Helping Those Who Help Themselves

Editor's Note: This article originally ran February 13, 2007
The hot dog was dripping with ketchup and mustard. And every bit of it was slowly rolling down the length of the dog as former East Laurens head coach Charles Turner talked-it-up with friends inside the Falcon concession stand Saturday.
A bite here or there was spaced between some laughs and quick remarks about this and that. All the while, the ketchup and mustard kept rolling downhill toward the paper towel that offered the only protection for Turner's right hand.
With only the region tournament left to play, the Lady Falcons have spent one whole season without their former floor leader, who stepped down last year after more than 20 years as head coach.
A third battle with cancer and an aging frame forced Turner to step away from the bench and into the stands. And oh yes, he's always in the stands. Every Lady Falcon home game Turner can be found sitting just above the scorers table, watching his former players go up and down the court. (And nearly every chance he gets, Turner makes his way out to West Laurens to watch his daughter Luciana-an assistant with the Lady Raiders)
It's all he can do to keep from piping up occasionally. You can take the coach out of the game, but you can't take the game out of the coach.
"It's rough sometimes," Turner said. "I'm like every other coach. I'd rather be out there coaching, but it was time to move on and I had to give my body a rest."
Rest is something Turner has rarely known.
A career spent in the Navy taught him hard work and discipline; qualities he's imparted to three generations of Lady Falcons, and a host of youngsters that passed through East Laurens Middle School.
There was nothing Turner couldn't do. A physical fitness fanatic, Turner was known for his one-handed pushups and focus on keeping kids active long before Arnold Schwarzenegger joined forces with the President's Council on Physical Fitness.
"Yeah, I always demonstrated whatever we were doing," Turner said. "The worst was gymnastics. None of the kids wanted to do it. They all thought they were going to get hurt. So I showed 'em. And you know what. By the time it was all said and done, they were all saying 'When are we going to do gymnastics? Can we do that now?'"
Current Lady Raider head coach Brian Howell knows all too well about Turner, and the respect he commanded at ELMS. Howell was one of his students, and Turner taught the youngster lessons about life and respect; respect he still pays Turner to this day.
"Man, he had me feeling bad the other day," said Howell with a chuckle. "I wore jeans to the game the other night. And he came up to me and said, 'Come on coach, you know better than that.' It had me feeling so bad I wanted to run home and change clothes."
And on the court Turner always started a competitive, feisty bunch that was rarely out of a game. In 19 years with the Lady Falcons he never had a losing season, and it was all do to a will-to-win that Turner imparted on all his players.
That will is what has helped Turner and his body in his third bout with cancer. At one point last year, Turner had more than 32,000 cancer cells invading his body; now the figure has plummeted to 640.
"It's good news," Turner said. "I've been doing pretty good. I just get a little winded."
Like when Turner goes out each day to pick up his allotment of firewood. In the past, Turner could gather and carry all he needed. Now, he's had to make a few changes, using a pull-cart to cut down on the wear-and-tear of the extra weight.
"I've been blessed," he said. "And I'm just going to need folks to keep praying for me, cause it's worked so far."
But back to the hot dog.
The ketchup finally breached the thin layer of paper towel and leaked onto the palm of Turner's hand. And as the coach searched frantically for an extra towel, he inadvertently knocked over an open Coke bottle, sending a couple ounces of soda onto the floor.
Several folks offered to give Turner a hand in cleaning up the mess, but he said it was his and he'd take care of it.
So, with a pile of towels in his left hand and the still-dripping hot dog in his right, Turner wiped the floor dry and went back to finishing his dinner.
Folks like Turner rarely ask for a hand, which makes it all that more important that we give him a hand for what he's meant to East Laurens athletics and our community.
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UPDATE: After several recurring bouts with cancer, Turner has returned part-time to East Laurens High School as a girls weight lifting coach. He says he feels "good" and is looking to continue living a normal, and hopefully one day, cancer-free life.

Check out www.cancer.org for more information on this weekend's Relay for Life at West Laurens High School.