The Gift of a Lifetime - June 2011

Quin Dickson has a special gift when it comes to coaching and

has volunteered his time coaching hundreds of kids throughout the state of Utah

By: Jennifer Rook

    In the course of our lifetime, many people will come into our lives then, inexplicably go out. There are just no guarantees that anyone truly special will come along, but when you encounter someone who will impact your life more than any other person, that's the person you will never want to leave. That's the person you'll always want to keep in touch with, the person whose advice you will cling to and whose influence you will always reflect on. People like that just have a certain charisma. They're blessed with that special "something" that others just cling to. Knowing how to put that to good use is a gift and usually, it's the best coaches in our lives who have that gift.

Quin Dickson, son of Bob and Karel Dickson of Vernal, a 40 year old father of four, has that gift. It is a gift he uses well and one that has benefitted hundreds of kids, but perhaps the most amazing aspect of Quin's story is that he doesn't do it for money. He volunteers his time and coaches not only because he loves it but also because he needs it. For him, coaching and passing on his knowledge and love for wrestling is the best medicine he has found for the terminal disease he suffers from.

Quin has what is known as Stiff Person's Syndrome. It is a very rare neurological disorder in which the afflicted person suffers from seizure-like episodes. Much like tetanus, the body becomes very rigid, flexing and tensing uncontrollably. Quin is one of seven people in America who has this disease and has lived with SPS for nine years. He has seizure-like episodes nearly every night, depending on his physical level and activity during the day. He has had many trips to the E.R. over the years and numerous surgeries and injuries, but he continues to volunteer his time and talents and tries not to let the disease take over his life. So far, he's doing quite well, but slowing down doesn't come easy for a guy who has been active and on the go his whole life.

    Quin was one of seven very active kids who grew up in Vernal. A typical day for the Dickson clan was waking up in the morning, heading out the door, grabbing the nearest bike and riding off to find adventure. Whether it was a wrestling match, a baseball game, pick up football or just basic exploring and hunting or hiking around, Quin was always on the go. He and his siblings were all active in sports as well. "I played football in the fall, wrestled in the winter, and played baseball in the spring and did everything else in between. I've even got a couple of buckles I won in a Little Buckaroo rodeo riding calves and broncs." Quin says.

    Although he always enjoyed playing sports, Quin learned in high school that he also liked instructing other kids and helping them learn a game, particularly wrestling. It was in that famed Uintah High School wrestling room where Quin says he realized he liked the challenge of facing every guy in the room, but not just to make himself a better wrestler, he wanted to help make his teammates better as well. A smart and quick wrestler, Quin took state his junior and senior years at 112 lbs.

Soon after high school, Quin found himself pulled back to that Uintah High wrestling room to help coach a younger wrestler named Bobby Jenkins. It was that gesture that sparked something in Quin. "Bobby's dad, Ted Jenkins, would pay for my gas to drive out every week to come work with Bobby in the wrestling room. I helped a lot of guys out after that. I was also helping out down at the Jr. High with their wrestlers. I quickly learned it was just something I loved to do and wanted to do the rest of my life." Quin explains.

Quin helped coach other wrestlers everywhere he went and realized it was his way of connecting with others, not just to teach them wrestling moves, but to motivate them to work hard on the mat and in life as well. "Even on my mission in Michigan I was wrestling." he admits. "I was teaching guys I was wrestling with, but I was allowed to use wrestling as a tool and that was just fine with me." Quin's wife, Janelle, says he definitely has a gift. "He just has a way with people." she explains. "He knows how to push a kid to work hard, but still be his buddy. He is able to work a kid hard to get him where he needs to be and still have that kid love him and do anything for him."

Quin Dickson suffers from Stiff Person's Syndrome. He has been chosen as a

benefactor of this year's Hit, Run, Score charity softball tournament.  

Picture from l-r are Mackenzie, Quin, Janelle, Chance, Janessa and Cameron in front.

Quin has put in some coaching time at Morgan High and Clearfield High, but he has spent the bulk of his volunteer coaching career at Uintah High School. "I have been a part of the Uintah High coaching staff with Gregg Stensgard since '94." he says. "And since I graduated in '89 there have only been, probably, two guys whose names are up on the wall in that wrestling room [state champions] that I haven't worked with. I'm very proud of those guys and their accomplishments, but I'm also pretty proud to say I helped push them every day to get there."

Quin hasn't spent all his coaching hours within the hallowed confines of the UHS wrestling room however. "He just loves it." Janelle says. "And for him it's the biggest stress reliever ever. He has had a tiger league wrestling team since 1994, even before we had kids, and then he helped coach girl's softball when our girls were younger." Their daughters, 15 year old Mackenzie and 13 year old Janessa, soon switched to soccer and even though he doesn't know much about soccer, Quin still jumped in headfirst and was there on the sidelines coaching his girls for 3 years. He also coaches his sons, 11 year old Chance and 9 year old Cameron, in any sport they take on.

For Quin, coaching is a way to not only connect with his children, but also a way to impact their lives and leave them something they can always draw back on; the advice, the motivation, and the life's lessons that can be gleaned from sports. It's also precious time spent with them they'll always treasure. His own children will benefit from this legacy, just as hundreds of other kids have and will in the future as well. "There are times when I ask, "Is it worth it?" but when kids invite me to mission farewells and weddings and when they call us to tell us they just had a new baby then ,yes, it is worth it because obviously I must have made a difference in somebody's life. This is all about the kids. It's always kids first." Quin may have natural coaching abilities, but he certainly gives plenty of credit to his coaching mentors, Ed Johnson and Steve Scott. "Ed and Steve would come in a wrestling room and it didn't matter if a kid was a 4 time All-American or a kid who'd just walked in off the street to wrestle for the first time. Every kid was treated equally and that's how I coach. Each kid is an individual, but they are all equal and I want to coach every one of them at that same level."

Janelle admits she has had her moments when she has questioned his continued involvement. "There were days when I would wake him up at 3 pm so he could go to wrestling practice and he'd come home and sleep until 3 pm the next day, but he didn't want to stop. He said "I have to go." At times I felt like a single parent, I had four little kids, but I knew he needed it mentally. The one thing he has always had was that he could physically do anything that he wanted to and all of a sudden some of that was taken away. So, I knew he needed it. And I'm proud of him. He has helped kids at Altamont, Union, Uintah and he still has kids from all over who come up to him and ask him to help them practice and he knows he's going to pay for it the next day, but he still does it. That's what I love about him. Regardless of how his body feels, he'll do it anyway."

Quin doesn't get to spend as much time in the wrestling room as he wishes anymore, and he definitely pays for every minute spent doing the things he loves, but it's nearly impossible for him to stay down for long. "I try not to let it affect what I do." he admits. "The only thing I can control in my life is my attitude and at first I was kind of mad at God for taking the one thing I could do anytime I wanted to. I just had to accept that I couldn't do as much, but that I could still do it."

Living with SPS isn't always easy, but Quin takes it all on with the force he has taken everything else on in his life. He isn't sure he can ever beat this disease, but he's bound and determined it isn't going to control his life although much of his time over the past few years has been spent in hospital rooms. So far he has had two ankle surgeries, four neck surgeries to fix herniated discs and fuse his spine, torn ligaments in his knees, herniated abdominal muscles, broken teeth while biting down hard during an episode, burst blood vessels throughout his body, tore various muscles, and has torn pins completely out of his ankle.

    "I try not to let it get me down too much." Quin says "but it's so hard. I wake up every morning wondering what I've injured in the night during an episode. I don't know the last night I've had a good night's rest and I'd like to go just one day without being in pain, but I'm not going to stop living my life. I've always made time for wrestling practice and I will continue to do so as long as I'm able."

    Quin is no longer helping with the Uintah High School wrestling program, but has plenty of plans in the works and will stay active in Basin wrestling. He is starting up a wrestling club in Vernal

and plans to work with kids more intensely focused on wrestling. He'll be there in the wrestling room this September and doesn't plan to go easy on anyone.

    Quin has been chosen as a benefactor of this year's Hit, Run, Score for Charity softball tournament and while he is grateful, he struggles with the realization that his family might need help. "I always figure there is someone worse off than me. I have always thought that was one of the funnest tournaments to play in and I was more than happy to play because I've known a lot of the other guys that tournament has benefitted. It's awesome what these guys do, but it's hard for me to receive because I've always been able to do it. I've always been the one playing and now they're all playing for me. I feel like there is always someone more deserving, but I really appreciate it. I also have to tell my wonderful wife, Janelle, and my kids thanks for all their support. This isn't easy for them to deal with either, but I couldn't make it without any of them. I also thank my parents and the rest of my family, my friends and especially all the kids I've coached. Thanks for letting me be your coach and for all your support over the years. Thanks to the parents for letting me coach their kids too. I hope I've made a difference in someone's life and that these kids will take what we learn on the mat and apply it to life."

    Quin isn't planning on playing in the tournament this year, but chances are, he'll find some team in need of guidance while he's there and he'll gladly help them out, lending his coaching wisdom and sharing his gift with even more people, intentionally or not.