Blazing trails and signing books

Torus Tammer

Eric Anderson was an overachiever his whole life. At 18, he was coaching

the track team at his old high school -- Huntington Beach High. At 22, he

placed 91st in the prestigious Los Angeles Marathon. By 24, he was touted

as one of the most talented young coaches in the country.

Anderson loved coaching. In fact, he was so good at being good that he

owned a great house, a great car and was the envy of many. On the

surface, the guy they called “Gumby” had all OF the trimmings served with

success. On the inside though, he was rotting away.

By the time he turned 25, the well-conditioned, healthy young man was

afflicted with migraines, an ulcer and a sciatic nerve condition. His

life was unmanageable. Problems sleeping, paranoia and fatigue continued

to interfere.

“It was killing me,” Anderson said. “I knew what I needed to do to make

things better but feared a lot of things, namely losing my job”.

After a lot of pain and suffering, Anderson got well almost as

mysteriously as he had become ill. It was the result of an action that he

knew was necessary. In 1993, Anderson came out of the closet, becoming

the first openly gay high school coach in the country.

“I over excelled in everything I did, but I guess what I was best at was

acting straight.”

Anderson, who is now 32, has turned his life story into a book,

“Trailblazer: the True Story of America’s First Openly Gay Track Coach,”

which he will sign tonight at Barnes & Noble Booksellers.Anderson said he

had known he was gay since he was 8. He use to hide the secret he feared

to admit by constantly being on the go.

“I was always busy training or becoming really good at something,”

Anderson said. “That was my excuse for never having to seriously date a

girl.”

He said he became quite masterful with his diversionary tactics, dating

girls in a very superficial manner only to break up with them before he

was found out. This is the tactic he said he used to project a

heterosexual appearance. In the gay community, this method is known as

“passing.”

But all of the trials and trepidation he faced as a kid with a secret did

not prepare him enough for the consequences of his admission. Not only

did his coming out create an ongoing controversy within the community, it

inevitably affected those around him.

Anderson said he found that the apprehension and fear that once lived

within him had now made a beeline into the less-accepting minds of

others. He found himself fighting a more difficult battle than he could

have anticipated, a battle that included the two things he treasured most

-- his sport and his students.

During these times, Anderson kept a journal of events and their outcomes.

This journal has become his novel.

“I call this book ‘Our Story’ because it’s not just about my coming out,”

Anderson said about his work. “It’s about my life and how we were all

affected... and how we accomplished.”

Anderson will appear at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at 7 tonight, where he

will be reading excerpts from his book. The store is at 7777 Edinger

Ave., Huntington Beach.