SportsLeader is a virtue-based mentoring and motivation program for coaches. This blog shares stories from coaches all over the country transforming lives. For more information contact Lou Judd - ljudd@sportsleader.org

Thursday, July 26, 2012

VICTORY AT NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST TOURNAMENT


SportsLeader would like to congratulate the Regina Saskatchewan Unidad 98's under-14 boys soccer team. Last week they won their division at the prestigious international competition called The USA Cup.

For more info on the tournament you can visit http://www.usacup.org/

The USA Cup is the largest soccer tournament in North America annually attracting close to 1,000 teams and 14,000 athletes from 20 states and 17 countries.

We are really proud of them because they are SportsLeader's first soccer team from Canada.

Now they are also the first Saskatchewan boys team to win a title at the U.S.A. Cup tournament in Minneapolis.

Trevor Novak is one of the Assistant Coaches on the team. He has done an amazing job blending in virtue, mentoring, quotes on their Facebook page and much more. The hard work has definitely paid off.

The boys looked on Coach Novak as much the prophet at the beginning of the tournament. Leading up to the event they focused on the virtue of Determination. He remembered telling the boys that they would be facing new teams, new refs, new fields ... things would go wrong, disappointments would abound ... but that they needed to stay strong, to stay determined.

As it turns out, the team lost their first 3 games of the tournament. They dominated all 3 games in every possible area. But their shots just did not seem to be going in. Almost like there was a garage door covering the goal.

They continuously spoke about the virtue and the stories they had been studying all season as they met in the hotel ... the boys remained determined and confident.

They got one last chance and they made the most of it.

Trevor's son Mitchell, one of the team's leading scorers, was asked to move back to defense. Much to his credit he embraced this new challenge putting the team above himself and it sparked the team's comeback.

They made it to the final and won convincingly 5-1 knocking off a previously undefeated team.

The team could have easily packed it in after losing 3 straight games.

Their virtue shined through and now they have a memory that is priceless.

Virtue truly does equal STRENGTH!


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