If you are pursuing excellence - have someone hold your feet to the fire!
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Let's Be Frank ... Or Not
Set:
Oh, to be Lawrence Frank. Yes, old Larry Boy. Oh, you don't know who he is? He is the current coach of the New Jersey Nets. Why do I say current? Well, in the coaching profession, there are two kinds of coaches: those who have been fired, and others who will be. However, for now, Coach Frank is enjoying the limelight of a winning team. What has made the difference for this team? I am not sure, but I am sure the players are buying into what he is teaching team on a day-to-day basis. Keep up the great work, Coach Frank!
Organizational Structure
Organizational Staff/Geographical Structure
- Local
- State
- Regional
- National
FCA is the largest sports ministry in the world. FCA’s ministry growth over the years has produced the need for an effective organizational structure. This structure includes local ministry supported by local staff, which is supported by a regional and national FCA ministry organization. When you are a part of FCA, remember that you are not alone. You are part of a large, organized team developed to support what God has called you to do!
Whose Glory?
Set:
If you are a subscriber to ESPN the Magazine, you are undoubtedly familiar with their annual “body issue” in which professional athletes from various sports pose unclothed to highlight specific parts of their bodies. After seeing their latest body issue, I was taken aback and was admittedly a little appalled that these athletes—some of whom are the best in their sports—were sending what I thought was a very self-focused message.
The bar in sports continues to be set higher and higher. Athletes, whether on the professional, college, or high school level, are constantly looking for new ways to get an advantage, especially physically. And just like with ESPN the Magazine, the media has become an influential part of this and can often be used in a negative manner.
Identity Crisis
Set:
Athletes are trained to be a certain way. They are created to be tough, invincible and strong. Coaches work hard to create an identity for their players, but for many of these finely tuned athletes, once their playing days are over, they struggle to find who they are. They've only ever seen themselves as athletes.
The opening line of the FCA Competitor's Creed makes a bold statement. "I am a Christian first and last." The identity is stated clearly. I do not read where it says I am an athlete first and last. No, it says Christian -- a Christ-follower. Our identity should be found in Christ, not in our sport.
The Difference Maker
Set:
March Madness has arrived. State and College basketball tournaments have begun and many are finished. In our state (Illinois), the girls' AA tournament just ended. Once again, Naperville Central won the state crown, led by Coach Andy Nussbaum and athlete Candace Parker. Candace tore her ACL last summer and missed many games before Christmas, but since her return, they have gone undefeated all the way to back-to-back state championships. She was the difference-maker for her team. She will be heading to Tennessee to play for Coach Pat Summit next year.
Conference Call Training #5
Best Practices with Roger Lipe and FCA's Rick Horton in St. Louis.
SCTCC5a.mp3 Part 1
SCTCCb.mp3 Part 2
The Boss
Sometimes, Terina Dutton still can’t believe the thing is actually sitting in the garage. But there it is, day after day, taking up space … a lot of space. And more often than not, it’s plugged into the wall, chugging electrical currents like a parched distance runner does water, just so it can function.
With a white exterior, red interior, convertible top and boatish length, John Dutton’s 1969 Cadillac Coupe DeVille is quite a sight to behold. But the best part about it is its alleged history.
Don’t be Stupid
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I think there’s something inside each of us that says we can stand on our own—that we don’t need others. From the youngest athlete to the oldest, many of us have the mentality to do things by ourselves. We are self-disciplined and independent. I once heard an athlete say, “We would have a great team except for all my teammates.” Yes, we talk team, but we value self.
Top Dollar
Set:
Three years after signing a record-setting $252 million, 10-year contract with the Texas Rangers, Alex Rodriguez was traded to, of all teams, the New York Yankees. Exactly. A team with an already-outrageous payroll of $170.3 million per year is ready to bump $190 million to acquire Rodriguez, arguably the best player in the game. The Yankees will have not one, not two, not three, but FOUR players with 100+ million dollar contracts.
Total Commitment
Set:
This November, thousands of college wrestlers throughout the country begin a four-month journey that will culminate with the 2005 NCAA Championships in St. Louis. Come March, more than 300 will make the trip to wrestle at the NCAA finals, and only 10 will go home with a gold medal. What does it take to be one of the 10? It starts with a denial of selfish wants, a willingness to endure hardships and a relentless, total commitment to the cause.
Satisfaction
Satisfaction would seem to be one of the most elusive commodities on the planet. In the world of sport it is not uncommon for a sideline reporter in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl to ask a player or coach for his thoughts and to hear, “We’re going to win it again next year!” The game isn’t even over yet, but the player is already thinking of next year.
Sadly, this is often due to the inability of the highly achieving to simply be satisfied with their achievements. There is the constant push for more, bigger, greater and higher.
Party like you just hit a walk-off
Set:
I don’t know if you caught any of the highlights on SportsCenter this morning, but if you did, you probably saw Johnny Damon’s walk-off home run last night that gave the Tampa Bay Rays an 8-7 win over the Seattle Mariners. It was a nice shot to right field on the first pitch he was given in the ninth inning. And, as is typical in any walk-off situation, Damon’s teammates gathered around home plate to meet him as he rounded the bases and celebrate the victory with a tiny sports version of a mosh pit.
#71 - StVRP - Kurt Warner, Joel Penton, Mike Rucker & Les Steckel
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, former Ohio State defensive tackle Joel Penton, former Carolina Panthers defensive end Mike Rucker and FCA President Les Steckel.
One Race
If you gave him just 30 minutes to share his vision for the Denver FCA urban ministry, you’d be captivated. And at the end of those 30 minutes — if he could speak fast enough to squeeze in his passion and strategy — you might sink slowly back into your chair, exhausted at the thought of what God has called him to do, yet energized to see his vision come to fruition.
To Rick Parros, white and black are just the colors he sees when he opens his morning newspaper. And race is just something sprinters do when they speed to the finish line.
Heart Breaker
Clemson volleyball star Brittany Ross sat on the home bench in street clothes watching her team play in pre-season matches. The bench felt mighty uncomfortable.
Ross was an All-ACC starter as a freshman and the team’s top outside hitter last season as a sophomore, leading the team with 535 kills. Going into the 2006 season, everyone was expecting Ross to have her best year yet.
Capturing the Cup
Offense wins games, defense wins championships. Every athlete and coach has heard and probably used this phrase. But that doesn’t change the fact that a productive offense generally overshadows defensive success. Both fans and media tend to focus on one thing: points scored. But after the Carolina Hurricanes’ final rally in game seven of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals, no one could deny the defensive presence. After all, it was the perseverance and calm leadership of blueliner Glen Wesley that helped clinch the win and allowed him to finally raise the Stanley Cup – something he’d waited 18 years to do.
Sweet Sugar
Set:
As a competitor at heart, I love sports video games. I used to play one that involved boxing, and there was one fighter whose nickname was "Sweet Sugar." In this particular game, the system would remind me every time my opponent would knock me out. Truthfully, I didn’t think there was anything “sweet” about that!
I was thinking about Sweet Sugar the other day and thought about a personal dilemma. Sometimes in life I find myself confusing love and grace with the act of “sugar-coating.” What that means is that I gloss over a situation and refuse to deal with the truth about what is going on.
WARNING: Overtraining Ahead
Our defeats are seldom instantaneous. In reality, most of them have been long in the making. And, unfortunately, we often supply the means for our own self-ruin.
There is an old fable about an eagle and an arrow that concludes with the magnificent creature being shot down by a hunter. It is with great pain that the eagle realizes the arrow was made with one of its own feathers. It had essentially brought about its own death.
Youthful Indiscretion?
Set:
Michael Phelps, exposed in a British tabloid by a photo showing him smoking marijuana, came clean and admitted that the picture was authentic. He said, "I engaged in behavior that was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I'm 23 years old and, despite the successes I've had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me."
Officials in the USOC expressed their disappointment because he is a role model for millions of young athletes. But others thought it would not affect his sponsorships or other marketing relationships because it was “only marijuana.” They would simply have him "lay low" for a while to let people forget about it.
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