Prepping for success
Harrison’s final high school track season went by uneventfully. I held out hope that perhaps he would have one great race, a major breakthrough in the 3200 meters, but it did not turn out that way. I knew the potential was there, but his late physical maturation, along with lack of mental focus needed to put together a qualifying run, was holding him back. In fact, he had reached puberty years later than most young men, and also was years behind most teenagers in his physical and muscular development.
It was at one of Harrison’s final track meets of his senior year that we met Nate Encinias, a runner for Rocky Ford High School. I knew from Nate’s coach, Ron Shepherd, that Nate had also signed on to run at Colorado Mountain College and would be attending the Leadville Timberline Campus. “Coach Shep,” as he’s fondly called by his runners and other coaches, is a legendary CHSAA Hall of Fame cross-country and track coach who is known for turning out hard-working athletes and solid citizens. Nate seemed right off to be a calm and inquisitive young man, wise beyond his years. He and Harrison had been competing with each other throughout middle- and high school, and now they were going to be running on the same college team. I didn’t know it then, but I had just met Harrison’s guardian angel.
When the Colorado State Track Championships in Denver rolled around, Nate was there as part of Rocky Ford’s 4x800-meter relay team, and Harrison was there running for Custer County in the “Unified” 100 meters and 200 meters. Harrison viewed his participation in these Paralympic events as a “watered-down” experience. I assured him that his time was coming, and that at least this got him a trip to the state meet. Graduation was just a week away. And things were starting to get real.
There were more discussions with Darren, and he put me in touch with Jen Speight, the inclusion and disabilities coordinator. We were encouraged to enroll in TRIO Student Support Services, which is a U.S. Department of Education program that provides academic and social support for disadvantaged students, including those with disabilities.
The original plan in my mind was an experimental transition period with Harrison staying in Leadville and taking a couple classes two or three days a week, then coming back home for the rest of the week. We asked CMC’s athletic director, Angela Dunn, to apply for a waiver from the NJCAA to allow Harrison to compete with reduced credit hours.
At some point an in-person meeting was arranged through Jen with Evan Weatherbie, the assistant dean of student affairs. We drove up to Leadville and Darren took Harrison for a run while Evan and Jen talked with me about my vision for him at CMC. I explained that running was central to Harrison’s academic success and asked what the grade requirements were to be on the team. Evan replied that he needed to maintain a C, or 2.0, average. We discussed that I would have a strong supportive role in his course work. Then Evan asked what exactly were my expectations for Harrison. I said I just wanted him to have a “college experience.” Evan, nodded OK, and seemed relieved that I wasn’t pushing for Harrison to obtain some impossible degree.
In the following weeks we would meet with Paloma Hammond, the academic advisor. I studied the online course catalog looking for classes that might hold Harrison’s interest — a key to success. He was required as a freshman to take a class in “The College Experience.” It was also recommended that he take an introductory English class.
I liked that CMC offered traditional academics along with vocational classes, which experts such as Temple Grandin quite often recommended for autistic people. Looking through the catalog, I wondered about welding. I took welding in high school and learned the basics of acetylene, and ARC processes. I remembered that I enjoyed welding and I considered it a skill that I could probably pick back up with some review. I recalled that we learned acetylene welding with the gas torch first, then moved up to electric ARC welding. I inquired with Paloma about the welding program and asked if he might be able to take the “Oxy Fuels Joining Processes” class, which looked like an advanced version of the acetylene welding I took in high school. She replied that he could, but she also recommended that he take the “Basic Shielded Metal ARC” class simultaneously. I hadn’t considered that a student could take both at once, but agreed to enroll him right away as Paloma said the welding courses filled quickly.
As we jostled the schedule together I realized that we had committed Harrison to more hours than I’d planned, which meant more days on campus. Before it was all said and done, he was enrolled in 13 credit hours, which meant he didn’t need a waiver to run on the team or to stay in the dorm. Still, I wanted to obtain the waiver from the NJCAA as backup in case the course load proved too much for him to handle and we had to drop classes.
All the while I’d been making jokes in my various conversations with people at the college about camping and “couch-surfing”with friends in Leadville. One day Jen called and said there had been a discussion. Since Harrison was going to have a single room to himself, they were offering me a pass to stay in the residence hall. “Because we know you’re going to be actively involved and will need a place to stay . . . and we know you won’t abuse the situation,” Jen said. I laughed, “No, I don't think a 62-year-old guy is going to want to move into a college dorm full time.”
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