guy named “Beres Hammond.”
Well, that was it. So, I bought a greatest hits CD by him and everything turned out great and the music really is that good. Thereafter, I’ve always purposely remembered that event — because it was funny and taught me a lesson — due to the reality that the same thing happens in translation to so many other things. Something that is obvious when I’m watching and listening to coaches is how they approach the athletes and what is the best way to get through to them and connect them with the plays and the vernacular and help them learn the system.
Having been a coach myself on a few occasions, it’s funny to think of all the ways the players were confused by my initial instructions, but awesome when I saw the lightbulb come on and they finally “got it.” Nowadays, when I am watching games here in this area of the country I can say the athletes themselves are so hard-working and disciplined they seem to make the job a bit easier on the managers and head-coaches of the various sports. It’s also easy to see when things aren’t going “according to Hoyle,” as my Dad used to say, and fun to witness when the gears start turning and the pistons start firing and teams get on a roll towards victory.
All things being equal, screaming something louder doesn’t usually get the point across better (that’s for certain) and more-often-than-not the student-athletes depend on more cohesive instruction and sometimes a simpler explanation. But, occasionally, they figure it out by simply hearing it in different terms and maybe it’s beneficial to learn the dialect of the people you’re communicating with, no matter whether you’re the athlete or the coach.
When I watch coaches go through their paces deliberately and slowly, with thorough explanation, I cannot say that method works every time (it didn’t for me, sometimes I had to get a little harsh because the athletes weren’t LISTENING), but it’s all still a matter of words and actions being lost in the translation because SOMEBODY wasn’t communicating or listening well.
In just the same way, “Barry Sammon” could have stayed on the periphery of my memories had I not sussed out the situation. However, a little more investigation and unwinding of the words and the man’s dialect led me to enjoying a ton of good music for the last 15 years since that happened. The same thing works for sports between coaches and players, and when they WANT to connect the dots they will connect the dots on the way to success on the field as long as they each take the time to recognize the others’ “dialectic” differences (so-to-speak).
I can tell you that Beres Hammond is not only a very interesting name, but his music is fantastic and I’m glad I finally figured all that out. I wish I could tell this story to that guy at Cumberland Farms, he probably would appreciate the irony and humor just as much as I do.
I miss all these things about coaching. But regardless, the lesson was learned and the notes all seem to come together nicely now … on the field and in my headphones.
Gaylon is a sportswriter from Jensen Beach, Fla. and his columns appear in The Dickinson Press on Mondays. He can be reached at gparker@thedickinsonpress or 701-456-1213.
Gaylon is a sportswriter from Jensen Beach, Fla., but has lived all over the world. Growing up with an athletic background gave him a love of sports that led to a journalism career in such places as Enid, Okla., Alamogordo, N.M., Pascagoula, Miss. and Viera, Fla. since 1998. His main passion is small-town community sports, particularly baseball and soccer.
