Roy Exum: A Coach And His Track

  • Thursday, May 4, 2017
  • Roy Exum
Roy Exum
Roy Exum

Some minutes before the weekly meeting of the Hamilton County Commission was to begin, a bearded and bespectacled man sat among some empty chairs and seemed out of place. He wore a windbreaker with an “EH” on it and, other than a polite ‘good morning’ or two, was quiet and demure. Somebody said he was a school teacher who taught math and computer science. That’s about what he looked like. 

They also said he was a junior high track coach but that image didn’t fit. He was hardly the rah-rah type, I didn’t think, and – from looking – any speed he may have once had left many cheeseburgers ago. This is all to say David Kelman would become the last person in the room to be enshrined in my deeply-personal Hall of Fame. 

To get into my Hall of Fame is really hard to do. I’ve seen too many pretenders, show ponies, and falls from grace. To even be considered is quite a feat and, as our school teacher sat alone, I sensed he was clearly not at ease. He would have rather been anywhere on the planet instead of facing the County Commissioners and Sabrena Smedley said it almost took threatening him with a crowbar to get David Kelman to show up. 

What made it worse is that East Hamilton basketball coach Rodney English brought his Region 3-AAA champs before admiring commissioners. Rodney is quite an athlete and has rah-rah in every word that comes in his gregarious nature. His players reflect his enthusiasm, his zest on and off the court. It’s pretty easy to know why they win. 

But there is more, Gail Chuy, the principal, tagged along with the demand she speak. That’s because Gail, a career educator, has seen a lot of pretenders and show ponies and she wanted to “testify” that in all her years, she has never seen a team that cared more about one another. “With some athletes it is all about ‘me,’” the principal said. “With this basketball team it is all about each other. I can’t tell you what joy they bring to our school.” 

The principal also affirmed another fact. Of the 15 or so on the team – short and tall, wide and skinny, black and white – not one has less than a B-plus average. Coach English watched grades and deportment like a hawk and, in turn, his glee over what his team has accomplished is real. “But you know what the guys tell me? ‘We’re not done, coach. Going to the state tournament isn’t enough. We are not finished!” 

Wow! Talk about a rah-rah moment … but what about the quiet and reserved David Kelman? Now he was called to the microphone and, as Commissioner Smedley introduced him, she explained that when David got out of school he was quite successful “in the computer business,” whatever that simple explanation means in today’s highly-specialized and technical world. Then she said “he made some money” and became a teacher. 

Making money and teaching is an oxymoron, as sad as that reflects on society, and then Commissioner Smedley said he took over the junior high track team. I was amused David stood in stark contrast to Coach English, the math teacher now standing just two shades of red and looking embarrassed. 

That was when I sensed something might happen that there was no way for me to see. Sabrena Smedley thanked him for his “contribution” to East Hamilton track. Man, you can contribute in a lot of ways in track. That’s a vague as “the computer business.” What contribution? Coaching junior high kids? We could honor a lot of people like that, and rightfully I might add, but not before the mayor, the sheriff, and the entire County Commission. 

Joe Wingate, the school board member, smiled at my confusion. “In other words, he bought the track for the school.” 

What do you mean, he bought the track? “Yep, that’s the guy you are looking at. He wrote his own check.” 

A little background: When I ran track 50 years ago it was on cinders. Today they have some rubberized track surfaces that cost up into the millions if the sometime-gullible government pays for one. Most schools around the country can hardly afford that so most high school kids everywhere run on asphalt. It’s a different texture than asphalt for streets – your spikes can hold -- but it is a good surface and laid right – this over a pre-existing site -- a track will cost around $50,000. 

In Hamilton County, any expenditure over $10,000 must go out for bid. But David Kelman, with his analytical mind and love for numbers, quietly worked out a deal with the Department of Education where if the schools would give just south of $10 grand, Kelman would pick up the rest of the tab. And he did. 

As the county leaders presented him a proclamation noting his philanthropy, David – in his less-than-100-word acceptance, said “had it not been for high school track, I don’t know where I might have ended up.” 

We know David went out in the world, made his money, and ended up a teacher. What would it be like for a man with this hidden grandeur to teach me what ‘alt-control-execute’ really means? What would it be like for him to give me that precious “A-ha” moment with a math problem, or suggest later in the afternoon I switch the ‘power leg’ in my starting blocks? I am certain, in my heart of hearts, Mr. Kelman would care just as much about me as he does all the others at East Hamilton. I just know it. 

Coach English, this isn’t a dig at you. I could tell from your guys’ faces it would be a hoot to play some hoops with you. But what I wouldn’t give, this before acne and girls, to tug on the silks and lace the spikes to run for Coach Kelman. I would give him my all. 

Unfortunately I no longer have any eligibility but when a man loves his athletes so much he quietly reaches in his back pocket so they’ll have a place to play, he becomes ensconced in my deeply-personal hall of fame. I assure you it is a heady crowd. 

* * * 

IF THE COUNTY’s sign shop ever has a slow day, I wish they would make a small sign that says “The David Kelman Track” and then in small yet legible letters underneath put, “Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." - Samuel Beckett 

Sir Richard Branson (think Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Records … $5.2 billion) spoke at the close of a huge technology conference in Ireland and among those at the dais were Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, Elon Musk (founder of PayPal, Tesla Motors, and SpaceX), and Shervin Pishevar, the billionaire venture capitalist, and, in closing, Branson said, “I remember being told the Samuel Beckett line, that great line … ‘Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.’ And that’s what keeps me going, in many ways.” (Oh, please, Horace … if you consistently “fail better” you will not only win but it is the early failures that forge a champion, which is highly preferred over “winner.”) 

* * * 

ONE-TIME CAPITAL DONATIONS are rare for Hamilton County Public Schools but every school in the system would relish what David Kelman has done at East Hamilton. If you or your company has the resources to make a one-time major gift, if you will email me I’ll make it happen. It does, indeed, take a village to raise a child. 

royexum@aol.com

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