More than 30 years into this journalism gig, your knucklehead scribe is blessed to still dabble in television through hosting “Help Team 4” segments for KCNC-TV, the CBS-owned station in Denver. From 1988-2006, I worked there as a sports guy. It’s great to drop in and see old friends, many nearing retirement age. We visit and wonder, “Where in the heck did time go?”
That’s a topic for another day. A recent trek to the station for a segment featuring Denver Regenerative Medicine led to a chance encounter with its spokesperson, Mark Schlereth. Through the sports world I’ve known the former Broncos’ offensive lineman, known as “Stink”, (superstitious about washing practice gear) during a 12-year playing career with the Broncos and Washington Redskins.
We caught up on families and other stuff while preparing to tape several 90-second segments that would air on CBS4 throughout the afternoon and early evening hours. The focus was the company’s effectiveness in using our personal stem cells to stimulate healing in our aching bodies. The three-time Super Bowl champion knows a thing or two about an achy body. The current ESPN analyst had 29 surgeries during his playing days. Let’s just say sleeping comfortably is a challenge for the 50-year-old.
Anyway, as we chatted between takes in the brightly-lit studio with folks around us ready to answer phones when they started ringing, the conversation shifted from families and sports to life. Specifically, the importance of associations. Who are we hanging out with? Are they lifting us up or dragging us down?
“It’s the old crab pot story,” said the well-dressed Alaska native. Schlereth grew up working on fishing vessels during summers between classes and playing football for the University of Idaho.
“It was amazing to watch crabs. Fishermen need to put a lid on a pot with one crab in it. But you get more than one in a pot? No need for a lid.” The show producer was not pressing us to resume taping and Schlereth continued. “The reason? When you get two or more crabs in a pot? Any that try and escape will be dragged back down by the others.”
Be careful who we associate with, right? It’s one of the key foundational principles of the A Stronger Cord (ASC) wellness outreach movement. Three years of work has revealed the importance of associations is one key factor in helping others bounce back from addiction, incarceration and isolation. If the recovery process does not involve developing relationships with a broader range of folks - fitness-minded, dependable and productive ones via ASC - it’s tough to climb out of the addiction, incarceration or isolation crab pot. That’s true whether we’re black, white or brown or live in a mission, mansion or on Main Street. Most of us have a physical, emotional, spiritual or financial crab pot we’re trying to escape.
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