“Let me ask you somethin?…”
UNFORGETTABLE MOMENT- With THE TIGER.
Circa: Way Back When- I was 25 years old.
Setting: Cal State Fullerton Gym
Parties Involved: Chris, Rocky, and Me.
BACKGROUND:
Chris (The Tiger) Nelson, my workout partner for several years and a precious dear friend that was lost to the Winds of Time. Description: Muscular, 5’7,” blood & guts, tough as nails Brotha, straight from the Hood. But there was much more to him than that. He was a spiritually deep-insightful man that never showed signs of doubt or weakness. Hell, I can recall him attempting to bench press WAY-WAY MORE than his Max- he’d reach a sticking point where he could not budge the weight any further, but his determined Willpower never gased-out.
As a Spotter I instinctively knew to just minimize the assistance during his lifts. But his unrelenting spirit in the face of inevitable failure was truly remarkable and rare in sports. Man, I’ve seen his body betray him MANY times in the gym- but his MIND always refused. That fascinated me- & Chris’s example of pure GRIT stuck with me to this day! Usually, when one hits a sticking point (called ‘The Wall’), after straining TO NO AVAIL for an agonizing period of time- the Mind eventually relents, ‘Ok, that’s it!’. NOT Chris- he had ‘NO Quit and NO Give’!
Rocky: A senior @ Cal State, rugged looking 5’10” cat that was training for his first body building contest. He might have been on some low-dosed steroid back then and was starting to see improvements in his vascularity.
THE CONVERSATION:
Rocky: “Man, I got 30 days before this contest.”
Me: ‘You stress’n, Dude?”
Rocky: “I’m try’n to dial in, you know…”
Tiger: “You look’n good, Bro. You’ll be cool.”
Rocky: “I don’t know, man...”
Me: “What do you mean?”
Tiger: ‘Talk to us, Bro.”
Rocky (initially hesitant) : “ …I just… ah, I just don’t want folks look’n at me like I don’t belong up there, you know?”
Tiger (placed his right leg on top on a nearby bench, crossed both arms on top of his knee, and then leaned forward towards Rocky): “Well, let me ask you somethin’, Blood…”
The Tiger purposefully paused making sure he had Rocky’s undivided attention, LOOKED DIRECTLY in his eyes, and says, “Is it all about THE PEOPLE- or is it All ABOUT YOU?”
DEAD SILENCE!......Crickets! ……….WOW!
P.S. Rocky didn’t say a-n-y-t-h-i-n-g but the point was perfectly made. I can’t recall if Rocky actually entered that contest, but that one question (40-some years later) STILL RESONATES with me!
B.P.S. I took some liberties on the pic, as it’s not actually The Tiger. But the demeanor and depiction perfectly captures The Tigers presentation. One that I will NEVER FOREGT. Indeed, it remains one of the most notable Thought-Provoking QUESTIONS … from the Lookout Post.