Crossing The 101

By Mike Klis

This is the remarkable story of Rob Holder, who through rugby, his own personal setbacks, his family and his faith provides inspiring lessons of how we should value humility above ambition, honesty above stature, altruism above entitlement. Most of all, Rob’s story teaches us that people should not be judged by color, class status _ or even their rap sheets. It is also an inspiring story of the Polynesian community in East Palo Alto. Across the dividing Highway 101 from the upper-class, even opulent city of Palo Alto. East Palo Alto was recognized in 1992 as the murder capital of the United States. It was none other than the Federal Bureau of Investigation that came up with the statistics, on a per capita basis, that cemented East Palo Alto with this dubious distinction.
With firm direction from coach Holder, these Polynesian young men from these poverty-stricken, drug-infested, gang-riddled East Palo Alto neighborhoods would soon become a remarkably disciplined unit that would win the USA Men’s Rugby Division II National Championship _ and bring honor and pride to East Palo Alto.
Perhaps, no player embodied how Rob and rugby changed so many lives of these troubled East Palo Alto players than Folau Niua. A high school dropout who had come to understand jail time during his youth, Niua showed up by chance at Rob’s first-ever rugby practice in East Palo Alto. Although Niua had limited competitive rugby experience, he was a natural athlete and Rob envisioned him as his fly half – a position Niua had never previously played. But on the eve of his first season opening game, Rob read in the paper that Niua had been arrested after he was involved in a fight at a party. Although a relatively minor offense, Niua’s criminal record and lack of legal or financial support meant missing Rob’s first season before it started. Niua eventually got it together, though, and with Rob working out satisfactory arrangements with Niua’s parole officer so his fly half could travel out of state, he eventually became the star of the national champion Razorbacks.
Today Niua, 31, is the starting fly half for the USA Rugby National Sevens Team, nicknamed the Eagles, who will play in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
A teammate of Niua's on the USA Rugby National Seven's Team, Rob's son Will Holder is another notable character in the story. Affectionately known as "Palagi," Will played for the high school Razorbacks, many of whom he met in Dad's Stanford Rugby Camps, because, in his words, "I'd rather not play against them." Will crossed the 101 and the experience had a major impact on his life.
Klis has worked as a Denver Broncos sports reporter for 9News KUSA-TV – Denver’s No. 1-watched television station – since April, 2015. He previously worked 17-plus years with the Denver Post. Among his awards, he was named Colorado Sportswriter of the Year in 2012 and 2013; he was the winner of the Associated Press Sports Editors “breaking news” category in 2013 for his coverage on Elvis Dumervil’s “fax fiasco” departure from the Broncos; and earned a top 10 APSE award for his coverage of the drive-by murder of popular Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams on Jan. 1, 2007.
Klis and Holder became friends during a period when they lived in the same subdivision, on the same street, in Golden, CO. At the time, Holder was making a 75-minute, one-way commute to the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs where he coached the Zoomies’ rugby program. This is Klis’ sixth book.
Rob Holder has been married to the former Ann Wanner since 1989. They have four children – Will, Katie, Emma, Lizzie – and live in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Rob and his wife both attended the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., where they both graduated in 1989. It was while Rob and Ann were stationed in Germany during the end of the Cold War that Rob decided to join the Frankfurt American Rugby Club. The rest, as they say, is in the book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mike Klis
• Release date: Mar 23, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311167125

Mike Klis

A quick study, I’m not.I went to college to be a sports broadcaster. I was so good at it I became a sports writer.On April 27, 2015, a mere 34 years after I received my degree in Radio/TV broadcasting from Murray State, I joined 9News to become their Broncos Insider.I still write. My stories about the Denver Broncos can be read on 9News.com. It’s just now I occasionally show up on TV. Perhaps, I’m an inspiration to all college graduates who can’t find a job in their field.The beginning of my story may sound familiar: I was the first born son of Joseph and Mary.OK, so mom’s name is MaryAnn. And I wasn’t born in a manger in Bethlehem but a hospital in Aurora, Ill.Still, I’ve felt pressure since the crib. I’m the oldest of six kids. We moved six miles down the road to Oswego, Ill., when I was 8.I was a real good farmland/schoolyard/sandlot athlete in Oswego. I was a pretty good practice player in high school. I wasn’t very good when we put on game uniforms. To this day, the gag is my least favorite story angle.After college, I worked as a gas station/convenient store clerk, a weed eater/snowshoveler, a part-time sports announcer for a now defunct Aurora radio station, a part-time sports writer for the Oswego Ledger-Sentinel, an umpire, basketball referee and player-coach of the Shuler’s Drugstore slo-pitch softball team.In October, 1984, I threw it all away and moved to Colorado Springs, where one of my first jobs was scrubbing pots and pans at the Air Force Academy’s freshman cafeteria.For extra money, I called radio play-by-play for Colorado Springs Christian High School basketball and then wrote about the game afterwards for the Gazette Telegraph. Double-dip, $25 times two. Except the radio station rarely paid me.When the Gazette offered me a full-time job in 1987 at about the same time the sports radio station changed to a Spanish format, I became a sports writer.I covered preps. One of my first leads, from a high school basketball game, was: “The Thrilla in Manila was nothing compared to the Thrilla in Sierra.” I was not fired but I believe my next assignment was a wrestling match.I covered the Colorado College Tigers (4-33-1 in my first hockey season) and Triple-A Colorado Springs Sky Sox. I covered the Colorado Buffaloes and -- starting Aug. 17, 1990 when Gov. Roy Romer called a meeting at the downtown Denver Westin Hotel for prospective owners – the Colorado Rockies.The Denver Post hired me in January, 1998 to cover the Rockies. I met my wife, Becky, at Coors Field, where she still works as a suite attendant. In July, 2005, I was switched to the Broncos’ beat.While writing and reporting, I gained so much knowledge about the Broncos, I got a job at a TV station. Becky and I are still married. We have four kids – Brittany, Kaitlyn, Blake and Johnny. They make me go upstairs if I want to watch sports on TV.

Book preview

Crossing the 101

How Rob Holder led the troubled young men of East Palo Alto to a national rugby championship

By Mike Klis

Published by Rob Holder at Smashwords

Copyright 2016 Mike Klis

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only.  This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people.  If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.  If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy.  Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

This book is dedicated to memory of Clarice MomDogg Merrill (1946-2016) who was reunited with her son, Officer Rich May, killed in the line of duty 1/7/2006. A portion of the proceeds from this book will be donated to a fund established by her family to support the East Palo Alto Razorbacks high school coaching program.

Chapter 1

The Hut

It was affectionately known throughout East Palo Alto as The Hut, but it  could well have been called ‘’The Dump.’’

It also could have been called the hub, social club and bunk house of the East Palo Alto Razorbacks men’s rugby team.

It was a week before Christmas, 2010 and a heavy rain had brought a chill to the Bay Area.  Before entering The Hut, a "stove’’ stood just outside the door.  The stove was essentially a metal tub with a makeshift grill over the top.  Next to it was The Hut’s oven – a hole in the ground where a bottom layer of charcoal supposedly could create some impressive oven-style cooking.   

The front room was 10 feet by 12 feet.  In December of 2010, it obviously had not been painted in years as the navy blue had badly faded.  The Hut had one cabinet and one sink, which had no cabinet.  There was no heat in The Hut, just walls and a roof.

There were two bunk beds and no mattresses in one room, no bunks or mattresses in the other room, yet it somehow slept eight -- most of them Razorback rugby players from East Palo Alto.  Mildew covered the toilet that had no lid.  The toilet was jimmied to flush.  There was a closet but no bar to hang clothes, much less hangers.

There was one picture of Bob Marley and another of Babe Ruth, strangely enough, hanging on the wall.  There was a 2010 calendar, flipped to December.

The Hut boys from East Palo Alto may be poor but they were up to date.

There was one sign above the door ledge.  It read: "Faith.’’

Adjacent to The Hut, a large canvas tent extension was connected to the garage.  The tent was bigger than the main room of "The Hut.’’ Through the flaps a pile of assorted sneakers and flip-flops gave each visitor a strong hint of what to do before joining the gathering.  Vinyl flooring, a good 15 feet in length, led to a group of young men gathered in the garage.  They were sitting on thin, straw mats.  A large wooden, four-legged bowl was at the center of attention.   

From the bowl, Nesi Havea was in charge of pouring Kava, a popular concoction among Pacific Islanders.  What cocktail parties are to Americans, drinking Kava is to the Islanders.  Only instead of elegant gowns, umbrella drinks and chandeliers, Kava parties consist of relaxed chatter, wooden cups and ground-up roots. 

Several other young men were sitting in the Kava-drinking circle with Nesi at the point, the man with the wooden ladle.  It was a Saturday night in December, 2010.  The East Palo Alto rugby players had gathered to reminisce about their national championship from the spring of 2009.

It was fitting that Nesi, as the Kava pourer, was the point man of the friendly gathering.  For in the USA Rugby Men’s Division II National Club Championship game, arguably the biggest game in East Palo Alto team sports history, it was Nesi who immediately took charge.

Taking on Albuquerque in the title game, the Razorbacks were backed up early in their own end.  Albuquerque was attacking.  It had penetrated to 10 meters from the try line when it muffed a pass exchange, and the ball bounced right into the hands of East Palo Alto center Siupeli Sakalia.  Gathering the fortunate bounce in stride, Sakalia accelerated through a creased opening.  He sprinted to about midfield, when an Albuquerque defender converged.  Siupeli smartly passed to Nesi Havea, who sprinted the final 50 meters for the try, warding off his lone, desperate defender with a stiff-arm along the way.

A few minutes later, Albuquerque attempted to clear with a punt from deep its own end, but couldn’t find touch.  Instead, the kick found the awaiting arms of Nesi from about the 35 meter line.  Nesi juked this way, ball faked that way, escaped another defender along the way and scored his try between the posts.

Nesi’s two tries within the opening 18 minutes of the championship game gave the East Palo Alto Razorbacks a nerve-settling 12-0 lead.

An unlikely three-year journey from the gang-infested, crime-riddled streets of East Palo Alto to the rugby championship game at spectacular Infinity Park in Glendale, Colorado culminated on June 8, 2009, when the Razorbacks ran off to a 39-3 lead halfway through the second half before coasting to a 46-22 victory against badly outmatched Albuquerque

My favorite memory?’’ Nesi said, not looking up as he deliberately poured the Kava into a wooden cup.  Rob screaming at us.’’

Every one laughed.  Including Rob.  For among those gathered in the Kava circle for the East Palo Alto Razorbacks national championship reunion was coach Rob Holder.

A big reason why Nesi’s memory brought so many smiles and chuckles was the fact Rob was not a screamer.  Here was a coach who was not afraid to surrender his prestigious position as director of rugby at Stanford University in affluent Palo Alto in exchange for a short drive across California Highway 101 to what was once the murder capital of the United States in East Palo Alto.  Through courage that he summoned through his faith, Rob Holder had reformed a group of former gang-bangers and ex-cons into a disciplined group of national rugby champions.

Four years prior to Nesi pouring Kava at the Razorbacks’ reunion, there was no East Palo Alto men’s rugby team.  There wasn’t much hope for any young man growing up in the destitute city that was so close in terms of miles to Palo Alto, yet might as well have been a galaxy away from the hometown of Apple, Hewlett-Packard, Facebook and Google.

Rob Holder is not a rags to riches story.  Rob Holder found riches where other people might see rags.

He changed everything,’’ Nesi continued.  With us, if a coach told us don’t do this, we wouldn’t listen.  We don’t respect him.  But with Rob, we listened.

"Plus, he’s a Christian so we liked that, too.  He’s more than a coach.  He taught us a lot of stuff.’’

The fact Rob was not a vocal coach during the game, that he was not a yeller or a screamer, should not be misconstrued that he was a "soft’’ coach.

You would find that I would yell at guys and make corrections in victory rather than a loss,’’ Rob said.  I encourage them in defeat.’’

His coaching philosophy is somewhat Woodenesque in that it’s about attaining the peace of mind of knowing you did your best, not necessarily in victory.  It’s the process more than the result.  Prepare, pay attention to detail, and perform -- and the results will come.

A lot of what Nesi was talking about, me screaming at them, that came in practice,’’ Rob said.  If they were goofing around in practice or not performing, to get their attention, "No! That’s not what we’re working on!’’’

With firm direction from coach Holder, these Polynesian young men from these tough streets of East Palo Alto would soon become a remarkably disciplined unit that would win the USA Men’s Rugby Division II National Championship _ and bring honor and pride to East Palo Alto.

Rugby is our bond,’’ said Alafungia Junior’’ Sakalia, younger brother of three players on Rob’s national championship team and member of the high school Razorback team.  "Before Rob put