Wiedmer: Hilley could teach us all about thanks

Arkansas-SEMO Live Blog

Raw potatoes hidden in the neck of a pulled-tight hoodie because they were the easiest food to shoplift from an unsuspecting grocer.

A College Hill Courts apartment left too often without electricity needed for cooking and heating because Mom had blown the utilities money on crack cocaine. So much anger and hurt and instability throughout his childhood that Roger Hilley wound up attending five elementary schools in six years.

"It was like a scene out of the 'Walking Dead,'" the 20-year-old explained Tuesday of those potato heists. "My brothers and I would go out and get supplies, then bring them back to this cold, dark apartment."

This was Hilley's life before Joe Smith placed the struggling youngster in Y-CAP's home for boys nearly a decade ago, then watched him become a boxer good enough to compete for a spot on the national team when USA Boxing holds its trials competition next week at the Chattanooga Convention Center.

"Whatever happens in those trials, Roger's come about as far as any young man we've ever had in the Y-CAP program," Smith said Wednesday. "And he won't back down from anyone or anything. He's got a huge heart. He's a fighter. And I mean that as a compliment."

So while most of the rest of us stuff our faces today with turkey, dressing and pumpkin pie smothered in whipped cream, Hilley will be eating nothing more than rabbit food -- lettuce, carrots and anything else guaranteed not to add so much as an ounce to his slightly overweight frame.

"I've got about five more pounds to lose before Sunday's weigh-in," said the Y-CAP lightweight boxer (132 pounds). "I'll get in two runs on Thanksgiving, one of them a five-miler, sit in a sauna, then eat a salad while everybody else is pigging out on dressing and turkey."

He smiled wide as he spoke, occasionally laughing, always positive. He's had every excuse for his world view to be jaded and bitter. And there were many times he was in his earlier youth.

"Y-CAP's boxing program channeled my energy, channeled my anger," Hilley said from the program's Central Avenue gym. "Instead of getting into trouble for fighting, I can get rewarded for it."

The rewards for winning next week's competition are obvious. Each weight group champion is guaranteed a spot on the national team for the next year, with multiple opportunities to qualify for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

Perform well there and, as Hilley said, "You can turn pro, make money, have a future in the sport."

But Hilley should survive and thrive with or without boxing. He's already earned his diploma from Adult High School. He has steady work these days with a construction firm. He's in a stable, sturdy relationship with his girlfriend, Taylor Mayweather, with whom he shares an apartment.

"Y-CAP gave me a lot of discipline, showed me there's a better life out there if you're willing to work for it," he said. "It molded me into who I am today."

What could have molded him for the bad should happen to no one. One quote to describe the life he lived with his three brothers and two sisters: "My mom was strung out a lot. She loved us, but she didn't love us enough not to do crack."

His biological father, Calvin "Bam" Ross, took the children on weekends. An aunt moved them into her home for a time, but "she just wanted to adopt us to get money from the state," Roger said. Finally, Joe Smith and his son Andy arrived on the scene.

"When he first came to us at 10 years old, he was kind of an outcast," Andy said. "We had a very good Junior Olympic team -- a lot of guys two, three, four years older than Roger -- and every time he boxed his nose would bleed. But he kept coming to the gym, taking his losses. To see what he's become, a realistic chance to make the U.S. national team, is truly amazing."

What's more amazing his Hilley's perspective on his own struggles after a boxing trip to the Dominican Republic a couple of years ago.

"I used to think I was at the bottom of the food chain, that no one could have it worse than me," he said. "But when I went to the Dominican Republic, I realized I had it pretty good."

Asked for details, Hilley said, "I may not have the best shoes on my feet, but I have shoes. The clothes on my back may come from Goodwill, but they keep me warm. I might have had to steal food to eat sometimes, but I could find food. Over there, most of the kids you'd meet had nothing. No clothes. No food. Nothing. It had a huge impact on my life."

At some point this afternoon, Hilley's family will renew a tradition of enjoying Thanksgiving dinner at Herman's Soul Food on Brainerd Road. His mother, Pearlie Williams, clean and sober for several years, will be there, along with assorted other relatives.

"My mom's really turned her life around," he said. "She worked at Amazon for awhile. She's taking care of some old people now. She's doing well."

As he prepared for a late workout Tuesday, Hilley was asked what made him thankful.

After a moment of thought, he replied, "I'm thankful for life. I'm thankful for family. I'm thankful for the opportunities I've had to improve my life."

No one knows how much Hilley's life may improve during next week's U.S. national team trials. As Andy Smith noted, "The best young boxers in the country will be here, and there are supposed to be a lot of entries in his weight class. But I also know this: You can hit him with everything you've got and Roger will just keep coming."

In a boxing ring. And in life.

Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com

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