Last night was the conclusion to our athletic year. We had our last banquet of the 2009-2010 school year. We celebrated and awarded all of our spring sports-track, tennis, golf, baseball, and softball. It was a great night. Coaches talked about individual and team success, the highs, and the lows.
Each time we have an athletic banquet I am reminded of why we do what we do. Why we coach kids. We coach because we have the opportunity to have a helping hand in the development of a young person. We get to take athletes from where there are, to some place they never imagined they would be. Some don’t even recognize that they have grown; which makes it even sweeter. I am not just talking about physical development, but I am talking overall personal development. Coaches can change a person’s life, change who they are, change what they can accomplish, and even change who they will become. Coaches and teachers have to be the second most influential person in a young person’s life, only second to their parents, and in some cases the replacement to an absent parent.
I had great parents growing up, they taught me lessons, they loved me, they nurtured me, and they grew me up. I also had coaches who influenced me for the good and aided in my development. I was not an easy person to coach. I thought I knew it all and was afraid to work hard. My coach never gave up on me. He could and I don’t think anyone would have blamed if he did give up on me, but he didn’t. I am thankful that he didn’t; I owe a lot of who I am to my coach. Even today, those who know him and me would say we are a lot alike. Just the other day I was visiting Coach and we went to church together, a man at church came up to him and me and asked if we were brothers because we have similar profiles. I guess I have even started to look like him. It was kind of scary.
Coach taught the importance of hard work, he taught to be on time, he taught me to compete, and he taught the truth of God’s word. Coach was the first person to have a bible study with me, he cared about my soul. I think that is the main reason he never gave up on me. He saw what I could become, he took me from where I was, never said to me I can’t help you because your not at this point, instead worked with me to get me to another level. Isn’t that what coaches are suppose to do for their athletes? I am a coach now, I am a husband now, I am a parent now, I am deacon now, and most importantly I am a baptized believer.
My parents played the biggest role in my life, but Coach also had a large role in finishing me off. I have disappointed him, and I have disappointed my parents at times; but they continued to love me. That type of love might be the greatest lesson I ever learned. I try to be the coach and teacher that my coach and teachers were. Thanks to all coaches, and a special thanks to Coach.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Lessons Learned From My Favorite Cartoons
I have a 2 year old daughter, Evelyn Rose. She is a beautiful young lady, thanks to her mom. She is also very smart, curious and funny. (Of course I am biased). She loves to play outside, but she also loves to watch her shows. Like many of adults she has her shows that she has to watch and they have become so important we DVR them. Her shows include Yo Gabba Gabba, Caillou, The Wonder Pets, and Ni Hao Kai Lan. My shows include Law and Order, Lost, Survivor, and Friday Night Lights. We use to DVR my shows, but know we do not have enough space for my shows because we are recording hers. I have become a big fan of several of her shows and know most of the lyrics to most of the songs. Everyday I find myself singing songs about sharing, teamwork, eating my snack, and helping others. Those songs were not learned watching my shows-and has made me ask the question- which shows make me better? I am 35, and most would think I am to old for cartoons, but I think I learn more from them and probably even better I am reminded of the core values I learned as a child.
We were watching Yo Gabba Gabba, (I am a big fan of Plex-the magical robot), they were singing about continuing to try and never give up. I had a particular difficult day that day, and had run into a situation I was ready to quit on. After watching Yo Gabba Gabba, I was reminded not to give up and to keep trying. Then we watched The Wonder Pets, and their main message is helping others with the use of teamwork. “What’s going to work-teamwork!” I found myself thinking the same thing and even humming the song at work the next day as we prepared to tackle a project.
We have also tuned in to shows like Dora the Explorer and Ni Hao Kai Lan. Dora is Hispanic and Kai Lan is Chinese. They teach and translate words both in English and Spanish. I am able to go to school and speak with our Hispanic students and Chinese students about their culture and use words in their language I have learned from the show. They usually laugh at me but it opens up a line of communication that might not have ever existed.
Why have we become so adult, that we forget the lessons we learned as a child, and are embarrassed to be reminded of them by watching cartoons? Sometimes we needed to be reminded about teamwork, sharing, and to never give up. We need to be reminded that all people are important and we have to try to reach them at their level instead of expecting them to come to ours. Who cares who teaches the lesson? Sometimes learning from a magical robot or three little pets might be just what we need. I encourage you to tune in to Nick Jr. every once in awhile to be reminded of the things that can make us better and maybe even a little more successful.
We were watching Yo Gabba Gabba, (I am a big fan of Plex-the magical robot), they were singing about continuing to try and never give up. I had a particular difficult day that day, and had run into a situation I was ready to quit on. After watching Yo Gabba Gabba, I was reminded not to give up and to keep trying. Then we watched The Wonder Pets, and their main message is helping others with the use of teamwork. “What’s going to work-teamwork!” I found myself thinking the same thing and even humming the song at work the next day as we prepared to tackle a project.
We have also tuned in to shows like Dora the Explorer and Ni Hao Kai Lan. Dora is Hispanic and Kai Lan is Chinese. They teach and translate words both in English and Spanish. I am able to go to school and speak with our Hispanic students and Chinese students about their culture and use words in their language I have learned from the show. They usually laugh at me but it opens up a line of communication that might not have ever existed.
Why have we become so adult, that we forget the lessons we learned as a child, and are embarrassed to be reminded of them by watching cartoons? Sometimes we needed to be reminded about teamwork, sharing, and to never give up. We need to be reminded that all people are important and we have to try to reach them at their level instead of expecting them to come to ours. Who cares who teaches the lesson? Sometimes learning from a magical robot or three little pets might be just what we need. I encourage you to tune in to Nick Jr. every once in awhile to be reminded of the things that can make us better and maybe even a little more successful.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
The End Is Near
We are coming to a very bittersweet time at school. We are in our final week. It is a time of rejoicing, it is a time to reflect, and it is also a time of sadness. At some point in the final days we-students and teachers-will do all of these.
It is a time of rejoicing because the end has come, we have finished the journey that began in August, and for those that are seniors began 13 years ago. We will celebrate all the accomplishments of the year, the awards, the accolades, and the triumphs. We will rejoice because it was something we thought would never get here, and for some probably didn’t get here fast enough.
It is a time to reflect because now we can look back and take stock of what we learned or failed to learn. We will reflect on the journey and decide whether we got all we could and took advantage of all that was given to us. We will evaluate if this is where we wanted to be when the trip began. We will evaluate what we could or should have done differently.
It is a time of sadness because we have to move on. We will leave behind some of our youth, some of our friends, and some of the fun and games. We will also be saddened by what we failed to accomplish, or what we failed to achieve. We will be saddened by the mistakes we made and those we wronged.
High school is a great time. At 35, I can sit back and say I still feel all of these things about my time in high school. I celebrate a lot about high school, I evaluate what I received and learned, but most importantly I am saddened about some decisions I made and mistakes that I can’t rewrite. The lesson to be learned is high school is a thing that they do not have a do over for. Life is also a thing that there is no do over for. What we learn has to be used to grow and improve everyday. High school is a small part of our lives but so many things can come from the experience.
God wants our best. He knows we will make mistakes, but he trust that we will not continue to make the same mistakes. God celebrates our triumphs, God will evaluate how we have lived our lives, and God will be saddened by the mistakes we make. Because of this, we have to work each day to be better, we have to run the good race, and we have to fight the good fight. I hope I can look back at each day and celebrate success, but be humble, evaluate and learn, to improve for tomorrow, and rewrite the sadness, so as to please God.
It is a time of rejoicing because the end has come, we have finished the journey that began in August, and for those that are seniors began 13 years ago. We will celebrate all the accomplishments of the year, the awards, the accolades, and the triumphs. We will rejoice because it was something we thought would never get here, and for some probably didn’t get here fast enough.
It is a time to reflect because now we can look back and take stock of what we learned or failed to learn. We will reflect on the journey and decide whether we got all we could and took advantage of all that was given to us. We will evaluate if this is where we wanted to be when the trip began. We will evaluate what we could or should have done differently.
It is a time of sadness because we have to move on. We will leave behind some of our youth, some of our friends, and some of the fun and games. We will also be saddened by what we failed to accomplish, or what we failed to achieve. We will be saddened by the mistakes we made and those we wronged.
High school is a great time. At 35, I can sit back and say I still feel all of these things about my time in high school. I celebrate a lot about high school, I evaluate what I received and learned, but most importantly I am saddened about some decisions I made and mistakes that I can’t rewrite. The lesson to be learned is high school is a thing that they do not have a do over for. Life is also a thing that there is no do over for. What we learn has to be used to grow and improve everyday. High school is a small part of our lives but so many things can come from the experience.
God wants our best. He knows we will make mistakes, but he trust that we will not continue to make the same mistakes. God celebrates our triumphs, God will evaluate how we have lived our lives, and God will be saddened by the mistakes we make. Because of this, we have to work each day to be better, we have to run the good race, and we have to fight the good fight. I hope I can look back at each day and celebrate success, but be humble, evaluate and learn, to improve for tomorrow, and rewrite the sadness, so as to please God.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
The Long and Winding Road
This past weekend I took an extended road trip with one of my players, Duke Phillips. Duke is a senior at Westbury Christian and is two weeks from graduation. Duke really wants to play college basketball and is talented enough to do so, and up to this point we have not found the right fit. So him and I decided we would become proactive and make a road trip to work-out for two college coaches, Jim Sanderson at Faulkner University and Tom Kelsey at Belhaven College. We left on Friday night and returned Monday night. It was experience to say the least. Faulkner is in Montgomery, Alabama-10 hours from Houston, and Belhaven is in Jackson, Mississippi-7 hours from Houston. You can learn a lot about someone during a 10 hour road trip. I want to share some stories and what I learned from this trip.
The first thing I learned is it sometimes takes a long trip to really get to know someone. I coached Duke for only one year, and we have had a good relationship, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I found who he really was. I thought I knew, but I only knew surface things, not the things we keep close to our heart. I was somewhat disappointed at myself that I didn’t know more about him and his family. That is the tragedy of today’s society. Technology is great, but it only allows us to give partial information about who we are. We do not take time to sit and ask questions, deep questions to gain understanding. We use excuses like not enough time, or I am too busy. Then once we generate excuses, we allow our conversations to be in the form of a text or an email, were we give short one or two line answers to everything. We then form assumptions and generalizations about only partial information. We need to take time to talk; it is the only way to learn about the people we care about.
The second thing I learned is the importance of doing for others what was done for you. In 1993, my high school coach Jim Sanderson, took me on the same type of trip. I wanted to play college basketball, so he loaded me up and drove to 3 different schools in the state of Alabama. It worked out that I received a scholarship to play at Alabama Southern Community College. I do not know if I would have gotten that opportunity had he not done this for me. This weekend would have been my first weekend off in a couple of months and it was Mother’s Day, but I knew I needed to do this for Duke. Someone did it for me, so it was my turn to return the favor.
I am so proud of Duke. He really did a great job and hopefully he will get to play college basketball. He is a great kid, and he is my friend. I know Duke now and I think Duke knows me. One day, I hope Duke will have the opportunity to pass on what was done for him, as I did. It was a great trip. Faulkner and Belhaven are great schools, with great Christian coaches. Duke will be blessed if gets to play at either school, but those coaches will also be blessed by Duke as well.
The first thing I learned is it sometimes takes a long trip to really get to know someone. I coached Duke for only one year, and we have had a good relationship, but it wasn’t until this weekend that I found who he really was. I thought I knew, but I only knew surface things, not the things we keep close to our heart. I was somewhat disappointed at myself that I didn’t know more about him and his family. That is the tragedy of today’s society. Technology is great, but it only allows us to give partial information about who we are. We do not take time to sit and ask questions, deep questions to gain understanding. We use excuses like not enough time, or I am too busy. Then once we generate excuses, we allow our conversations to be in the form of a text or an email, were we give short one or two line answers to everything. We then form assumptions and generalizations about only partial information. We need to take time to talk; it is the only way to learn about the people we care about.
The second thing I learned is the importance of doing for others what was done for you. In 1993, my high school coach Jim Sanderson, took me on the same type of trip. I wanted to play college basketball, so he loaded me up and drove to 3 different schools in the state of Alabama. It worked out that I received a scholarship to play at Alabama Southern Community College. I do not know if I would have gotten that opportunity had he not done this for me. This weekend would have been my first weekend off in a couple of months and it was Mother’s Day, but I knew I needed to do this for Duke. Someone did it for me, so it was my turn to return the favor.
I am so proud of Duke. He really did a great job and hopefully he will get to play college basketball. He is a great kid, and he is my friend. I know Duke now and I think Duke knows me. One day, I hope Duke will have the opportunity to pass on what was done for him, as I did. It was a great trip. Faulkner and Belhaven are great schools, with great Christian coaches. Duke will be blessed if gets to play at either school, but those coaches will also be blessed by Duke as well.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
My Greatest Strength and My Greatest Weakness
One summer I had the opportunity to work as an intern with the United States Marshal Service. It was a great experience; one of the most memorable moments was the interview process. I was interviewed by the U.S. Marshal for the Southern District of Alabama. I did not fully appreciate it at the time, but for one-she was appointed directly by the President (she was a big timer); and two, it was my first very professional interview (I was 21 at the time). The moment that stuck out to me was when she asked two questions back to back- “What is your greatest strength?” and “What is your greatest weakness?” I have had about two more professional interviews since that time, and coincidentally they have asked the same two questions. As a current administrator, I have added those to my interview questions when interviewing new coaches. Those two questions are very important and reveal a lot about people-as long as they answer them truthfully. I want to share with you how I answered.
The first question, “What is your greatest strength?” My competitive nature is my greatest strength. I love to compete; I am at my best when I compete. I want to win. I like to win. I can be relentless when I compete. I can be cut throat when I compete. I want to be a winner.
The second question, “What is your greatest weakness?” My competitive nature is my greatest weakness. I become consumed with winning. I will do anything to win, no matter the consequence. I will say and do things, I would not normally do. I will forsake feelings-mine and others-to win. I want to win despite the cost.
Now, as I am a little older, I am learning to change my answers. I still love to compete, but not everything has to be competition. I do not have to always win. Sometimes losing is ok. Winning at the risk of hurting others, especially those I love, is not worth it. I would like my answers to be-my greatest strength is my willingness to be the best I can, by doing what is right, with love and compassion; my greatest weakness is loving to much, caring to much, and allowing others to succeed and celebrating their success, at the possible cost of my failure. These are lofty goals for a person who is constantly competing at everything. I know this is what God wants for me. I can learn from Jesus. Jesus was willing to sacrifice himself at the cross for the success of the Kingdom. He did it with love, he cared enough-some would even say to much. I will get better, I will learn.
The first question, “What is your greatest strength?” My competitive nature is my greatest strength. I love to compete; I am at my best when I compete. I want to win. I like to win. I can be relentless when I compete. I can be cut throat when I compete. I want to be a winner.
The second question, “What is your greatest weakness?” My competitive nature is my greatest weakness. I become consumed with winning. I will do anything to win, no matter the consequence. I will say and do things, I would not normally do. I will forsake feelings-mine and others-to win. I want to win despite the cost.
Now, as I am a little older, I am learning to change my answers. I still love to compete, but not everything has to be competition. I do not have to always win. Sometimes losing is ok. Winning at the risk of hurting others, especially those I love, is not worth it. I would like my answers to be-my greatest strength is my willingness to be the best I can, by doing what is right, with love and compassion; my greatest weakness is loving to much, caring to much, and allowing others to succeed and celebrating their success, at the possible cost of my failure. These are lofty goals for a person who is constantly competing at everything. I know this is what God wants for me. I can learn from Jesus. Jesus was willing to sacrifice himself at the cross for the success of the Kingdom. He did it with love, he cared enough-some would even say to much. I will get better, I will learn.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
S.N.B.L. (Sunday Night Basketball League)
I am a basketball coach and a former college basketball player. I retired from scholastic participation in 1998. Since that time, I have played in various recreational leagues. There has been no better league than my current league- The Sunday Night Basketball League.
The league began about 2 or 3 years ago with no set schedule or reasonable organization. This past season however it has take a new form; it has become a set night with some reasonable organization. We play every Sunday night beginning at 6:30pm. We have anywhere from 4 players, playing 2 on 2, to 12 players, playing games of 4 on 4. You have league veterans, Randy King, Lee Martin, Kelvin Brown, Brian Edens, and myself. Then we are joined at times by Greg Glenn, Mike White, Michael Strom, and a few others. We all gather to compete, exercise, and re-live what we once were.
The games can become very competitive, and more times than not someone leaves upset. More times than not-its me who leaves upset or I am the cause of someone leaving upset. Various members have sworn not to return, yet we all do. This is what makes the league special to me.
I have learned a lot about friendship, and Christian love. These guys in the league are my friends. I have learned it is ok to compete, and even get upset, but in the end the love we have for each other is greater than a game of 4 on 4. We compete hard on Sunday nights and then on Monday we talk and laugh about how silly we were the night before. I have even done and said some mean things, yet I have always been forgiven. We do not judge each others characters based on the Sunday night games. We judge each others character based on how we respond after the games are over. We always end the night with a prayer. We hold hands and we pray. We forget the hard fouls, the bad shots, the bad calls, the wins, and losses. WE PRAY TOGETHER!
We have a great time. We laugh, we make fun, we compete-and we will do all again next Sunday. These guys are great examples of the love God wants us to have for each other. We learn to accept the flaws, and look past the competitive nature. We get mad (I get mad), but we forget. I love the Sunday night basketball league. I love my friends. See you guys on Sunday.
Oh by the way, I am going to apologize in advance for the hard fouls. Sorry.
The league began about 2 or 3 years ago with no set schedule or reasonable organization. This past season however it has take a new form; it has become a set night with some reasonable organization. We play every Sunday night beginning at 6:30pm. We have anywhere from 4 players, playing 2 on 2, to 12 players, playing games of 4 on 4. You have league veterans, Randy King, Lee Martin, Kelvin Brown, Brian Edens, and myself. Then we are joined at times by Greg Glenn, Mike White, Michael Strom, and a few others. We all gather to compete, exercise, and re-live what we once were.
The games can become very competitive, and more times than not someone leaves upset. More times than not-its me who leaves upset or I am the cause of someone leaving upset. Various members have sworn not to return, yet we all do. This is what makes the league special to me.
I have learned a lot about friendship, and Christian love. These guys in the league are my friends. I have learned it is ok to compete, and even get upset, but in the end the love we have for each other is greater than a game of 4 on 4. We compete hard on Sunday nights and then on Monday we talk and laugh about how silly we were the night before. I have even done and said some mean things, yet I have always been forgiven. We do not judge each others characters based on the Sunday night games. We judge each others character based on how we respond after the games are over. We always end the night with a prayer. We hold hands and we pray. We forget the hard fouls, the bad shots, the bad calls, the wins, and losses. WE PRAY TOGETHER!
We have a great time. We laugh, we make fun, we compete-and we will do all again next Sunday. These guys are great examples of the love God wants us to have for each other. We learn to accept the flaws, and look past the competitive nature. We get mad (I get mad), but we forget. I love the Sunday night basketball league. I love my friends. See you guys on Sunday.
Oh by the way, I am going to apologize in advance for the hard fouls. Sorry.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Alert: National Appreciate the Forgotten Things Day.
No, its not a national holiday, but I think it should be. Maybe if I explain why it should be a holdiay, more people will catch on-and then poof it will be on all pocket calendars, desk calendar, etc.
Every Saturday, I coach a 5th and 6th grade spring basketball league. There are two very interesting charaters that attend, they are twins, and one is never there with out a hat on! Yes, a hat at basketball camp! For 3 weeks I wanted to ask about the hat, but was afraid. I did not want to offend him in anyway. I finally decided I had to ask, so I did and the anwer and the conversation that followed, is what led me to be the number one activist for: National Appreciate the Forgotten Things Day!
It all started with the simple question, "Why do you always wear a hat?" The answer, "I like hats!" That simple! I kept prodding, there had to be more. He began to tell me that hats were on his list of the greatest inventions ever. He has a list? Now there is some exciting news, I was now on to something. I had to ask, "What else is on the list?" He began to run down some very obvious things that would be universal to any list-air conditioning, refregiration, microwaves, hats, and pockets. Whoa! I stopped him at pockets. He began to remind me how important pockets were. Where would you put your keys? Were would you keep your money? I was now a reborn fan of pockets. He was right! I had forgotten the importance of pockets.
So today when you look down to put your keys in your pockets, take time to thank your pockets for being invented. Besides, what do you call shorts with out pockets- underwear.
Every Saturday, I coach a 5th and 6th grade spring basketball league. There are two very interesting charaters that attend, they are twins, and one is never there with out a hat on! Yes, a hat at basketball camp! For 3 weeks I wanted to ask about the hat, but was afraid. I did not want to offend him in anyway. I finally decided I had to ask, so I did and the anwer and the conversation that followed, is what led me to be the number one activist for: National Appreciate the Forgotten Things Day!
It all started with the simple question, "Why do you always wear a hat?" The answer, "I like hats!" That simple! I kept prodding, there had to be more. He began to tell me that hats were on his list of the greatest inventions ever. He has a list? Now there is some exciting news, I was now on to something. I had to ask, "What else is on the list?" He began to run down some very obvious things that would be universal to any list-air conditioning, refregiration, microwaves, hats, and pockets. Whoa! I stopped him at pockets. He began to remind me how important pockets were. Where would you put your keys? Were would you keep your money? I was now a reborn fan of pockets. He was right! I had forgotten the importance of pockets.
So today when you look down to put your keys in your pockets, take time to thank your pockets for being invented. Besides, what do you call shorts with out pockets- underwear.
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