Superdome's Blog

What's up Urbana!?!...the city that starts with yoU. This is your man Superdome wishing everyone a very safe and Merry Christmas and Happy New year. It's that time again, for another installment of "The Rant".

This one is titled "Everyone is a Winner". Unfortunately, the more I am involved in and observe the arena of sports for youth through the high school age, this is the approach more and more kids and parents are adopting. Before you shake your head, let me say that, if someone truly puts forth their best effort in PREPARATION and then in competition, and happens to lose, then "yes" they are a winner in the truest sense of the word. That is because what they have won is valuable experience and the opportunity to grow from that and apply it to other aspects of their lives. However, if we are ALL brutally honest withourselves, when is the last time we have put forth 100% of our effort toward anything. If you haven't watched the movie "Facing the Giants", I HIGHLY recommend it because it is about FAR more that the game of football. After you see the "Blindfold scene", as youself when was the last time I put that kind of effort into anything? For only a select few, some are gifted with self-motivation. For most of us, it requires support, encouragement and help from others. That scene shows me 3 things: 1. that all of us need someone there for guidance but does NOT allow us to simply say "I can't", 2. that every team and/or group needs a leader and 3. that we need to allow others to carry our burdens, we can't do it alone.

So what am I getting at? If your child (say middle school through HS age) is in school, what is required of them? They are expected to be responsible enough to pay attention, understand the assignments and study to prepare for the test if they wish to move on to the next grade. While the teacher may be very supportive and offer more that one opportunity to make up work, in the end what do we expect their stance to be? It is, if you don't pass, you must fail and repeat the grade. So why is it we now have adopted the mentality that "it's ok little johnny, as long as you're having fun, it's ok"? Is it fun to get repeatedly dominated in your sport? Why is it no longer acceptable to expect the coach to treat our child like we expect of the teacher? It's sad to think of all the coaches who have retired simply because the times have changed to where demanding everyone's BEST effort and commitment was no longer en vogue. I am WELL aware that these young men and women are student-athletes, meaning the priority is first on the student portion. Does that then mean the athlete portion is open to lower the expectations? In some programs the bar has been dropped so low you have to step over it so you don't trip. I challenge you to find any adult that participated in sports to tell you that they didn't learn some of the most valuable lessons of life through their athletic career. I do realize that most any extra organized activity at school will offer this as well, but my point is this. As we get into the professional world, what is the one thing most of us try to avoid (remember I said "most")? It's conflict. It's not a natural thing to seek out conflict at work, but from my experience, as I go through it , I learn far more than had I chose to avoid it. Where can you learn this skill and not get expelled or thrown in jail? Is it becoming more clear now? It's on the field of play. Sports offers a healthy venue to engage in conflict, struggle through it and decide if you are willing to ignore the voice in your head that says "I can't" and see it through.

God has gifted each of us differently. There are plenty of us who were not as talented as our competition. However, I have personally seen countless people who were victorious simply because they outworked their opponent. Read most any business persons success story, I think you'll find it was primarily due to their work ethic. Why is it we chose to train our minds, but see no value in training our physical stamina? Has anyone who has won The Biggest Loser ever come out saying, I feel great but my mind is much weaker now? Could it be that when we push ourselves farther than we thought we could go actually helps train our mind to be stronger?

I'll leave you with this. After watching the movie I suggested, I challenge you to give that kind of effort at home, at work, with you kids at anything you do. I realize some are literally afraid of success, but WHY limit the next generation by passing on our short-comings? Why not learn from them? I know I am forever grateful for those who chose to not allow me to say "I can't" and pushed me beyond where I thought I could go. I have had my share of failures and wanted to quit at times, but going through those experiences have shaped who I am today and I am able to apply them to my adult life. So, like sweet corn bread in the oven, "RISE UP" Urbana and REFUSE to say "I can't". Again, I welcome your comments or questions regaridng this or any previous blog.