Nov. 21, 2006
Life throws to you its ups and downs, and Pablo Almaguer couldn't agree more with this belief.
From being an all-star athlete to becoming the head coach in the sport he loves, life hasn't always been that easy that the Rio Grande Valley product.
In fact, his life took a major detour early on, but instead of destroying him, it only brought out the better in him.
The story of Pablo Almaguer began when he graduated from Weslaco High School where he was an all-star performer on the football field as well as the track. He was awarded with all-district and All-Rio Grande Valley honors on the gridiron and was a regional qualifier in the 400-meter dash during his final season.
Although there was no one in his family history that competed on the track, running came natural to Almaguer, and he was able to garner a scholarship to run at The University of Texas-Pan American under former head coach Reid Harter in 1995.
As he began his career with the Broncs in 1996, Almaguer started off a little bit rusty, but managed to work his way to UTPA Freshman Athlete of the Year following his first campaign with the team.
After an off-season due to injuries, Almaguer turned everything around, and during his junior season, he was part of a 1,600-meter relay team that set the indoor track and field record. He was also able to snatch the number-two position that he once held as a freshman in the 400-meter hurdles at the Sun Belt Conference Championships.
"One of the greatest moments for me while I ran at UTPA was setting the record for the 1,600-meter relay. To this day, that moment still stays with me," Almaguer said.
Little did Almaguer know, but the Sun Belt Conference Championships would be the last meet that he would ever compete in while donning the Green and Orange. In fact, it would be the last time that he would ever be able to compete.
On May 28, 1998, all of the things that Pablo Almaguer had once known came to an end when he was involved in a horrible one-car accident.
Almaguer admits that he had been drinking that evening, and on his way home from an off-campus party, he fell asleep at the wheel and hit a telephone pole. His car flipped several times, and Almaguer was stuck in his car for five hours before anybody could find him.
The end result from that evening was a broken back and a lost right leg, and confinement to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
"That event changed my entire life, and I have to take full responsibility for what happened. It was a tough road afterwards, and the first six months were the hardest. I had to learn how to do everything all over again," Almaguer recalled.
Almaguer spent months in the hospital, and he endured six months of intense rehabilitation in Houston. He lost all of his strength and the majority of his weight. The 195-lb. student-athlete that once blazed the track on the UTPA campus had dropped to 120-lbs in a span of two weeks.
Following his rehabilitation in Houston, Almaguer immediately went back to school, and although, he was unable to participate for the track program, he was always around to give a helping hand. When UTPA held track meets at the UTPA Track and Field Complex, Almaguer would help out the runners if they need anything or would help out with the officiating.
"I really loved being out there with the athletes, but I couldn't be out there as much as I would have wanted because I needed to get back to my studies," Almaguer added.
After graduating from UTPA, Almaguer did some volunteer work with his old summer track program - Weslaco Track - and he helped out with the cross country teams at both PSJA North and Weslaco High School. While at Weslaco High School, Almaguer found his niche with the athletes, and found himself as the cross country coach - a position that he still possesses.
"Running for Pan-Am has helped me with the knowledge I gained from running, and it helps me better understand and relate to my athletes. I can relate to them since I was there at one point," said Almaguer.
Coaching can be hard for Almaguer at times, and it's not always easy to show his athletes how to do certain things. It can be frustrating at times, but it's something that he has adjusted his life to overcome.
"I have to be a lot more vocal now since I can't physically teach my runners. I show them films, and I explain myself in detail so they can better understand where I'm coming from at times. This is a choice that I have to live with, and the accident is what gets me going because nobody forced me to do what I did. Now - I have the opportunity to touch and work with my athletes on a different level," said Almaguer.
While Almaguer made a mistake that completely altered his life, he admits that he would rather talk to people and relay his message to them.
His message is very simple and to the point - there are choices that we all make - some of them good and some of them bad - but we have to learn from our mistakes.
Almaguer learned from his mistake, and now he hopes that nobody ever makes the same one that he did.
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