The Gym Pass

I was 5 years old and it was 1975 when I started seeking the attention of Coach Meddock. I remember going to the Ambridge Turners to watch my older brother at gymnastics practice and my parents said that I was not old enough to sign-up. It just killed me to sit there and watch and I would slip out of the chair and try to roll onto the mats every time my mother looked away. I will never forget the night that Coach came over to where we were sitting and asked me if I wanted to come out onto the mat. I was so excited that he let me get in line and I wouldn't look at my mother because I was afraid that she would pull me back. (I swear that I can still smell that room with the musty wooden floor, those old Nissan blue and gold mats and that chalk dust in the air.) I felt like one of the "big kids" when Coach Meddock knelt down next to me and flipped me through a few back handsprings just to see if I was afraid to go backwards. That night when I went home I couldn't wait to tell my Dad that I got to do gymnastics and that Coach Meddock told me that I could sign-up for classes.

For the next 6 years I went to classes every week at the Turners and I quickly learned that being a part of Ambridge gymnastics with Coach Meddock was something to be proud of. I would watch him work with the older gymnasts and I wanted to be just like them. Honestly, it didn't take me long to realize that I was not the caliber of athlete that it took to become a gymnast like Arnold Gwinn or Scott Spath but I still wanted to keep trying. My first meet was at Juart's and Coach Meddock was there. I was more nervous about him watching than I was about the meet itself. I placed 5th on the floor and got my first ribbon at that meet and I remember Coach coming up to me and just saying "you did better than I thought you would." I am still not sure if that was a compliment but I did know that it was attention from him and that was enough for me. There has always been something about him that made me want to work for his attention.

A couple years later and it was time to move on to B.E. Jr. High School. That is when I got my official "GYM PASS" from Coach Meddock. That little piece of Plexiglas taped to a piece of paper that made me feel so special. It says "GYM PASS JEFF FINCH 82-83- DRM." Maybe I am pathetic....but I still have it. I carried that piece of plastic everywhere like it was my official Ambridge Gymnastics membership card. As soon as a teacher would say that we had some extra time in class I would pull that thing out and say that I had to go to the gym because Coach Meddock said so. I thought that I was so lucky to be allowed to go down there to do endless dips, muscle-ups, V-ups and push ups. Who wouldn't want to go work out with a guy chewing on raw peppers and tomatos??? It was during the school day that I had my chance to get his attention because the high school gymnasts weren't there yet. I would do 70 dips in a row just to hear him say "good job." Occasionally he would pull me aside and ask me to "stick my wing bone out" (my scapula ) and he would laugh and tell me that it reminded him of a former gymnast of his. I can honestly say that everything that I enjoyed about B.E. was in that gym and it was during those after school practices that I would watch my heroes (Arnold, Scott, Mike, Jimmy, Jim, Ricky, Armen etc...). I could see how proud of those high school gymnasts Coach Meddock was. He seemed to always know how to treat each of us to get us to do our best. Some needed to be yelled at while others needed to be praised. Tact never seemed to get in his way and you could always count on honesty. He always let you know that he expected your best effort and somehow he made a bunch of teenagers willing to work hard.

Then in 1984 I remember Coach asking us (some of the younger gymnasts) to come and sit down in the locker room. He told us that we needed to find something else to do because gymnastics would no longer be a part of Ambridge High School. He explained that almost all of the high schools in PA dropped their boys' programs and that we would have no other teams to compete with once we got to high school. Selfishly, I felt relieved because I knew that I was not good enough to actually make it to that high school team but I remember how Coach Meddock looked as he talked about it. I could see that it was hard for him and I felt sorry that it was going to end.

Two years later our track coach, Erv Weischedel, came to me and asked me to pole vault. I asked why and he said that Coach Meddock was willing to work with some pole vaulters and he had heard that I was a former gymnast. Coach Meddock was all that I needed to hear and I said yes. I really hadn't seen Coach for a while but he was just the same. He came to our first practice and said "get your butt over 10 feet and I will work with you." I asked "why 10 feet?" and he said "you're not in the air long enough to do anything with if your not over 10 feet." It took me about one week to make it to 10' and I could see that I finally got his attention. He came to practice and started to coach me. I couldn't help but think about all of those (you) amazing gymnasts that I had looked up to for so many years. I actually had their coach working with me and I was so proud. He made his expectations so clear....work hard, do your best, be strong, don't whine and no excuses. These are life lessons that Coach Meddock and my father had in common. I am happy to say that I did not take either of them for granted when I was a teenager....I knew that I was lucky to have them both in my life and I always wanted to make them both proud. I could tell that my father was impressed that Coach Meddock paid attention to me while I pole vaulted and he always reminded me that Coach was an impressive man and that I should thank him for his time.

Once I went to college I lost touch with Coach for a couple of years. I was coaching gymnastics at private clubs while in college and I contacted Coach Meddock to ask about purchasing some equipment for a gymnastics school that I was starting in Uniontown. He told me to stop by the house to pick-up a high bar that he had and he arranged for me to purchase all of the old equipment from the Ambridge Turners. Wow, was that a blast from the past. Then, once I graduated and became a teacher at Seneca Valley High School, Coach Meddock gave me a call and asked me out to breakfast. I met him at Shela's and again I was flattered to have his attention. I think that he had bumped into my mother and she shared with him what I was up to and I am sure that she told him how much I admired him and would love to hear from him. Several times over the next couple of years he would stop by my house to visit. I would always say to my wife after he left..."you know that is Coach Meddock"...she would say "I know, I know.....the great Coach Meddock!" sarcastically. One time he made a comment at breakfast to the effect of "I don't know what I ever really did for you." I didn't want to sound mushy so I only said that I always appreciated his help. I really had so much more to say so I will say it here:
Coach, you did more than you can ever imagine for me and so many others. I know that many of the athletes that you worked with can speak to great athletic achievements. Many of them can also speak to difficult childhoods and the sport of gymnastics and you as their coach that gave them something to be proud of and work for. Others can speak of college scholarships and opportunities that might not of happened if it weren't for you. But what I think is most important is the relationships that you built with so many young men. Not all of the relationships were the same, some needed someone that would kick them in the butt while others needed a father figure. You seem to have a gift for identifying what a person needs to reach for something higher and you help them find a way to do it. From the most talented athletes to average kids you have a way of motivating people and building success. You have taught boys to become men and I think of you when I set expectations for my own sons. You were always consistent and truthful. You told us all to work hard and we saw that you worked hard every day. As a high school principal, I now realize the tremendous time that you put into teaching and coaching. I admire how hard you worked even though you were in a system that would allow you to take a much easier road. You must have occasionally questioned yourself when being away from home so much to coach. I am sure that it had its price but I hope that you realize how important you have been to the lives of so many people. When my father was dieing of cancer he told me that the only way to die without regrets is to know that you did your best to treat people right and to know that you cared about the relationships that you had with others. I hope that you realize how important your relationships have been and I hope that you are as proud of yourself as your are proud of your athletes. You deserve this tribute more than anyone that I know. I continue to think of your examples when I try to set expectations for myself.....work hard, be honest, no whining etc... I use you as an example constantly with my own teaching staff as I ask them to build positive relationships with students and to work hard. Because of you, I went into a profession knowing that I respect teachers and the work that they do. Because of you, I am a better person and I thank you for every minute that you gave me and every lesson that you have ever taught me!

God bless you Coach!
Jeff