Prepare to Win

July is here. That means one month left until the start of official practices for many athletes. How will you spend this month? Will you be prepared when October and November asks you to pay up for what you did in June and July? 

Bobby Knight used to say “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”.

When I was a college basketball coach, I would say, "Basketball may be played in the winter but players are made in the summer."  The same is true for the other sports, as well. Great players don’t train because they love training. They train because they love winning.

Think back to last year? Did the last game end well? Did you have regrets? Do you wish that you had work harder or been more ready? Was the role on the team what you wanted?

Two years ago, our basketball team (of which I was the athletic director) lost in the opening round of the playoffs.  After the game, I spoke to two of the best juniors.  They were very distraught and there were even some tears shed. I commented to them “remember this game, remember this feeling…let it motivate you for next year.”  This year, they won the school's 8th State Championship. 

Persevering to Finish Strong

Has your season been disappointing? Are you frustrated with your results? Do you have a sense of despair? Do you feel that there is little hope?   If so, then I want to encourage you today to run the race with perseverance and finish strong. Don’t be discouraged.

I am reminded of the Jacob Riis’ quote concerning rock sculptures…

Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.

Just like the stone cutter, you don’t always know when good will come but you do know that if you quit, it will never come. 

Last season, our football and volleyball teams were both struggling. However, they didn’t quit and kept on persevering. 

Both teams were able to put it all together and win first-round sectional games in the state tournament. If they had let despair get the better of them, they never would have found success.

Hope Is Not The Best Strategy

"I hope we do better this year."

"I hope that I start."

"I hope that we win the championship."

"I hope that I get recruited by college scouts."

Have you ever said any of those statements?  Have you ever used the word 'hope' in describing something about your athletic team or your athletic career?  Have you ever wished that something was different but did nothing about it?

Former NFL head coach and current ESPN broadcaster, Herm Edwards, once said that "Every goal needs to have a plan or else it's just a wish."

This year, do you believe that you will win, be better or start because you are finally a senior?  Or will you accomplish your goals because you have a plan for how to achieve them?