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October 14, 2010
Set:
We never know when our past can be launched into the present. Owning a contracting company for twenty-one years in the same area in which I am an assistant coach can hold surprises. I have often coached athletes for whose parents I have done work. One of the items I emphasize to the athletes is personal accountability to yourself and your teammates. I also strive to run my business and base my life on the same principles. Whether it is with my employees, athletes, fellow coaches, friends, or family, the only way to uphold my integrity is through consistency in my values.
January 29, 2008
Set:
Team Hoyt has completed 216 triathlons, 65 marathons, 718.6 milers and 81 half marathons. The team consists of a father and a son, Rick and Dick Hoyt. For 25 years, Dick (age 65) has been racing with his son Rick (age 45). People do this stuff all the time though right? What makes their story so amazing?
Rick Hoyt was born with his umbilical cord caught around his neck, causing the oxygen supply to his brain to be blocked. At eight months, Rick was labeled as a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy. Doctors told Mr. and Mrs. Hoyt that their son would never live a normal life; but they were determined to prove them wrong.
November 01, 2008
Set:
All athletes need to go through this, but most would probably rather skip it if it were possible. It’s probably the part of sports that is the least fun. Yet this is also the part that separates average athletes from top athletes.
Have you figured it out yet? It’s training. Athletic training involves many different things. Proper eating, weight training and practicing are all necessary in order to get into top playing condition.
As Christians, we need to be training ourselves spiritually. This involves getting sin out of our lives and removing those things that may not be sin but are a hindrance in our respective walks with Christ. An example of this is when sports in your life begin to take away from time that you need to be devoting to God.
May 29, 2009
Set:
It was the 4X400 meter relay, and the team was ready to take on its opponents. The official gave instructions, and the relay teams got ready to race. When the they were ready, the official began to call out the commands: "Runners to your mark. . . Set. . . " BANG! Off went the gun, and so did the runners, running steadily and increasing their speed.
As it came to the first handoff, everybody in the crowd was eagerly watching as the crucial part of the race went off successfully. But one handoff didn't; a baton was dropped. The runner had not been properly prepared to receive the baton from his teammate.
January 22, 2010
Set:
I was blessed to play one season of basketball with my hero, two-time Olympic Captain, Naismith Award Winner, first female Globetrotter…Lynette Woodard. The first day I practiced with her, I tried to do everything like she did. I stayed after practice with her and as she touched the rim ten times and made ten free throws in a row, I touched the backboard ten times and made five free throws in a row (It was a start!). I even went so far as to get my hair permed into a curly white-girl’s afro … anything to be like Lynette.
April 03, 2007
Set:
Back in 2006, the FCA staff in Florida suggested we do a story in STV magazine about the University of Florida Huddle President, Lee Humphrey. Lee was a starter on the Gators' basketball team, and apparently was just an all-around outstanding example of Christ. At the time we received the article idea, however, we were already finished with our college basketball stories for the spring and were unable to do the article.
August 08, 2008
Set:
Over the past several months, the U.S. has become endeared to its new distance running hero, 25-year-old phenom Ryan Hall. Ever since he smoked the elite competition at the U.S. Olympic Men’s Marathon Trials in New York last November and set a new Trials record in only his second marathon ever, the running community has pinned its hopes and expectations on Hall, predicting without hesitation that he will medal this year in Beijing.
No pressure, or anything.
January 18, 2012
Set:
As a young and inexperienced basketball coach, I was a little worried about my practices and if they would be effective. My mentor encouraged me to always make a practice plan and stick to it. My first attempts at planning were disorganized and often resulted in my practices looking more like a fire drill than a basketball practice. This complete chaos led to a junior high team that did not have a prayer of winning. After much trial and error, I have finally learned what it takes to make my practices both efficient and organized and what it takes to make my teams successful. This applies to our lives as well.
October 13, 2009
Set:
You walk through the gate, eyes cast down onto the field, bag slung over your shoulder. You mentally walk through each of your fears, again and again. A nearby ball is cascading excitedly across the wet grass, throwing beads of water onto your bare shins. You make it to the bleachers, nervous as ever, and equip your shins and feet with cleats, socks and shin-guards... What's going to happen next? A grueling tryout. Everything you do will be watched; every mistake and every success. You just hope your mistakes aren't too many.
January 28, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Brain Buckets. The 79-80 season was when the NHL made new comers wear the head gear. Prior to that it wasn’t thought of to be a need. But ask anyone whose taken a wack without it how much it is needed. It’s one of those things that we don’t really use in the game (head-butting a puck into the goal is not very effective). But when a stick comes up to high, or our skate slips out from under us, those hockey helmets are what saves us from a potentially deadly injury.
September 03, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: On April 10th 1982, the Edmonton Oilers were proud of their 5-0 lead in late in the third period. Then the LA Kings remained humble and hard working and their efforts lifted the team to an OT victory.
January 14, 2008
Set:
Fourth and five, with less than a minute in the game, and Peyton Manning had one more play to make something happen. He took the snap, rolled to his right, lofted a pass to Dallas Clark and…it was dropped. The Colts will not defend their Super Bowl Champion title. Immediate disappointment set in for players, coaches and fans. There were questions asked, but not many answers.
June 24, 2008
Set:
Tiger Woods hobbled his way to his 14th major championship at the 2008 U.S. Open with a playoff win over Rocco Mediate. "It was a long week—a lot of doubt, a lot of questions going into the week—and here we are, 91 holes later," he said. Two days after the tournament it was discovered that Woods had a torn ACL and a double stress fracture in his tibia. His season was over.
September 10, 2010
Set:
Hockey Chat: Some of the greatest games began with a good ol’ locker room pep talk. It was a talk by the coach or team captain. It was the motivation to start the team off on the strong foot and carry them through the game. Sure the team could’ve went out there and played the game without the words of wisdom, but the outcome may not have been the same.
January 09, 2007
Set:
It's a struggle--competing and living for the Lord. The world is constantly trying to buy our attention, and Satan is readily attacking us with temptation. He longs to see us fail in life and in sports. His alluring nature and tempting spirit are hard to fight off, unless we are properly equipped. In Ephesians it says, "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (6:10-12, NIV).
November 19, 2007
Set:
Recently, a good friend of mine was stopped at church and asked by another church goer why I had attended a football game rather than going to the men's retreat at my church. This person knew I was involved with FCA and was the football chaplain at the school, but he was frustrated that I choose football over these men, and he expressed it to my buddy. My friend came to my aid quickly. He talked with this other man and quietly told him that ministry can take place in many places.
November 01, 2008
Set:
As I approached the third hurdle, I knew that I was a little too far away to take it with my right leg. So in a split second, I decided to alternate and go over with my left foot leading. I had done this a thousand times in my career, but this time when I landed I felt my knee shift out of the socket. I had hyperextended my knee, and I knew my running days were over.
Surrounded by my teammates, I was faced with a choice. My team knew me as the person who had led them in Bible studies and professed Christ, and now they waited expectantly to see what was going to proceed out of my mouth. In a split second their anxious eyes received the answer when I screamed, “Hallelujah!” I yelled it from the sheer pain I was feeling.
January 28, 2012
Set:
Ken Keys, Jr. once said, “A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror.”
Well, that’s a sobering thought! When I am in a group with bad attitudes and negative thought, I am only seeing my reflection? Then I had better get some better skin care! I guess that’s called a change of attitude.
You know, attitudes are catching. As a coach or teacher, we should always be sure to set a good attitude for our teams to catch. We should develop a habit of looking for the good in everyone.
January 21, 2010
Set:
De'Andre had it all: a great college basketball career behind him, a Master's Degree from a prestigious institution and an awesome job on Capitol Hill. He had the world by the tail. He thought he had it all on his own. Thinking he didn't need any help, he walked away from his faith and continued to thrive by the world's standards. But when the things of the world didn't fill him up, he decided that he needed more. He left his career to chase a dream. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, as this is where his true adventure began. When his dream crumbled, he ran and hid. People offered help, love and care, but he was lost in the sin of the world. He had no desire to return home to Christ.
December 16, 2010
Set:
As the father of a high school senior who is currently faced with some difficult but exciting decisions about his future as a college student-athlete, I’ve found myself thinking a lot about how he’ll make his final decision on such an important issue.
There are many things to consider when you’re looking to find the school that represents the right fit for you. In my son’s case, he’s listed academic quality as his most important priority, but after that, things like quality of campus life, his future coach, tuition costs, etc., all come into play.
December 30, 2009
Set:
Hockey Chat: On the business side of hockey, it’s all personal. Although the good players create a fun game to watch, many teams (all that I know of) spend time with the community as well. In turn the community spends money on tickets and merchandise which in turn goes back into the players salaries. Both the players and fans appreciate each other and enjoy the relationship. If the players were rude and disowned the fans then the fans would fall away and not support the team.
November 05, 2007
Set:
Through adjustments and adversity, know there is a loving Lord whose arms are wide open:
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
-John 3:16 (NIV)
Through trials and pain, know there is a Lord ready to comfort:
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles. . ."
-2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)
Through struggles and despair, know there is a Lord in whom you can confide:
February 04, 2012
Set:
Anyone who has been either a player or a coach knows the value of encouragement, yet all too often we are quick to point out the mistakes and failures of others rather than their successes and the things they do well. Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” was a person who grasped the enormous value of blessing others with words. He came alongside believers in the midst of trials and troubles of all kinds, and he encouraged them to press on and to be all that God had called them to be.
July 29, 2009
Set:
If you would ask any random person on the street if they were afraid to succeed, they would probably look you straight in the eye and say, "No." However, in most cases, that same person who claims to not be afraid of success might be the very same person who didn't go the extra mile at work for the promotion, or didn't apply for that great new job with a promising future.
