The light within

It has been a while since I thought about Brian Scott, but Friday, while taping the Christmas Day Mesilla Valley Sports Show on KTAL Radio with Mike O’Larey and Brian Cox, he came into my mind.

I was asked to name a memorable sports story I had covered, and it took me a while. There have been so many powerful stories and so many amazing people. The storytelling is the reason I am drawn to cover high school sports and community journalism, and Brian Scott is a classic example of that.

A three-time state champion wrestler and all-state football player at Hurricane High School in southern Utah, Scott seemed to have everything going for him as he finished his senior year of high school. Then, he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. It took his life at the age of 20.

The Brian Scott I wrote about in my publication, “Preps Utah,” had the heart of a champion and it wasn’t just because he was good at sports. Even at the bleakest moment in his battle with cancer, Scott was a champion in every sense of the word. He lifted everyone around him.

Working on another story last week took me to the garage of Celinda Levy, a long-time Las Cruces resident, who is living with the debilitating effects of multiple sclerosis. I was there to talk to her about a group of angels who came into her life when she needed help with transportation along with a lift to her spirits.

The local biking community delivered the assistance she needed. As I worked on that story, I was mostly struck with the positive energy that came from Celinda. With every reason to complain or to quit, she does neither. Instead, our conversation lifted me. Her energy is contagious.

Brian Scott and Celinda Levy are two examples of people who see life’s challenges, but rather than giving into them, they are driven by them. In the process, they elevate the rest of us.

I know a football coach in Utah named Dustin Smith. His primary work when I met him, or so I thought, was training quarterbacks. His company, Quarterback Elite, brings together top-level quarterback coaches with aspiring young college and professional football players and trains them to elevate their skill level.

But that’s not the best thing about Dustin Smith’s business ventures. Beginning with those quarterbacks he trains, his other business, Especially for Athletes, goes onto high school campuses and encourage young people to keep their eyes up and help those around them who might be struggling.

One of the terms he uses is “sportlight.” He teaches star athletes, students, class leaders, and everyone on campus that this may be the time in their lives when they are most “famous” they will ever be. It is a time when the light they project can change lives in a way that may not always be readily available in their circle of influence.

He starts with the quarterbacks, popular kids on campus, and stresses the importance of living right and serving right at a time when everyone knows who they are.

We aren’t all star athletes, but we all have a sphere of influence. Interviewing Celinda Levy reminds me that we all have a light within us that, when shared, can brighten someone else’s day, week, month, or year. It can change someone’s life.