Hockey Chat:  Having 5 guys on the ice makes a team.  Having 5 guys on the ice that are working together and covering each other makes a winning team.  When we say that our position is just on Offense or someone else is a Defenseman, we are cutting away that we are all a team.  Whichever color jerseys have the puck determines whether we are all on offense or defense. It’s when we complain or argue that “it’s not my position so it’s not my fault” we all fall down.

Jeff Hart, a retired offensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts, knew that in order to be able to handle the opposing linemen, he needed to concentrate on every play. After breaking from the huddle, Jeff would look at the goalpost in the end zone, which symbolized for him the cross of Christ and reminded him of who he was really serving. He would then commit the next play to an audience of One. This focus and devotion allowed Jeff to play at his best and helped him to keep perspective. Whether professional or not, every athlete and coach faces a variety of challenges. Adversity comes to all of us at some point in life and requires that we focus on what is most important. Whether it’s a difficult situation with a player or a series of losses, we will have struggles.

Hockey Chat:  You can score a lot of goals playing hockey without an opposing team skating against you.  Nobody to knock you down either.  When you get into a game you find that goal is not just to get the puck in the back of the net, but to get past your opponents first and foremost.  It is then that you realize what the game is really about.

At the beginning of this soccer season, we had a good combination of experienced/inexperienced starters and substitutes. I thought we were right where we needed to be. We jumped out to a 3-0 record. But then we lost a key forward due to a broken leg, and, two weeks later, our leading scorer broke his ankle. Fortunately, my players took it upon themselves to step it up. The bad thing was that each player did what he thought the team needed. They stopped listening to coaching instruction, stopped playing as a team and relied on their own individual talents. The season started to fall apart, and they found themselves at 3-4. It was time to rally the troops!

Hockey Chat:  Knowing what to count on from your line mates also helps them to know what to count on from you.  You’ve probably seen guys that work great together and always seem to be in the right place.  That’s because the treat their linemate as an extension of themselves by being where they are needed and making the play happen knowing that others will be there too. 

Coach Scott was a great offensive line football coach. As a 10-year-old aspiring right guard, I learned from him the basics to being a great blocker: elbows up and out with hands tucked in. It was the “old school” way to block, which didn’t involve the use of hands—just stick your elbows way out so the defensive player couldn’t get by. For me, a good game required making sure no one ever got around me and never got a tackle. Not exactly a simple job. It took an incredible amount of work and effort to keep others from advancing toward the ball.

I was twenty-one years old, and I had just graduated from The Ohio State University, having majored in education. I arrived as a new teacher and coach at River View high school near Warsaw, Ohio, in 1974. There I met Andy Duda, the varsity football coach. I noticed initially that he was a physically strong man, and I learned very soon that he was also spiritually strong. Any player on Andy’s team knew that we acted like men, we worked hard, and we never used profanity. Andy taught those values to his players and modeled them to everyone.

It’s the start of practice. Everyone has high hopes, goals, and expectations for the upcoming season. As Christians, the biggest goals are the ones God has for us as coaches and the athletes He has entrusted to our care.

God has created each one of our team members, the coaching staff, parents, and all those connected with our programs. Twice in the verses above we are reminded of Jesus’ work in creating all things. In fact, today’s passage tells us that all things were created not only by Him, but also for Him. He also promises to hold thing—all things—together. This may not mean victory, or lack of challenges, but things will be  held together to accomplish His perfect plan and will in our lives and in the lives of those around us.