Feature Story: From the Battlefield to Track and Field

Written by Ernie Stone
 
The American educational system is designed to equip individuals with skillsets that allow them to succeed at the professional level. In the case of 23-year-old College of the Canyons student-athlete Robert Green will never have to worry about his future.

Having never competed in track and field at Lancaster High School, Green decided to take up sprinting to expand his horizons. Two years later, he's a valuable asset to a Cougar track and field team poised for a strong outing at this year's Western State Conference (WSC) Prelims at 11 a.m. Friday, April 18, at Cougar Stadium.

"Robert has been a great addition to the team — he's a leader that's sure of what he wants and never has a problem doing what we tell him to do," says College of the Canyons Track and Field Assistant Coach Denean Hill, who works with the team's sprinters. "Other people on the team have been running since they were young, but he (Green) still had to learn the basic language of everything. What people see on the track is one thing, but it's the end-product of eight or nine months of training and hard work."

The fact that the sophomore was ever able to overcome little to no formal training in chasing the goal of becoming a college athlete is a compelling narrative on its own.

But when one takes into consideration that Green was a former United States Marine from 2008-2012, with active tours in Afghanistan and with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, things take on a new dimension entirely.

Or maybe not.

Green is humble about both his experiences as a student-athlete and as a veteran. For him, it's just about putting time into lifestyles that put him in a position to succeed.

"For the most part, for me, it (enlisting) was something I was doing because I was interested in history and politics," says Green, who competes in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay events with a personal best of 11.19 seconds in the 100m. "I just thought it would be good for my future. "

According to Green, the rapport that Marines built with each other provided him with a unique bonding experience that enabled him to learn more passionately and effectively.

While track and field may not be as intense as time overseas in the service, it still requires a group of individuals to stay committed to each other in reaching a common goal.

"You meet the same kind of people and get that same sense of comradery and brotherhood with the track team," Green says. "It's also similar in that you meet people from all walks of life. It's diverse, which I like. Mondays were memorable in the sense that we all showed up together knowing how tough it was going to be and how hard that first workout of the week was going to be."

According to Green, transitioning into civilian life has been difficult, but it hasn't been the hardest thing to do. Of course, when one has cleared goals the way Green does, it's easy to operate with a purpose.

Green enters the prelims battling various nagging injuries, so how many more times he competes as a Cougar is unknown. Following his time with the team, and at COC in general — Green hopes to continue his political science/history career, and to teach and coach track in some capacity.

"Robert would make a great teacher because he communicates with others well," Hill adds. "With students you're dealing with different types of learners — some are audible and some are visual. Robert does a great job of distinguishing what kind of learners people are."            

Green has a tendency to downplay his own qualities, but in many ways he's the quintessential All-American. Military background with strong leadership skills. Adventurous. Opinionated. Rational. Progressive. Athletic. Humble.  Self-reliant. Most importantly for his classmates, he's an admirable young man invested in the future of his country through higher education.           

"The direction of our country is always really up for grabs," Green says. "It's up to people to get involved for us to take our country in the direction that we want. The best thing we can hope for right now is a more robust debate about what's really going on in our country."