Adjusting on the Fly

Last week I had the opportunity to partake in a Virtue Camp with the Senior football players from Powers Catholic High School in Flint, Michigan.

It was a great day that had presented some challenges. At the last minute, the day before the camp, we lost the facility where we going to host it. That was fun (smile).

Athletic Director and Coach Mike Pruchnicki gave me an awesome example of how to adjust on the fly - he quickly decided to have it at his house.

Rearranging garage, basement, living room, schedule, games ... it was a long night but it worked out really, really well and the boys loved the experience.

We had some really tough conversations about team unity, commitment and self-denial. It is very difficult for many young men to open up about real problems in their lives and the life of the team but it makes them so much stronger.

One of the things that I took away from the experience was that this is so urgent and necessary for our young people. The peer pressure to be cool is so powerful and it blinds them so many times where they make decisions that they know are not what is best for them - but they do it anyway to fit in.

Teaching them about virtue and how to use their will to conquer the negativity is simply life-changing.

Keep up the great work.