For two years, everyone from jockeys to longtime racing fans have come through Gate 1 for more than just the races. One worker's story, his love for work, can be a lesson to us all.Watch the video:
Sometimes it takes some giving up to get where we want to go. For James Cornette, it means putting off his 31st surgery to work at Churchill Downs. "He told me that I needed surgery right away, but I told him since I just started working, that I wanted to wait," said the Churchill Downs employee of his doctor.
Right now Cornette has two fractures in his back and health concerns so great he takes 11 pills everyday to get by. This medicine helps make it possible for James to tackle a job of a lifetime -- handling tickets and programs at Gate 1 of the track that gave him a chance.
"James was looking for work and he actually told us that he would work for free if we'd let him work, and of course, we told him we can't do that there's laws against that, but of course we'd have to pay you," said Chuck Jetton, James' Manager at Churchill Downs.
For four days a week, the 23-year-old and his mother are stationed at Gate 1, Mauk helping her son where she can. It's a job James has had now for two years. "Sometimes it does get a little overwhelming having all these people come through here," he said.
Still, James Cornette's dedication is enough to inspire an entire racing community, including the jockeys who race at the track.
"He gets up everyday for Churchill Downs. He lives it, he eats it. breaths it," said James' mother Jackie. "It has given him the willpower to push and to strive to do better."
"This is my hero right here, " said racing Fan Hezekiah Bush. "Some days I'll come in, I'm feeling kind of down and kind of bad, and every time I see James it just picks me up."
"I'm going to work til I can't work no more," said James of his job at Churchill Downs. (from Wave3)
Wow - are you as excited by what you do every day?
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Sometime all anyone wants to do is a chance to do something.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing.
Giovanna Garcia
Imperfect Action is better than No Action