“Well, you know I am kind of a sports nut…”

Yes, you read that off-handed remark correctly. You are at the right blog, just a characterization few, if any, in the world would make about me. I made that statement two days ago when I met with the newly-arrived senior class at KA and delivered a warm-up speech for the year.

I can’t remember if I announced this on the blog, but among my tasks this year at school is to be the Class Dean for the Seniors. I thought long and hard about it last spring—I know seniors can be tough and exhausting—but as usual, I lost my head about school and students and embraced this new responsibility.

The returning students came back on Friday, and then on Saturday, the newbies descended upon our campus, swelling our numbers of students past 400. Can you believe this is a school just in its third year?? The number of faculty doubled as well, so there is just a torrent of people everywhere on our campus.

As a Class Dean, Orientation was especially maddening, since we have to process all these students, so it was exciting, yes, to greet them all, and wonderful when Orientation came to an end and regular classes started in full yesterday.

Each class had a venue in which to meet and greet their new dean. I thought the younger students (and the classes with the most new ones, of course) ought to meet in the most comfortable places, like the Lecture Hall and the Auditorium. I forget where the third class met, but I chose the Gym. You know, cuz, I am a bit of a sports nut. Well, it fit with the message of my speech.

I wanted to eschew the usual list of rules and reminders since most are returning students, and after all, a senior year needs to have that excitement and challenge rolled out in the first few days.

I prepare for public speaking in much the same way my mother did. If you ever heard Mary Martha speak in public (or really on the phone even!) she was captivating beyond belief. I try and channel her as best as I can. She did not prefer extemporaneous speaking. She would prepare assiduously and then deliver her speech in the manner of an extemporaneous speech. She rarely used notes, she loved the eye contact of an engaging speech, but that speech had been carefully crafted and edited and honed in advance.

I decided to base my speech on a note from history—how typical of a historian, but employ a sports metaphor, to kind of surprise them since I am not known for any sports ability.

We met in the stands of the Gym and I taught them about this historical personage named Krazy George Henderson:

“Good afternoon, Class of 2010—you are finally seniors in this first-ever Senior Class at KA! As a historian I felt the weight of this moment and felt certain you would love to enjoy a history lesson on this hot, late August day.

I want to tell you about a man and his invention.

On October 15, 1981, in the stands of Oakland Coliseum, in California in the USA, a guy affectionately known as Krazy George Henderson had a vision. It was the third game of the American League Play-off game between the Oakland As and the New York Yankees, and the As had lost the first two games. Krazy George was a professional cheerleader, paid by the As to galvanize the crowd and support the team. His shouts were manic and loud. On this day, however, Krazy George imagined a gesture that would start in his section and sweep successively through the crowd in a giant, continuous wave of connected enthusiasm, a transformative event that later proved historical. On October 15, 1981, in the stands of Oakland Coliseum, Krazy George Henderson invented The Wave.

You have probably never heard of Krazy George, but if you have watched any professional sports, or been in a stadium of most games, you have been engulfed by The Wave. I want us to study the phenomenon of Krazy George’s wave.

You know, the Wave is an extraordinary act. All those people, spread out over a vast stadium, with limited ability to connect or communicate, somehow came together in a giant cooperative act inspired by a common goal: to help the home team win. It defies language and culture. It transverses gender, income and societal status. It is a pure expression of collective passion released!

Is there some way to capture in a school the enthusiastic spirit of the Wave—that rich, cacophonous tapestry of human beings coming together creating that home court advantage? Is there some way to foment that kind of creative energy focused on the Five Guiding Principles of our school? What does it take to start a wave?

I think His Majesty understands this important risk of starting a Wave. This school is a Wave, of sorts. This kind of school did not exist in the whole of this region, and this leader knew this area needed it. He had a vision and communicated the vision, and by coming to this school to learn, to work, and to teach, we have all joined in the Wave King Abdullah started.

Anyone can start a wave. How do you do it? Let’s break down the Wave. Say, for instance, you are in the stands, and your team is down by a touchdown. You are disappointed that your fellow fans are lethargic and complacent. Suddenly you have a vision—a vision that might buoy your team to a win; you imagine a certain esprit de corps—a massive wave of energy. But you know you don’t own the stadium. The people here don’t owe you anything. They are munching popcorn, eating hot dogs, slurping drinks. They are highly inconvenienced by your vision. The guy next to you might even be cheering for the opposing team. So what will it take?

First, you need people’s attention. Starting a Wave requires an act of leadership, so you must be willing to stand up and lead. You have to stand up, communicate your idea, and inspire others to help achieve it. But how? You could turn to the guy next to you and offer him twenty bucks to stand up and join you. He might accept that, but how do you get all 60,000 fans. You will soon exhaust any loyalty you might have bought. Even money as a motivator has its limits.

You could be a bruiser and display the kind of force that might induce some people to follow you. Nah, coercion by fear is limited in its reach, too. Yeah, and if they comply, with what gusto will they stand up? To create a great and powerful Wave, one that can make a difference for your team, you need enthusiastic participation. How do you get a glorious Wave?

Even Krazy George probably wondered about this. Krazy George had been working at the stadium for three years, had this gigantic drum that got people excited, and maybe he had built up enough personal capital to pull this off. Is he going to communicate with every fan to explain his vision? How will he communicate his vision?

It is interesting to wonder why people followed him. Did they follow because it was Krazy George? The fans followed because he got everyone enlisted, and of course, no one knew where it started. They followed because they liked what the Wave stood for.

To start a Wave—metaphorical or otherwise, you need to reach out to those around you, to share your vision with them, enlist them in a common purpose. You must be earnest and transparent, you must hold nothing back, and you must earn their trust. In some pre-historic, pre-writing way you have to communicate that, “hey this might make us win if we all stand up and wave our arms and yell!!!!!!!” Who doesn’t want to win?

Is it that easy? Of course not! People can so easily lose their sense of connection, or strike out on their own. They may view your Wave with suspicion, derision, with a wait-and-see attitude. They may get up slowly and without passion. Or they may leave the stadium entirely.

I like this thing Krazy George invented. I like the Wave as metaphor because it is about what a diverse group of people can accomplish when united by a common vision. There is a power that moves through people when they are compelled to perform at their best, their most unbridled and passionate. Individuals start Waves by acting powerfully and effectively on those around them. And of course, studying how this phenomenon came to be forces us to think not only on what Krazy George did, but how he did it. There was a concern and a passion with Krazy George.

What kind of Wave will you start this year? How will you emulate Krazy George and King Abdullah with an exciting, bold way to approach the year?”


It was hot in the gym, but the place created the right mood as I let loose with a giant “Whoooo” and enjoyed seeing who followed me. Let’s see how this bunch of seniors do in creating their own Waves!