Now What?!

I have given birth twice in my life. Once to my son, who graduates  from high school in a couple of months, and the other time to my  book, Rodney Ram Teaches Teamwork; both were released into the  public school system in 2007. I’m aware that it’s an odd way to  mention that my book was launched the month after my son started kindergarten, but here we are.

When I first pitched the idea of a children’s book to the athletic  director of VCU, it was a little surreal. I grew up on VCU  basketball; my dad was a season ticketholder back when the Rams’ home  court was the Richmond Coliseum. I like to say I was a Ram fan before  it was cool. It was a perfect confluence of events, as enrollment  was at an all-time high, the basketball team was doing better and better under the coaching stylings of Jeff Capel, and the alumni  association was thriving.

I learned that the A.D. had been workshopping the idea of a series of  children’s books based around character-building notions and  featuring different sports within the VCU family (or "Ramily" for VCU  fans out there). He was more than happy to have an alumnus spearhead this project, and we were off to the races.

Once the project was a go, next steps were to decide to start with men’s basketball and the theme of teamwork. It was during this step that I realized the sports marketing team was in the process of developing a new look for Rodney the Ram. (It was also during this step that I learned the mascot actually had a name.)

We enlisted the partnership of an illustrator (Susie Fife) who was not only a fellow alumnus but also was a former VCU women’s basketball player. All told, the book was about a two-year process from proposal to release, with twists and turns along the way. One of the biggest twists was a shift in head coaches. The preliminary drawings had featured Coach Capel, but we shifted gears after he left for the head coaching job at Oklahoma and proudly rewrote to feature the new head coach, Anthony Grant.

For those who haven’t read Rodney Ram Teaches Teamwork, first of all – how dare you? (I kid). Let me give you the highlights of the story.  Centered around a youth basketball league, we mainly follow a team called the “Little Rams,” with a superstar player named Nate. Nate is a bit of a ball hog in contrast to his teammate, Jack, who never wants the ball because of his lack of skills and fear of embarrassment. When the team's morale is down, it isn’t because of Jack’s poor skills but rather Nate’s inability to work with the rest of the team.

Enter Rodney, who invites Nate to a VCU men’s basketball game to see how Coach Grant and the VCU Rams work together as a team. Feeling inspired, Nate decides to help his teammate Jack sharpen his skills – and in doing so learns the true value of teamwork.

When the book launched, I spent the first several years doing book-signings, readings and networking to make sure it reached as many people as possible. While my son was in kindergarten especially, I was reading and speaking to several classes at his school per month. During these readings, I would talk to students about the importance of teamwork but not just in sports.  I didn’t want to negate the students who didn’t find themselves athletically inclined. Drawing the connection of the class being a team of sorts, or their families or Scout troops being teams, brought a sense of belonging to all of the students rather than just some.

My favorite part of the whole process, aside from having my words in print and discoverable by anyone, was the engagement I felt from the students. Having a child (pre-ADHD diagnosis) who never sat still for story time or circle time, I understood the power of a book that actually kept the attention of the reader or listener.  I developed a little fan club amongst his fellow kindergartners in multiple classes – one of whom is my super fan (you know who you are, CZ).

My original audience is now graduating from high school, the class of 2020. I’m sure over the years, this same group was tired of hearing that I would be coming to speak to them, as multiple grade levels utilized me for different purposes. I helped with editing writing prompts, teamwork exercises, creative idea workshopping or just discussing the writing/career process.

My hope is that some of the members of the Class of 2020 remember me reading them the story, reading it themselves or reading it within their families. The holy grail for writers is to have their words resonate with at least one person. If just one reader has thought twice before being self-centered in sports, life or relationships, then it was a mission accomplished.

Go Rams!