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UCA has strong ties to Children's Hospital Wednesday, Aug 24, 2005 By Harry King LITTLE ROCK - At Arkansas Children's Hospital, the young patients look forward to "Football Fridays," knowing the University of Central Arkansas Bears are coming to visit. Aware that tutors and coaches are available to help players academically and physically, UCA coach Clint Conque thought the 30-minute trip from Conway would do wonders for the social development of his athletes. The visits are scheduled the day before UCA home games, including one today prior to the Eastern New Mexico game in Little Rock. During the spring, UCA players also spend eight Wednesdays in a reading program in Conway elementary schools. Often done with little fanfare, such community service can be touching. Senior Ben Faires of Springdale was in tears while showing his coaches a packet of 25-30 thank-you notes and pictures from some youngsters. On Thursday night, $2 of each ticket - $10 for adults and $6 for children - will go to Children's Hospital. UCA will do the same thing with Delta State in 2006 and Tennessee-Martin in 2007 and maybe Arkansas State University down the road. Ironically, the UCA football team has a direct tie to Children's - wide receiver Che Jones has Chron's Disease and has been a patient at the hospital since he was 13. There is no known cure for the inflammatory bowel disease which means the 20-year-old Jones will always have to contend with certain problems. In a piece prepared for the game program, he said doctors and nurses at Children's have shared cell phone numbers to expedite contact. Both Conque and wide receiver coach Bobby Rhoades have researched the disease on the Internet and know they must keep close tabs on Jones' repetitions during practice. He can go hard for a set number of plays, but a break is mandatory before he can resume practice. During the game, Rhoades will be very cognizant of Jones' plays, his body language, even his facial expressions. "He is very involved in our game plan because he is a tremendously talented athlete," Conque said. "We need him on the field to give us our best chance for success, but there is also a point of diminishing returns." Jones, Landon Leach, and another player or two were among those who transferred from Conway High School a few years back because the passing game was a point of emphasis up north on Interstate 40 at Russellville. Because of his disease and injuries, Jones has not played in two years. "He has worked like a Trojan through fall camp, pushed himself beyond limits that I thought he was capable of doing," Conque said. Jones missed the first three days of fall practice because of an episode on the day the Bears were due to report. Recuperation included Children's Hospital. Anxiety could have been the culprit - after throwing, catching, lifting, and running all summer, Jones was eager to get on the field. Once Conque learned more about the disease, his dialogue improved with Jones and the coach will be the first to say that communication is the key. Like any competitor, Jones wants to be on the field and disdains an excuse to retreat to the sideline. "At times, when we didn't understand his disease, we didn't know if he was going to be here one day and gone the next," Conque said. He has made it clear to Jones that coaches and players will deal with any setback. Constantly, Jones is cautioned about his diet, even reminded that he must avoid certain fruits because of acidic content. It was just recently that Conque was at a local grocery store when he spotted Jones arriving at 10:20 p.m., 10 minutes prior to curfew. The young man was there to purchase a particular oatmeal that he has to have for breakfast. "I can't say enough about his commitment to co-exist with his disease," Conque said. ----- Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media Group's Arkansas News Bureau. His e-mail address is hking@arkansasnews.com. |
