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Jim Rocca, pictured with his son, Justin, receives an award for Excellence in Coaching
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Going beyond thinking Justin Rocca, 18, recently graduated from Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. When he was a sophomore he began participating in track. He gained recognition in his first year when he competed at the state level, coming agonizingly close to breaking a school record in the 400-meter dash. Speed and endurance are the name of the game in running and Justin loved the tactics; he utilized quickness and precision to think ahead. However, Justin soon found himself beyond thinking. Even when in the lead he says, ‘I could sense exactly where every other runner was. I could feel them. I could hear their footsteps, above the roaring crowd. My body, my consciousness, took over. My Self silently watched. Though I had felt this during meditation, it was incredible to experience while in activity— it inspired me to continue running track. Total credit for my ability to focus and effortlessly succeed goes to maintaining a balance between meditation and activity, being solidly on the program.’ In his junior year Justin broke the school record, running 400 meters in 51.11 seconds. He felt it was ‘effortless.’ One incident stands out in his memory – the 4 X 400 meter relay. It was the final race before graduation for one of Justin’s team mates. Deciding that he deserved the glory of having his name on the awards notice board in the school corridor, the team resolved to set a school record. The fastest on the relay team, Justin was the last to run. After the first leg of the race they were far behind. The next two runners gained some distance, but there was little chance of catching up. Approaching the finish line he heard his Father—his coach—calling out to him from the bench, ‘Justin, you can do it!’ Suddenly, he felt an intense connection with his Dad and a chill went up his spine. He bolted. They were back in the race. From last place in the final leg, they ended up breaking a school record by one second. In his senior year, Justin broke three individual school records and competed at the State Championship. To qualify, he ran against the fastest person in the State. Once again he felt his perception was clear and the process was automatic, effortless. ‘Because of Transcendental Meditation, the mind and soul are based in consciousness, which allows for great experiences during running. Being on Maharishi’s program made a big difference—I came to expect that deep experience during running: fulfilment and witnessing all the joys that normally only come in meditation. ‘Having my Dad as my coach was special because we have a very deep bond. He is an unbelievable person, and my biggest role model. He is kind and wonderful, totally reliable; you can always count on him to be there for you, whoever you are. He helps first, asks questions later. He’s completely giving, asking nothing in return, even with my competitors. Once I asked him why he was helping my competitors and he replied, “I’m not concerned with who wins; I am here with knowledge and support to make you a better person. If this makes you lose a race, then I need to teach you something more.” My Dad isn’t just street smart, he doesn’t just give out knowledge—he is wisdom incarnate.’ © Copyright 2006, Global Good News(sm) Service
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