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He helped Kobe and A.I., now he'll help you

By Susan Thurston, Times Staff Writer
In print: Friday, May 9, 2008

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ADVERTISEMENT Kevin Carroll

Kevin Carroll wants everyone to discover their own red rubber ball. The thing that springs you out of bed each day. The thing you'd even do for free.

Carroll, 49, found his at an early age, on a playground in Philadelphia, where a red rubber ball opened his world to sports.

Since then, Carroll has built a career helping people use the power of sport and play to chase and achieve their dreams. An author and speaker, he has consulted for Nike, ESPN and Starbucks. He also was athletic trainer for the Philadelphia 76ers. His first book, Rules of the Red Rubber Ball, has been called the adult version of Dr. Seuss' Oh, the Places You'll Go.

Carroll will speak about jumpstarting your career Monday at the Tampa Bay Success Summit, presented in part by tbt*. Here's his take on working out, speaking Serbian and electing a black president.

Who's your most admired athlete today?

Tiger Woods. I had a chance to spend some time with him when I was with Nike. His discipline is unparalleled. It's amazing what he does and how he approaches everything.

Working with the 76ers, you must have met a lot of famous people. Any brushes with celebs?

Allen Iverson was a rookie with me. Kobe Bryant, I've known since he was in ninth grade. My son went to the same (Philadelphia) high school as he did, so we got to know each other. I actually got Kobe and his personal trainer together in high school.

What happens if you're in a career that you like but isn't necessarily your red rubber ball? Can that work?

If it's something that can support the thing you love and you're not just going to work and spinning your wheels. Maybe it's giving you economic freedom so you can pursue your passion. If it's completely a detrimental situation, then you need to be mindful of that and maybe it's time to break away from that. In those situations, if you really look long and hard enough, you can find a way to leverage it to be a positive to help support that which inspires you.

As a consultant for Starbucks, you wrote a message that appeared on 17 million grande cups. What did it say?

I was Cup No. 77. I was one of the early ones. They're like at 298 now. It was about teachers being the inspirers and helping dreamers turn dreams into reality.

In your book you talk about exercising on the streets of Portland rather than in a gym. What's a typical workout like?

It could be sprints between telephone poles. I might use a bench to do push ups on, then I'll go run again. It's basically about using the environment as a playground. It's a great way to use your imagination to envision ways to work out.

While in the military you learned to speak five languages, including Czech and Russian. Do you get to use them today?

Some, but not as much. It's funny because in hotels, especially when you're in the Midwest, there's a lot of Slavic people. In Chicago, I always get to speak Serbian or Czech. I always surprise people when I start talking. They're so excited someone speaks their language here.

What do you think about Obama Barack running for president?

It's interesting having grown up in the '60s and remembering (young boys of color) getting laughed at when they said, "I'm going to be president of the United States one day.'' I'm marveling at the fact that it's come to fruition that it could possibly happen. Even if it doesn't, it's making it possible for others. I think that's a wonderful breakthrough for the country.