Yes, every now and then the CT actually has to work on a tight deadline. Thank God it doesn’t happen often, but my number got called the other day.

We’re set up to shoot a football story on a remarkable kid with an incredible story. He’s a player on a Greenville, SC high school football team. He’s a player with no legs. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Mike and I thought we had an exclusive, but word leaked out on the story of Kos Benham. It really is a one-of-a-kind story. It is so inspirational that a head coach from a major college football team in the upstate of South Carolina brought him in to speak to the team before their weekend game.

Unfortunately, I got word of this about 12:30 pm for a 3:30 pm event. I'm ticked so I won't mention the school by name. Now I’m in Charlotte, and the event is in Clem…. I mean a town that really likes the color orange. I didn’t even have my camera. It was in my house just over the South Carolina border. So, that brings us back to breaking the speed limit for you, the viewer. But, it will be a great moment in the story when these gifted college athletes get to see what a true story of overcoming the odds is all about, I think a speeding ticket is worth that.

Well by some greater force and the fact the highway patrol wasn’t out in force this day, I made it to “Orangeville”… with five minutes to spare. One obstacle down, but a new one is staring me right in the eye. No, not a giant tiger paw, my fellow media brethren.

This nice inspirational moment has turned into a media horde with lots of cameras and microphones. It seems the university had put out a press release. I wasn’t thrilled, but no fear though, I had a game plan. Drum roll please, it’s time for the wireless microphone!

These things are great and essential to my job. Basically, you put it on a person and let them go. They forget they’re wearing it and you can get some really nice candid moments. My microphone can pick up clearly from probably the entire length of a football field away.

So I beat the other media types to the punch and approached the coach right when he entered the practice field. “High coach Bowd”….wait…I’ll call him Terry. No, he has a brother named Terry. Okay, I’ll stick with “coach”. So I asked him if I could “mike him up”.

He thought about it a second and told me no. “There might be some I say that I don’t want getting out”. I tried to tell him this had nothing to do with Clems…oops…his football team, but rather the young player with no legs giving the speech. He thought about it some more and… no dice.

To top it all off, coach orange’s speech was well out of earshot of any camera. Thanks, Tommy. I mean coach Bowden. I mean…. oh well, I guess it’s safe to say I’m at Clemson now.

In the end it will work out. The story of our legless football player is much larger than the photo op at Clemson. But I still left Death Valley a little steamed.

I’ve covered Tiger at the Masters. I’ve been to the Super Bowl. I’ve seen NCAA national championship games. The pressure alone on these athletes is amazing. Then factor that every decision to go for it on fourth and two that fails is dissected in excruciating detail up until the next kickoff. Reporters and talk show hosts flex their muscles calling for the coaches’ heads. Any slip of the tongue is front-page sports news.

I can’t blame Tommy Bowden. We live in a 24/7 sports culture. Reporters run every last thing a coach does or says over each day with a fine toothcomb. You can be tough and fair with criticism at the same time. But I guess that approach doesn’t sell papers or get viewers and listeners. But as I see it, it does ruin a genuine moment of inspiration Mike and I could have shared with you.

I have nothing against Clemson. I cheer for them every week except during the South Carolina game. I’ve got great friends who bleed orange. And in the end, whatever Kos Benham said to the Clemson football team must have worked. They went out and pounded North Carolina 52-7. I’m just glad I didn’t have to cover the post game press conference.

See you Saturdays at 7:30!

Andy Benton
Carolina Traveler Sidekick