Pep Talk: "Shock and Awe"

Donald Trump is President-elect of the United States of America? The world is shocked, protestors are in the streets and it’s a reminder of something very important.

First, to the shock. Images from a downtrodden Hillary Clinton election-night party were powerful. Democratic followers in tears and shock. In contrast, images from a raucous GOP celebration at Trump’s gathering showed followers in tears and shock too. 

Oxford American dictionary defines shock as, “A sudden effect upon a person’s mind or emotion.” America felt it when the reality television star surpassed 270 electoral votes to secure victory as our nation’s 45th president. At that moment, personally experiencing a sudden effect upon mind and emotion took my thoughts to a couple of favorite moments during the television sportscasting days for KCNC-TV (CBS4) in Denver.

The first came in Seattle, Washington in 1994. Game 5 of the Western Conference quarterfinals. The #1 seeded Sonics were expected to steamroll a young Denver squad. The Nuggets shocked the NBA basketball world, upsetting the heavily favored Sonics. Sports fans remember Nuggets’ center Dikembe Mutombo lying on the floor, holding the basketball above his head in joyful celebration.

As a reporter covering the game, I’ll never forget being near Mutombo, capturing post-game reaction on the floor and then sprinting up the steps of the Seattle Center Coliseum to execute a live shot back to Denver. What will forever be remembered? The look on Sonics’ fans faces. Dressed head-to-toe in green and gold, they sat motionless in their seats. In absolute shock.

Later the same year, in the fall of ’94, your knucklehead scribe was in Ann Arbor, Michigan covering the CU Buffs against the Michigan Wolverines. In one of college football’s most amazing finishes, CU quarterback Kordell Stewart’s Hail Mary prayer pass was answered as the Buffs pulled off a miraculous win. Ever heard 105,000 screaming fans go deathly silent because of a sudden effect upon mind and emotion? Unforgettable.

Just personal opinion, but the shock of Trump’s thumping of Clinton speaks to Americans rejecting the political status quo. I know from attempting to run for Colorado state representative the disgust citizens have with it. Dedicated campaign manager Pam Read and I knocked on more than 5,000 doors in House District 6 and talked with many on the streets. Often was heard, “Throw ‘em all out!” when talking about the sad state of affairs. The New York native shocked the world because Americans rejected the political status quo. Let’s hope it leads each party to some serious soul searching.

But Trump’s victory is a win for the American way. This country became great behind a belief that “anything is possible.” Few gave Trump a snow ball’s chance in Hades of winning any primaries, the GOP nomination, let alone the presidency. A good buddy offered wisely, “It’s the essence of America.”

Got a dream? Chase it with gusto. Shock the critics and provide an awe-inspiring reminder to others that, “If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it!”