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There is a story from the French Revolution that tells of a man who was seen running after a mob. As he moved quickly into danger, somebody screamed, “Stop! Stop! Don’t follow that mob!” He continued to sprint toward them, calling back, “I have to follow them! I’m their leader!”
Coaches are always looking for the winning edge. We continually explore new techniques or systems to improve our programs. We go to clinics, conferences and seminars to learn how it should be done. Of course, no one coach is successful 100 percent of the time. But I know one coach who always did it right.
The Master Coach personally selected His own team. He poured His life into a team of 12, worked with them for 3 years, and then sent them out to teach and prepare others for future good work. In fact, He instilled lasting leadership skills among His team in the following five ways:
David Johnson, FCA Hockey Director Rick Randazzo, former Baylor football coach Grant Teaff, FCA President Les Steckel
Five syringes discarded on the side of a Rocky Mountain road just outside of Boulder, Colo., were not exactly what I expected to see. Yet, as I cycled through some of the most scenic and challenging roads in all of Boulder, the site was unmistakable. I knew that many competitive riders used the high altitudes to train for races; but it appeared that it wasn’t just the altitude that would enhance their performances that day.
The world of sports has taken a beating this year.
Chosen Attribute: Kindness
Dictionary definition: "Of a good or benevolent nature or disposition."
My definition: "Doing unto others as you would have them do unto you."
To many campers, truth is a relative thing. "Being close counts, doesn't it?" they ask. Not exactly. During one of the ice-breaker games for the week, people were asked to share three things with their group, two truths and one not so true. But all three seem rather believable at times.
Finding truth can be very difficult. Students are being bombarded with many different truths today. They are told that sex is safe, drugs are fun and won't hurt you, drinking too much won't do anything to you, and so on and so on. Everybody's doing it, so it must be okay. WRONG. During today's Huddle time the campers learned what real truth is, and who He is.
Chosen Attribute: Patience
Dictionary definition: "An ability to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay. A quiet, steady perseverance."
My definition: "Having the mental capacity to wait for the things that you want and are trying to achieve. It is the journey to the destination. You want to get to the destination, but patience is the waiting and growing stage before you get there."
“It makes me feel good that FCA cares about it’s people!”
That was a common statement after a week of clinical exercise testing at the FCA World Headquarters in November. This effort, led by the FCA Health & Fitness Ministry, was designed to help our FCA team improve its health so that everyone involved could have the strength and energy necessary to perform at the highest level. FCA President Les Steckel put it best: “We believe that our initiative to serve our people on the front-edge of ministry will define us as an organization that genuinely invests in the personal and professional development of its people.”
How many times has a coach handed us a playbook or drawn a play diagram for us on the board? How many of us ever take our playbook home and look at it before bed just so we have an idea of what is going on? If we don’t understand the plays from the playbook, how many of us ever take the time to ask the coach about the plays and how to execute them properly? I used to be one of the guys who thought he’d learned something just by looking over his playbook.
As Christians many of us do the same thing with our Bibles. We pick them up here and there and look for the right “play” for our situation, or we skim them over hoping that we will gain wisdom by reading without going into depth.
FCA Camps have a unique way of uniting people who would otherwise have very little in common. How else could you link a Super Bowl champion coach from Indiana to a college basketball player from Minnesota and a high school volleyball player from Tennessee? But that is the common denominator for Indianapolis Colts Assistant Coach Alan Williams, Southwest Minnesota State forward Kevin Andrews and Ooletwah High School libero Libby Peigen. All three have been spiritually impacted by attending FCA Camps and have come away with a deeper relationship with the Lord.
It broke my heart a little that it wasn’t a bigger deal in the media. It was almost unnoticed as the third bullet point listed on the side of ESPN’s homepage on Monday. Barely a blip on the radar screen when compared to the Manning Bowl. But there it was in bright blue hyperlink text: “Denver Broncos WR Kenny McKinley found dead at his home.”
Reports stated that McKinley, who was on the team’s injured reserve after having knee surgery in August, made comments after his surgery about killing himself. The investigation details later stated that, “McKinley didn’t know what to do other than football” (ESPN.com).
In 1964, Nepalese fighters known as Gurkhas were asked if they would jump from airplanes into combat against the Indonesians. Although the Gurkhas did not completely understand what they were being asked, they agreed to jump from the airplanes into battle. They asked that the planes fly slowly over a swampy area, no higher than 100 feet. When told their parachutes would not have time to open at that height, the Gurkhas replied, “You didn’t mention we would have parachutes.” Incredibly, they were willing to jump without parachutes! They were willing to pay the price and do it with passion.
One thing I've realized in my life is that I have great intentions. And I would imagine that the same is true for most of us. We make resolutions, we make commitments, and we set goals that we intend to keep. If we're really good, we even give someone else permission to hold us accountable and make sure that we do the things we say we are going to do.
Most of us truly want to experience God's best. We want to get healthy. We want to honor God with our bodies. We want to take care of His temple. But somehow we just don't get it done. And in our country, we have access to more opportunities than in any other country on the planet. Whether it's information, entertainment, technology or even food, we have convenient access.
Florida Atlantic head basketball coach Mike Jarvis, ESPN college basketball analyst Hubert Davis, former Major League pitcher and current FCA Golf staff member Jose Alvarez & FCA President Les Steckel
In recent months, steroid use in sports has drawn national attention from President Bush, Congress, league presidents and players’ unions. Major League Baseball has been on the hot seat with allegations of steroid abuse by former player Jose Canseco and by testimonies from current superstars admitting the same.
Can the food we eat actually make us sick? According to an article in TIME magazine, we may be paying a steep price for the cheap quality of food we eat.
Typically I don't consult newsstands for good science, but this article had a lot of truth in it. The topic centered on how the American food system is bad for our bodies, bad for the environment and bad for our economy.
A Personal Story by Lindsey Kirchhoff
Natalie Ann came screaming into the world on July 28, 1986—18 months after me. Feisty and strong willed, Natalie proved right from the start that she was determined. She embodied the fearless character of Rudy Ruettiger—the hero of the acclaimed movie, “Rudy,” who defied the struggle and achieved his dream of playing football at the prestigious University of Notre Dame.
Each December, I look forward to joining my fellow track and cross country coaches from all over the state at our annual coaches’ clinic. It’s sort of a kick-start to the upcoming track season. One of the highlights is the Hall of Fame luncheon, which honors several people who have achieved great success in Missouri Track and XC over the years.
Early in my career, I felt a sense of awe as I listened to the introductions of these inductees and wonder if I’d ever be able to achieve the things they had. The funny thing was, though, that I’d never heard of most of the recipients until I attended those luncheons. As a result, their accomplishments (however impressive) didn’t mean much to me, either.
Liberty University head basketball coach Ritchie McKay, Barton College head basketball coach Ron Lievense, college basketball commentator Mike Jarvis, FCA President Les Steckel
One of the perks of being a college student is a three month summer break from school, but as a collegiate volleyball player, summer isn’t a time to take it easy. The spring offseason is an opportunity to build muscle, run faster and increase verticals, but all that hard work is for nothing if I chose to be lazy all summer. When August rolls around I have to report for two-a-days, and my work over the summer will be evaluated by a stopwatch, measuring stick and bench press bar. I have to set goals to accomplish and improve over the summer, otherwise I will lose motivation and not perform at my highest level.
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