There are certain things in life that are beyond our control. Often times these events leave us feeling helpless & dejected. They're often the most frustrating events we encounter because there is nothing within our human power to stop them. This message is intended mostly for the young men on our football squad, but I feel that it applies to all people in all walks of life. Life has a tendency to try to take you off of the path you seek, derail you from your destination. The greatest measure of a man is how he handles adversity, how much he can take & keep moving forward.
Throughout the past year, our football team has dealt with a great deal of adversity. Last August one of our players, Quinton Tyree, failed to pass his physical. He later learned of a massive tumor lodged in his back near his spine & between multiple arteries sidelining him for the entire season. It was unclear whether the tumor was malignant or benign, but the procedure itself was very dangerous. Our young men, the student body & the community rallied around him & offered great support. Thankfully the surgeons were able to remove the massive tumor & Quinton has been on the road to full recovery ever since. His strength has recovered quickly & he has been performing very well for the track team this spring.
The season itself in 2011 presented its own trials. Due to former players graduating & some transferring to different schools, there were new players at many new positions with a new coach & a drastically new scheme. Young men were being thrust into roles they were not ready for. However after posting a 1-8 record & being blown out in many of the losses, the team improved steadily getting better from game-to-game. New leaders emerged. Though a few were left behind or chose not to come with us, a vast majority of the team remained intact despite our struggles.
Heading into the off-season, we all realized we were not where we needed to be physically compared to our opponents. In November, we created a new sports fitness class. The early stages of that class were rough. Poor technique & low lift numbers, but they stuck with it. Once the expectations & foundations were set, the increases jumped off the charts. Players were literally seeing increases everyday in their performance. The class took on a life of its' own. They loved that class. More & more enrolled. The energy in the weight room was ELECTRIC. The song "Jump Around" by House of Pain developed into the class anthem & was played almost daily. They literally "jumped around" before & during workouts & sometimes I would join them. I've never seen a team bond so heavily during the off-season. Always pushing each other, encouraging each other, even after only winning 5 games in the last 3 years. They could have easily given in & said "It's just the way it's always been", but they chose to rise above, choose a new path. Over the course of the last 7 months our team has seen gains as high as 50+ lbs in their bench press & 100+ lbs in their squat. They have won weight divisions at local Strength Meets. The class grew from 10 to over 25 kids, athletes & non-athletes. The energy has not dwindled. Their work ethic has not faltered. I've been on successful teams & I can honestly say I've never seen a group of kids work THIS hard. The change has filtered over to the other players in other classes & created friendly competition. They're always pushing each other, wanting each to be the best they can. We were on the fast track. Projected numbers for football haven't been this high in 10 years. Everything was moving along smoothly...too smoothly....
Football is a contact sport. Baseball is not. No worries right? Our baseball team was undefeated & playing at Erie in a CNC matchup. I was on my way home from track practice when I received some not so good news. Our starting Quarterback, Josh Thompson, had fractured his fibula. His foot was literally dangling off to the side. He was rushed to the ER & immediately put into surgery. Pins were put into his ankle & mangled tendons & ligaments had to put back into place. Although his outlook is positive to be ready for the season, it affected team moral. However, after a few days Josh returned to school & player outlook was back on the rise, getting back to "WORK". The team was well on its' way to meeting a challenge I placed before them to average a 15 lbs increase on their bench press & a 30 lbs increase on their squat by the end of the school year. Baseball......oh baseball, is in my doghouse right now. Last night I was watching our baseball & softball squads compete against Colgan. I was watching the softball game when I heard a sharp "PING". I turned to see Justin Galloway, our starting right tackle, fall to his knees. Our assistant baseball coach sprinted across the field & immediately yelled "TRAINER!" Justin had been struck in the right eye with a line drive hit. He spent the night in the hospital & a CT scan revealed a orbital bone break that will require the placement of a metal plate in his right eye on Tuesday. Thankfully, Justin still has the ability to move his eye & his vision (that we know of) has not been impaired. We are not sure what this means for him next season, but we must be appreciative of the positives that could have easily been much worse.
My message to our team & to those who are reading is simple, yet challenging. No matter what hardships life throws at you, no matter how devastating, you have two options. 1. QUIT. 2. Keep moving forward. A great speaker named Eric Thomas says "PAIN is temporary. It may last for a minute, an hour, or a day...or even a year...but eventually it WILL subside & something else will take its' place. If I quit however, it will last FOREVER." Nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard you hit, it's about how hard you can GET hit & keep moving forward, how much you can TAKE & keep moving FORWARD. We can't control the obstacles life places in front of us. We can only control how we respond to adversity. Life is 10% what happens to you & 90% how you respond to it...No matter what comes your way, stay low, keep those feet moving & KEEP MOVING FORWARD...
