Until recently, Lee-Davis junior quarterback Phillip Gardner could find little beneficial about the fact that he suffered from Type I diabetes. But a June 18 Mechanicsville Local article that compared Gardner’s diabetic experiences with those of former American Idol contestant Elliott Yamin opened doors he never expected. As a result of the story, this past week Gardner was given the opportunity to meet Yamin face to face.

  Yamin returned to Richmond as part of his on-going effort to raise diabetes awareness. On Friday evening, Yamin along with the VCU Medical Center Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and the Richmond Braves took part in Diabetes at the Diamond.

  For Yamin such an opportunity was very personal not only because of his involvement with diabetes awareness but as a means to pay tribute to his mother Claudette, who passed away on March 31.

  “It’s obviously something that’s near and dear to my heart,” Yamin said. “Anything I can do to kind of lend my support to the cause is very important to me. It’s part of continuing my mom’s legacy. She’s always been a part of helping out and giving and she’s always been a giving person and part of charitable efforts.”

  But while Yamin waited for the Braves staff to set up his meet-and-greet with local fans, the singer sat down with Gardner for nearly an hour long conversation about diabetes, sports, music and life in Richmond.

  Though nervous over meeting the now famous singer, Gardner quickly broke the ice with a moment of levity. “It sure is fun having diabetes,” Gardner said to Yamin as the two settled into seats around a conference room table.

  “Oh yeah,” Yamin answered with matching sarcasm and a laugh. The two then compared insulin pumps and found it amusing that they both used the same model.

  Ironically, the first question between the two came not from Gardner but Yamin. “What do you do during games?” Yamin asked. “How do you monitor your blood sugar during games?” Yamin appeared impressed when Gardner explained how he checks his glucose levels between quarters and adjusts accordingly.
  With the conversation turning to Gardner’s role with the Lee-Davis football team, Yamin recalled better days for the program. “I always thought, at least when I was coming up, that Lee-Davis used to be good,” he said.

  Gardner explained that the Confederates had suffered through lean years recently but the new coaching staff was going to turn things around.

  Yamin’s friend and Richmond resident Brandon Crowe playfully offered Gardner advice on how to help Lee-Davis return to glory. “Are you the quarterback?” he asked. “Then you’d better step it up.”

  Yamin, an admitted sports junkie, appeared to enjoy talking about his love of athletics and pointed out he was a huge basketball fan. “I used to play in leagues here growing up and it’s my favorite sport,” he said. “It just sucks because now days I don’t get a chance to play as much as I used to.” 

  As far as favorite teams, like many celebrities, Yamin is a Lakers fan. However the singer is quick to point out that he followed the team long before it became a part of Hollywood fashion. “I’m not a bandwagon Lakers fan,” he said. “I was born in LA and I lived there until I was 10 years old. Growing up I was a big Magic Johnson fan. I loved the 80’s teams.”

  Yet as a fan of professional sports, Yamin said it was an adjustment when his family moved to Richmond. “It was weird moving here,” he said. “Coming form LA, where there were professional sports in pretty much every major sport, to here and not having a professional team.”

  After basketball, as a former Little Leaguer, Yamin pointed out that baseball is a close second to his heart and he could not wait to take batting practice and shag balls with the Braves.

  Knowing that the Braves are set to leave town at the end of the season, Yamin wanted to know about the future of professional baseball in Richmond. “They’re not going to get rid of The Diamond are they?” he asked.

  When informed that the city is looking to lure a Single A affiliate to town, Yamin was not impressed. “Wooo, Single A,” he said sarcastically.

  While celebrity status has been good to Yamin, he admits that his life in Richmond has been forever changed because of his fame. “It’s kind of weird,” he said. “It’s just so much different for me than how it was before I left for Idol. I come home now and try to go to the same places I used to go to and it just gets kind of crazy with people. I’m not complaining or anything, it’s just different to come home and not remember your home town how it used to be.”

  But lifestyle is not the only thing that has changed for Yamin. He has also seen a change in himself. “I’ve grown up and become a little more responsible…just a little bit,” he added with a smile. “I’ve definitely changed for the better. It’s just made me a better person to go through the wringer of Idol and come out on the other side.”

  One of the most memorable moments of the afternoon came when Gardner’s friend Luke Rush commented on the fact that he and Gardner were getting to hang out with Elliott Yamin.

  Yamin showed quick wit in his reply. “It ain’t all it’s cracked up to be kid,” Yamin said as the room erupted in laughter. “I always wanted to say that to somebody.”

  Before heading out for batting practice, Yamin offered sound advice for Gardner’s future. “First and foremost, studies are always the most important thing,” he said. “Studies and doing well in school will allow you to do anything, inside or outside of sports. But just be a good example. It seems like you’re already on the right path, but to be a good example for anybody else who’s out there who has diabetes like us…Help be a voice for them and just be a positive figure. It looks like you’re already leading by example, which is a good thing. You should be very proud of that.”

  For Gardner, the experience of sitting down to talk with Yamin was unique and one he will never forget. “It was different but I liked it,” he said. “He’s a really cool guy. I wasn’t expecting him to be that cool and down to earth.”

BONUS COVERAGE
The following are excerpts from the conversation with Elliott Yamin that were not included in the print edition of the Mechanicsville Local.

How is the music business going with you?
Yamin: It’s been great. I just travel, not only over the country but different parts of the world. I’m going to tour Japan next week. My record finally came out over there on May 21 and it’s already went gold over there too. Because of its success they’ve asked me to come over and tour. So, I’m going to take my band and go over and do 10 shows. I’ve been over there twice now to help set the record up do a lot of promos stuff over there.

I’ve always wanted to travel. To be able to travel and at the same time do music is just sort of icing on the cake.

How do you not get nervous while performing?
Yamin: Oh, I’m sure I’ll get nervous tonight. I always get nervous doing the (National) Anthem.

You know how I don’t get nervous is because I had to sing in front of millions and millions of people on Idol, which really prepared me for anything. I suppose if you can sing on that stage, knowing we have to walk the plank afterwards and get judged by the judges afterwards, and knowing that there’s not only a couple hundred people in the crowd but like 30 million people on the other end of the camera lens, that hit me every week. I was a nervous wreck. I’d forget lyrics, fumble words, I was just a nervous wreck every single week. Once the show ended and they took us on that national tour is when I finally got to hone in on performing. It really just kind of use that nervous energy to put out something positive, get the crowd involved. There’s so many things you can do on stage you kind of have the crowd at your beckoned call. It’s a very powerful feeling when you’re on that stage, especially in arenas.

How did you get into auditioning for American Idol?
Yamin: My friends pretty much forced me to do it. I was a fan of the show but I never wanted to be a part of it. At that time my friends were just kind of encouraging me to try it. I just didn’t have much going on in my life. I was kind of in between jobs and I had a bunch of menial dead end jobs at the time. I just had nothing to lose. What’s the worse that could happen? They could have said no and I could have come home and picked up where I left off. But really it was just the support of my friends and family that really encouraged me to do it.

It was just a great opportunity. The main thing is I knew that doing that was going to help me get a record deal, which is something I really always wanted to try. So, here I am.

To read the previously released story about Elliott Yamin and Phillip Gardner go to: Yamin & Gardner story

For more information on Inspired By Diabetes, the foundation that helped arrange Diabetes at the Diamond, go to, www.inspiredbydiabetes.com