OF ELEPHANTS AND MEN

Never underestimate the importance you have as a coach. You can never replace a young person's father but you can be a leader and a role model who steers them in the right direction.

You are desperately NEEDED!

Embrace mentoring!

Sam Becker shares his third testimony below.


Virtue=Strength, Lou Judd

...

Wade Horn, Ph.D., President of the National Fatherhood Initiative, had an intriguing article entitled “Of Elephants and Men” in a recent issue of  Fatherhood Today magazine. I found Dr. Horn’s story about young elephants to be simply fascinating, and you will too.

Some years ago, officials at the Kruger National Park and game reserve in South Africa were faced with a growing elephant problem. The population of African elephants, once  endangered, had grown larger than the park could sustain. So measures had to be taken to thin the ranks. A plan was devised to relocate some of the elephants to other African game reserves. Being enormous creatures, elephants are not easily transported.  So a special harness was created to air-lift the elephants and fly them out of the park using helicopters.

The helicopters were up to the task, but, as it turned out, the harness wasn’t. It could handle the juvenile and adult female elephants, but not the huge African bull elephants. A quick solution had to be found, so a decision was made to leave the much larger bulls at Kruger and relocate only some of the female elephants and juvenile males.

The problem was solved. The herd was thinned out, and all was well at Kruger National Park. Sometime later, however, a strange problem surfaced at South Africa’s other game reserve, Pilanesburg National Park, the younger elephants’ new home.

Rangers at Pilanesburg began finding the dead bodies of endangered white rhinoceros. At  first, poachers were suspected, but the huge rhinos had not died of gunshot wounds, and their precious horns were left intact. The rhinos appeared to be killed violently, with deep puncture wounds. Not much in the wild can kill a rhino, so rangers set up hidden cameras throughout the park.

The result was shocking. The culprits turned out to be marauding bands of aggressive juvenile male elephants, the very elephants relocated from Kruger National Park a few years earlier. The young males were caught on camera chasing down the rhinos, knocking them over, and stomping and goring them to death with their tusks. The juvenile elephants were terrorizing other animals in the park as well. Such behavior was very rare among elephants. Something had gone terribly wrong.

Some of the park rangers settled on a theory. What had been missing from the relocated herd was the presence of the large dominant bulls that remained at Kruger. In natural circumstances, the adult bulls provide modeling behaviors for younger elephants, keeping them in line.

Juvenile male elephants, Dr. Horn pointed out, experience “musth,” a state of frenzy triggered by mating season and increases in testosterone. Normally, dominant bulls manage and contain the testosterone-induced frenzy in the younger males. Left without elephant modeling, the rangers theorized, the younger elephants were missing the civilizing influence of their elders as nature and pachyderm protocol intended.

To test the theory, the rangers constructed a bigger and stronger harness, then flew in some of the older bulls left behind at Kruger. Within weeks, the bizarre and violent behavior of the juvenile elephants stopped completely. The older bulls let them know that their behaviors were not elephant-like at all. In a short time, the younger elephants were following the older and more dominant bulls around while learning how to be elephants.

When Prisons Replace Families

Once in prison, this system is very hard to leave behind.

The New Hampshire prison system just released a dismal report two weeks ago.

Of 1,095 prisoners released in 2007, over 500 were back in prison by 2010.

Clearly, the loss of freedom does not compensate for the loss of fathers in managing the behavior of young men.

At least Eighty percent of the young men in prison grew up in homes without fathers. The problem seems clear. When prisons and police replace fathers, chaos reigns, and promising young lives are sacrificed.

...

Hello,
I hope all of you enjoyed reading about my experience on my school’s retreat. Now that I have had time to relax and school has officially started I can focused on school and of course, football.
         
This year my high school football team, the McNicholas Rockets, have been blessed to have the mentor system started by Mr. Lou Judd. From what I have seen the mentoring by our coaches has been working wonders for the team. We all seem to getting along better and finding out what we really want to accomplish this season.
         
I was selected to be in Coach Paul Romulo’s mentoring group. Every Thursday we meet together and talk one on one about how life is going, how I think the team is doing, and how can I better accomplish the virtue of the week. Coach Romolo and I have a great relationship. He is one of the younger coaches and teachers I have so it’s easy to relate with him. Sometimes we will randomly start quoting movie lines together. Most importantly, he is always more concerned about you as a person than as a football player.

The virtue of the week for week 1 was SELFLESSNESS. Being a team manager in my position is a very selfless job. Some of my coaches and teammates including coach Romolo told me I was an example of this virtue for the whole team. I know what I do is selfless, but I still wanted to try and be more selfless for my team and school. I wanted to find one or two ways I could accomplish being more selfless but I didn’t know how at first…..

Leading up to this past Saturday’s game was a very emotional week. Knowing that I couldn’t be out on the field with my teammates in our school’s first ever game in our new stadium did hurt me. On top of that we had Father-Son jersey night on Thursday. We ate pizza and hung out as with our dads or whoever was representing us. At the end of the dinner each senior father/father figure went up in front of the team with his son, said a speech about how proud of them they were, (many which were very emotional resulting in a few tears shed) and handed them their jersey….

I did not plan on wearing a jersey again this year. I thought it would be too hard to bear knowing I couldn’t wear my number out on the field with pads underneath competing with my teammates. I only wore #18 last year in honor of my cousin who was in coma at the beginning of the season due to a fall at his college house. 18 was and still is his number in college. I know I am as important as any other play on the team, but to me wearing a jersey was an emotional obstacle for me.

….As the fathers were giving their speeches to my teammates I said to my dad, “You don’t have to do this, you tell me all the time how proud of me you are, and I am not wearing jersey anyway.” He just responded OK. It turns out as I expected, the coaches noticed I was the only senior not to go up in front of the team. Head Coach Mike Orlando looks at me and says “So Sam, you thought we forgot about you?” I responded, “I was hoping that was the case.”

My dad and I walked up to the microphone. Right when he started talking about everything I have overcome and how I was hero I started to cry. It was hard enough having the jerseys being handed out to all my teammates, and this being thrown on top of it was over whelming. At the conclusion of his short speech, my dad handed me one of the jerseys on the table, but I refused to put it on. I walked back to my chair with tears my eyes listening to my teammates and their fathers give me a standing ovation. Some of my teammates met me with hugs shedding the same tears I had in my eyes….

The next day we met in the locker room before school started to be surprised with our new gray, green, and gold Adidas Tech-Fit jerseys which we spent all off season fundraising for. I walked in to return the jersey I was given the night before, while the rest of the team was going to wear theirs to school like we do every Friday. Coach Romolo told me to put on my jersey like the rest of the guys, I respectfully declined. After receiving a weird look from him, I told him we would talk about it later. So as my teammates walked out to school in our old green jerseys I was in my regular school uniform. I was still on the fence about whether I should wear one for the game Saturday or not. Throughout the day my teammates asked me why didn’t have a jersey on and if I would wear a new one for the game. I still had no idea. Before our team mass after school I explained to Coach Romolo why didn’t wear a jersey that day and how difficult it was for me during jersey night. He completely understood and told me it was my decision, but that I deserved to wear one just as much as the rest of the team.

After thinking about it that day at practice I found out how to better achieve the virtue of the week: SELFNESS. I decided to wear a jersey at the game this past Saturday not only for my coaches and teammates who wanted me to, but for my father. I know how much it means to him that I wear jersey. He was a big football star back in high school breaking all of his school rushing records. He asked me many times during the off-season what number I would wear this year. I just told him I wasn’t planning on wearing one. But as I thought about it being selflessness is also about allowing others to enjoy your accomplishments and stepping outside of your comfort zone for them.

This week the team was told repeatedly to find someone to play for. In addition to play all of the past players who never got to play at our new stadium. To play for the guys who wore your jersey years ago. As was in the equipment room picking out my jersey I decided to wear #32. It was wore by Austin Ernst’s (who I referred to in my last article) older brother Eric, 2 years ago. I wanted to wear it so Eric, my ex-teammate, would be represented. Another way I tried to improve my selflessness.

Throughout practice and before the game on Saturday some of my senior teammates told me that they were playing for me. They expressed  how bad they wanted me out there with them. I didn’t find out until after the game that many of them wrote my initials on there cleats so that in some way I was on field with them. This gesture meant the world to me. It was the ultimate act of selflessness. I felt honored.

Saturday ended up being a perfect day for the McNicholas community. Austin, as our quarterback, lead the team down the field for a touchdown caught by junior Matt Curran with 43 seconds left in the game. Right after the score Austinran over to me and said that was for me, that I was on his mind every play of the drive. The game was sealed by sack from senior Todd Gula and a few nice defensive plays by our secondary.

I believe we were a great example I selfless team. We not only played for each other, but for our school, alumni, and most importantly God. As we take on New Richmond high school next week I know we will approach this game with the same selflessness we showed this week.

I encourage all of you to do something selfless for someone else each day. You don’t even have to know them. Give back to those who have given everything for you whether it is a coach, parent, or friend. Write to you soon
.
God Bless,
Sam Becker
samxbecker10@aol.com

Home for Dinner

ESPN did an interesting article on Urban Meyer, the President of the SportsLeader Coaches Association. The link below has the whole article.

http://espn.go.com/espn/otl/story/_/id/8239451/ohio-state-coach-urban-meyer-new-commitment-balancing-work-family-life

I wanted to highlight one portion of it.

Urban Meyer signed two agreements when he was hired by Ohio State: one with the school that demands performance and another with his family, which demands much more.

Framed above his desk hung the contract he signed with his kids, written on pink notebook paper.


1. My family will always come first.

2. I will take care of myself and maintain good health.

3. I will go on a trip once a year with Nicki -- MINIMUM.

4. I will not go more than nine hours a day at the office.

5. I will sleep with my cellphone on silent.

6. I will continue to communicate daily with my kids.

7. I will trust God's plan and not be overanxious.

8. I will keep the lake house.

9. I will find a way to watch Nicki and Gigi play volleyball.

10. I will eat three meals a day.


Some people may read that, snicker and say, "He'll never fulfill that."

But - have you and I written out a contract like that to fulfill with regard to our personal family?

Do you go home after 9 hours?

Maybe this can be an encouragement so for all of us, myself included, so that we too always keep our priorities in order.

Miracles Do Happen

There are 24,000,000 young people in the USA living without a father in the home. This is a catastrophic tragedy that too many sweep under the rug.

The teams that have been courageous enough to step up and work together with SportsLeader are doing something real, concrete and powerful to counteract that tragedy.

Many of you know about it, have participated in it and lead them with your own teams.

I wanted to share a few photos from different teams in the mid-west who have had these amazing ceremonies. The teams in the photos are Sycamore 8th grade, Mason HS, Xenia HS, Milford HS, Franklin County HS, McNicholas HS.

You can see the photos on our web site at this link http://www.sportsleader.org/2012/08/miracles-do-happen

I was blessed to attend a number of them, Chris Willertz others, and there were miracles at each one. 

What has moved me the most this year is the number of players - the young men - who have been so emotional during the experience ... Seniors who are welling up even before the first Dad steps up to the microphone. You can tell that this means so much to them.

Last night in particular, a young man wet with tears, comes up to me and gives me one of the biggest bear hugs I have ever received saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you for doing this. This meant so much to me. I'll never forget it."

I am truly proud of each coach who has made these happen with their teams.

Please help us spread the word!

Also, I'd like to share Sam Becker's second article - a testimony from his experience leading a retreat at his school.

Virtue=Strength,
Lou Judd
www.sportsleader.org

Hello,

I hope all of you enjoyed my last article. It should’ve given you a basic background of who I am, where I’ve been, and where I plan to go. Over the next few months I have been given the opportunity to write weekly about how the McNicholas Rockets quest for their first state championship is going,  my insights,  future plans in athletics, and life.

This summer I was selected to lead 39 members of senior class on our summer Kairos retreat. It was an incredibly rewarding and enjoyable experience. I went on my own Kairos back in March so knew leading would be very different. I was blessed to lead with 7 of my friends, including my teammate, Josh Jubak.

The most nerve racking part of the retreat for me turned out to be my favorite and most rewarding experience of the week. Each leader, teacher and student, is required to give a 20 minute talk on a subject chosen for them. The teachers decide this by pray.   I was chosen to give the talk “Leaders.” (Ironically) I have always considered myself as a leader but not a great public speaker. I knew the pressure was on me to deliver an impactful talk to classmates because not only was it one of the last talks of the retreat, but it has been known to be one of the more emotional talks of the retreat.

From April to July I spent hours working on my talk, trying to find words to inspire, interest, and open the hearts of my 39 friends.  When I finished writing my talk in late July the two people who I let read it first, my Freshman basketball coach and teacher Jack Kaneicki and my best friend/teammate Austin Ernst. Both enjoyed it greatly and said everyone would enjoy it. They gave me the confidence to know I had something special and impactful to share with my class in this 20 minute speech.

Throughout the first two days on Kairos I could barely contain my emotions about my upcoming talk on the third day. At times I would even tear because  my nervousness and excitement was over whelming. Many of my friends and teammates would walk up to me and tell me how excited they were to hear my speech. I prayed that I could meet the expectations so many of the people had set for me.

The night before my talk everyone on the retreat, including the leaders, received letters from parents, loved ones, and friends, telling us how much we mean to them. I was in my room reading a very well written and emotion letter fromAustin. He told me how proud of me he was that was a leading this Kairos and that he knew everyone would be blown away from my talk. He said I was meant to give the “Leaders” talk Being not only my best friend, but an unquestioned leader on our football team, (who just recently committed to Ohio Dominican to play Quarterback) it meant a lot to me to hear that he looked up to me and thought that highly of me. Right when I finished the letter one of the teacher walked into my room asking if I was ok. He then told me my classmates needed to hear my talk. It was necessary for them to get most out this life changing retreat and said I would be able to get them to that point. I knew the pressure was on me to impact my classmates, and to be honest it made me feel less nervous. It felt like I was about to play a big game and all of my teammates and coaches were relying on me….

As I gave the “Leaders” talk the next day I shared with them how my CP and examples such Coach Steve Klonne, (now at Moeller) my friend Logan Shannon with Muscular Dystrophy, and my older brother Max shaped me into the leader I am today. I emphasized on service and setting a Christ-like example for all people who see and hear of you. You can imagine how emotional this was say. I didn’t know how my 39 classmates would respond. They saw the tears in my eyes during the 20 minutes, and by the time I said my last line and the closing song  came on I looked around the room and saw that many of my classmates, fellow leaders, teachers, and teammates were in tears. Nothing was more emotional for me than when a good friend of mine Danny Poole, whose promising athletic career ended when suffering a tore ACL 3 times, gave me hug crying right after I finished. Seeing how my talk hit home to a person in a very similar situation as I am made me realize how good of a job I did at delivering my message to them. It was like a dream situation, the talk couldn’t have gone any better. It felt like my coaches put the ball in my hand to hit the game winning shot and made I it as time expired.  After hearing about my talk, many of my friends and teammates who did not go on that Kairos, asked to read it. The responses have been incredible. I never knew I could impact people through my 8 ½ page paper. Words cannot describe how humbling it is.


The first game for McNicholas Rockets is this Saturday 1 P.M. at our home field, Penn Station Stadium versus Newport Central Catholic. Everyone in the McNick community is enthusiastic about the opening game. We have finally a field and stadium to call home for a full season. Despite our 2-8 season last year I am confident we will set the standard for what McNick Football should be for years to come. As we strive to make the playoffs and ultimately the State Championship, I will continue to lead by example in serving my teammates and my school. Whether I am recognized or not for my efforts, the only thing that matters to me is if the team as a whole succeeds not only on the field but off it as well. If this happens I know I did job right. As athletes we compete for the glory of God. I look at as a way to thank God for the talents He gave us.  If we all buy into this I know we will have a successful season.

I was privileged God gave me the opportunity to inspire my class, like I said it was extremely humbling. What I learned from this experience is that all of us, young and old, are called to help, serve, and lead others. No matter our struggles in life we all must set the example that Christ calls to. Everyone we meet is placed in front of us for a reason, it is our duty to lead and encourage them on the right path. You never know whose life you may change. We all have the capabilities to inspire and be a hero for someone else. Cherish the little things in life. Remember: Nothing is impossible with God; you just have to meet him halfway.

I look forward to writing again next week. Thank you

God Bless,
Sam Becker

Is Every Player on Your Team a Coach?

I have had the privilege of working with the Eminence (KY) High School football team for many years now. Head football coach Steve Frommeyer is truly one of the most humble and dedicated men I've ever met.

It is a very small school, about 60 boys in the whole high school. This year they started with 25 boys on the Varsity FB team. They don't have a Freshman or JV team ... if you're a Frosh you may be starting ... Lot's of playing time (smile).

Their motto for this year is "ALL IN" and it has been a constant reminder and a great source of inspiration.

We did a virtue camp with them a few weeks back and I was impressed with many things but one in particular was the whole team's ability to communicate without fear with one another. At Eminence every kid is a coach and a player.

I had never seen this so strongly before.

On many teams, when a kid does not know a play, which gap to cover ... they only look to their coaches ... or they guess preferring to get it from Coach instead of "looking stupid" in front of teammates and asking.

This culture is created by upperclassmen who make fun of the younger kids, complain or put them down when they do ask a question ... so within 1 or 2 days of practice no player dares open his mouth again.

It is here that boys and young men "learn" that communication = weakness in our warped culture.

How much better would your team be if the fear of communication did not exist?

Now Eminence has some talented players but ... by their first game last week: one player had quit because he prefers basketball and did not want to get hurt (guess he wasn't ALL IN), their best OL/DL player was out, their best RB/LB was out ... along with 4 other players injured. So they are playing a varsity game with 20 players, starting Freshmen ...

They won 22-0.

I'm guessing their strength of communication is pretty important at this juncture.

After the game, Coach Frommeyer, said the Father-Son Jersey night had as much to do with the win as anything else.

He has numerous players on his team with "difficult" family situations ... and the Dads stepped up. Hearing their Dads tell them they loved them, they were proud of them and that they believed in them filled their hearts, minds and souls with confidence and strength.

He also has a player on the team, a Senior, who just became a Father. This young man has never met his own father, has no idea who he is and whether or not he is alive.

He is struggling but he is constantly motivated "to not be a dead-beat Dad." He is going to school, working, playing football ... and all the while receiving no support from his Mom ...

His teammates are holding him accountable and are constantly reminding him that he needs to be 'ALL IN". No pity parties are accepted ... and he is making the effort.

It is safe to say that Coach Frommeyer and his staff ARE his life support right now along with his teammates.

So if you still think that communication is a weakness ... you need to wake up!

Making Virtue Go Viral

Here is an example of a HS football captain living and transmitting this virtue - making virtue go viral.

Minnesota teen, Kevin Curwick, got fed up with cyber bullying at his school and decided to do something about it.

The Osseo High School senior Football Captain started the Twitter account
@OsseoNiceThings and proceeded to spread kind and uplifting messages about his classmates. The account has over 2,300 followers by now ... and growing.

Kevin calls out individual students and tweets about their great qualities and what they do to make Osseo High a better place.

We love what Kevin is doing and hope more young people follow his wonderful example!

Charity - the strength to do good for others, is one of our core virtues.

Maybe you can encourage your players to create a Twitter account like this for your school to make virtue go viral in your community.

The Power of a Motto

An important aspect of the SportsLeader program is establishing a team motto. It is a simple way to galvanize your philosophy, goals and hopes into a short phrase that everyone can bring to mind, heart and soul in an instant.

It also establishes the - "What our team is about" - that inspires unity in your program.

Here below is an awesome story about an olympic athlete and how his motto helped him in an extremely difficult moment in the heat of competition. There was no time to reflect, consider or devise a plan.

The plan-motto was already in his heart, mind and soul ... and it proved essential!

What is your team's motto?
Can every player tell it to you immediately?

Virtue=Strength,

Lou Judd

Runner finishes on broken leg
Associated Press

LONDON -- Manteo Mitchell heard the POP! and knew it wasn't good. "It felt like somebody literally just snapped my leg in half," he said.

The American sprinter had 200 meters to go in the first leg of the 4x400-meter relay preliminaries Thursday and a decision to make: keep running or stop and lose the race. To him, it was never much of a choice.

He finished the lap and limped to the side to watch the Americans finish the race and qualify easily for the final. A few hours later, doctors confirmed what he suspected: He had run the last half-lap with a broken left fibula.

"I heard it and I felt it," Mitchell told The Associated Press. "But I figured it's what almost any person would've done in that situation."

Mitchell finished his heat in a more-than-respectable 46.1 seconds, and the United States tied the Bahamas in the second heat in 2 minutes, 58.87 seconds -- the fastest time ever run in the first round of the relay at the Olympics.

The 25-year-old sprinter from Cullowhee, N.C., said he was diagnosed with a complete break of the left fibula -- but it was not a compound fracture and the bone is expected to heal on its own in four to six weeks.

He knew what the stakes were when he lined up to run the first leg of his first Olympics. The Americans have won gold in the last eight long relays they've entered at the Olympics.

"Even though track is an individual sport, you've got three guys depending on you, the whole world watching you," Mitchell said. "You don't want to let anyone down."

He said he slipped on the stairs a few days ago in the athletes village but didn't think much of it. Training went well and he felt good when he lined up to kick things off for the Americans. He said he was feeling great, as well, when he looked at the clock while approaching the 200-meter mark, somewhere in the high-20 or low-21-second range.

"I was doing my job," Mitchell said. "But probably at 201 meters, I heard it and I felt it."

He credited something more than simple adrenaline for pushing him the rest of the way around the track.

"Faith, focus, finish. Faith, focus, finish. That's the only thing I could say to myself," he said.

Mitchell was a promising high school football player at Crest High School in Shelby, N.C., when another broken bone altered his career. He broke his left arm, and his coaches -- seeing the natural talent -- pushed him over to the track.

Western Carolina coach Danny Williamson saw Mitchell finish second several times to a future Olympian, Travis Padgett, and offered a scholarship.

"He was a team person here," said Williamson, who received the first call from Mitchell after he got off the track Thursday. "As soon as he came to Western Carolina, no matter what the situation, he'd do anything we asked of him."

On the world's biggest stage, Mitchell took the team-first thing to a whole new level.

He is the 2012 version of Jack Youngblood, the Rams linebacker who played the Super Bowl on a broken leg. Or Tiger Woods, who won the 2008 U.S. Open on a broken leg. Or, maybe most appropriately, Kerri Strug, whose vault on a sprained ankle sealed the first-ever Olympic team gymnastics gold for U.S. women at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

"I don't know how you write this, but I'd like to believe the only way he would have stopped is if the leg had fallen off," Williamson said.

Mitchell will spend the rest of the Olympics, and beyond, in a walking boot and on crutches. He'll be at the stadium to watch Friday's final.

The United States is no shoo-in to win a medal this time, because LaShawn Merritt and Jeremy Wariner -- Olympic gold medalists in 2004 and 2008 -- are also both out with injuries. But the medals ceremony is Saturday, and if the U.S. finishes in the top three, Mitchell would get one, too, since he ran in the preliminaries.

Forgive him if he doesn't leap onto the podium, though.

"I pretty much figured it was broken, because every step I took, it got more painful," he said. "But I was out there already. I just wanted to finish and do what I was called in to do."

Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press

MY CEREBRAL PALSY IS NOT A DISABILITY IT IS A GIFT

As I had mentioned in a previous email, I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people in coaching and sports. Sam Becker is one of them.

He has agreed, with his parents permission, to blog with us about his experiences of life as a manager, a sports fan, a young person taking part in the SportsLeader program, what it is like having a coach as a mentor ...

My hope is that his perspective inspires you and your coaching staff, to embrace this mission of transforming lives with greater passion and enthusiasm.

...

Hello everyone my name is Sam Becker. I am a 17 year old senior at Archbishop McNicholas high school in Cincinnati, Ohio where I work as the football and basketball manager. My life hasn’t been easy growing up with Cerebral Palsy; through all the trials and tribulations, ups and downs, I have learned two things.

• God has a plan for me
• My Cerebral Palsy is not a disability it is a gift given to me to accomplish great things.

I was enjoying another day at afternoon practice last Friday when I met Mr. Lou Judd. After talking with him for a few minutes in between my water shifts, Lou asked me to write and try to inspire some of his readers. This was an offer I couldn’t refuse. Before I go any further, I would like to thank Lou for giving me this opportunity and to tell you how much I am honored to have a chance to share my story with you, I am truly bless.

I was born 10 weeks before my due date in Lynbrook, New York, a year and a half later my family was devastated to learn that I was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The doctors seemed to have predicted many things that day. A few them were: I would never be able to walk , if I could walk, I would either need a cane, crutches, or walker, By the time I would be leaving for college I would need a wheel chair or scooter because my body wouldn’t be able to make it across campus.

You better believe that every time I step on an empty court at 5:30 A.M. to play basketball or walk into the gym to lift these prognosis’ are on my mind. Not a single one of their predictions came true. To most people I look, act, walk, and talk like a normal 17 year old. This is because I am. Throughout 13 years of physical therapy, 100s of doctor appointments, and 2 life changing surgeries, I overcame the impossible odds of some of the more debilitating results of  Cerebral Palsy……

But my life isn’t all sunshine and roses. I think this is because I love sports, they are like my drug. I can’t live without them. I love to compete. Sadly, I will never be the athlete I dreamed of, much less the athletes that are sprinkled throughout my family. As a little kid I looked up to my dad who played college lacrosse at national powerhouses Syracuse University and Cornell University. Along with my father, my uncles, cousins, and even my brother (who is only 13 months older than me) have enjoyed successful college athletic careers.

A lot to live up to right? As a kid my parents couldn’t tear me away from sports, no matter how much my body took a beating, no matter how much they saw me struggle. I can now admit that I was never the most talented kid by any stretch of the imagination. But the one thing I did accomplish was being the hardest worker on the court or field each game.

By the time I got to high school the game had changed. Everyone got taller while my growth was stunted. I may have been stronger in the upper body but my lower body was lacking to say the least. I couldn’t keep up, the emotional and physical pain was too much and I knew the fall of my sophomore year that I had to hang up my dreams of playing high school varsity sports. Naturally, it was difficult for me to handle. I worked day in and day out for hours on end to maybe have an opportunity to step on the basketball court or gridiron. I was given the chance to be a team manager for the basketball and football teams. This was far from what I wanted, but like I said, sports is the drug I can’t live without. I hated the fact I couldn’t play, I hated giving water to my friends, and most of all, I hated going to every practice which I would do anything to participate in.  It took me three very emotional seasons of basketball and one season of football to really realize the blessing God and my coaches have given me.

I now go about my job with grace. I try to set an example for my teammates. Although I can’t physically lead them on to the field, emotionally I do my best to inspire them to be great and let nothing hold them back. Being a manager has not affected my work ethic. I work just as hard at serving the team as I would playing with them. I know the true privilege that comes with playing a high school sport. I would do anything to wear a jersey and run out of that tunnel knowing I was getting ready to go to battle with my teammates…who by now have become like brothers to me. Despite all the obstacles, I will never stop encouraging my teammates and I will never let them quit because they can achieve greatness no matter how much it hurts me to stand on the sidelines.  I am blessed to share my last year of high school with them. The obstacles I have over come made my vision  clear…..

My goal going into my senior year and for the rest of my life is to inspire people and help others. I find it extremely important to help all of those kids with CP especially those who face greater challeges than I. I know that although I can’t play high school, college, or pro sports like I dreamed of, I am thankful and grateful. I have out worked my disability and I now feel the need to help others. Not only have I been blessed with great doctors from Dr. Nuzzo in New Jersey, every doctor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, and  every physical therapist, trainer, or coach that I have helped me reach my potential, but I have also been blessed with 3 great heroes: Jason McElwain the autistic basketball manger who scored 20 points in three minutes, Anthony Robles the one legged NCAA Wrestling National Champion, and Eric LeGrand the Rutgers football player who was paralyzed in his season opener and now spends everyday trying to walk. These 3 people have inspired me to push myself to the limit to accomplish all my goals in every aspect of my life.

I want to be that role model, that hero for the hundreds of children  with CP I have shared a waiting room and who may face far greater challenges  than I. For those millions of kids and families who feel hopeless and no one to look up too because of CP, I am now in the process of starting the Sam Becker Foundation For Cerebral Palsy. All the proceeds will go to the Cerebral Palsy unit at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and the United Cerebral Palsy (stay tuned and more to come). Knowing that I have been blessed to be in the situation I am, I feel called to help and inspire people throughout the world. I have finally learned that my CP has only enhanced the possibilities I have in front of me, not limited them.

I plan on pursuing a manager position on a Division I college program for either basketball or football. Before I get too far ahead of myself, I am focused on helping the McNicholas  Rockets football team bring back their first State Championship to Cincinnati. We may have our doubters, but the one hope I have been  taught is that not matter how great the odds, nothing is impossible with God, hard work, and heart.

I look forward to writing to all of you regularly throughout this season. If you have any questions/comments about my journey, future plans, or anything else please email me at: samxbecker10@aol.com

God bless,
Sam Becker

LETTER FROM URBAN MEYER

Coaches,

Please take a moment to read this letter from Urban Meyer. I know it will inspire you to continue doing what you are doing building up our young people.

Virtue=Strength,
Lou Judd
...

Dear Coach,

The challenges that all of us face in living today are daunting and energy draining.  To many young people just making every day decisions are mind blowing and for many the wrong decisions are often the answer.   The social connections of today’s world present a difficult challenge and without a road map navigation is very difficult.

My adult life has been a complex juggling between pursuing my professional growth and my family.  I have made numerous moves around the country to further my professional goals.  Every move has been difficult but it has been very difficult for my family.  Shelley and I were married in Ohio; my daughters were born in Colorado, my son in Indiana.  My parents lived in Ohio and I was making career moves every three to four years.  My daughter Nicki made 4 moves in 5 years and experienced some issues along the way. She was making some decisions and choosing to be around kids that would have had a negative impact on her future.

Then something magical happened. We moved to Gainesville, Florida and she's in 7th grade and we're starting to make the decisions where she is going to go to school and obviously I'm the second boss in that household. My wife says, "There's this high school volleyball coach named Jeff Reavis down in Gainesville. He has some collegiate experience, he was a great player, he's a great coach, he's really tough on kids and I want her to play for him."

It was Buchholz High School, a school of 2,800 kids, and I wasn't a big fan of that. I've recruited a lot of places, and a lot of times a school with 2,800 kids  is huge and not really what I wanted for my kid. I wanted my daughter to go to some private school with 10 kids so we knew what was going on in her life.

Well I lost that battle and it was the greatest decision we ever made. The same little girl who was starting to get difficult started to grow up. Well, who knows what I would have been dealing with today if this high school coach didn't enter her life.

So all these years of coaching and mentoring and getting involved in kids' lives finally came full circle for me. All of a sudden my daughter, mine, not yours, mine ... was going through some stuff and we get the perfect situation. We put her in this high school and this volleyball program and she's up at 6 AM with a passion for living.

And this coach is inside out, upside down on her. If she misses something, she's going to wish she hadn't and all of a sudden, overnight, I see this same kid being very respectful. She's getting up early and I'm driving her to these early workouts. I would sneak in and watch and I'm watching this coach and the way he's pushing these kids and the way he is treating these kids the same way, exactly the same way I coach.

Steadily, I see this little girl having a sense of team, of selflessness, of respect and I wish I could stand in front of you and say I taught her that ... I tried, I tried but sometimes they don't look at coach the same way they look at Dad. I'm just that coach. I'm that guy that moved them to all these different places ...

And because of that, my daughter just made Academic All-ACC at Georgia Tech; she's a 3.85 student; she's a very virtuous girl; she's one of the most respectful persons I've ever been around and by the way she's still my best friend.

Why?

Because this coach had a very positive impact on my little girl as she grew. Once again, with all due respect, not your little girl, my little girl and that's when things really started to change.

So that really started a change in me. I started to take a different approach to recruiting now and what we try to do for our players. I'm a living testimony of someone whose child was impacted by a coach who changed her life and I am forever grateful to this coach. If you've ever been through something like that, it's not a little overwhelming, it's very overwhelming.

Why am I sharing all of this with you?

Because I believe as coaches we can all grow stronger in how we coach and mentor the young people under our care and tutelage. There is an organization called SportsLeader that is helping coaches across the country by using a very practical coaches manual, in-person staff training, and an inspirational web site that can help impact the lives of your players more intentionally through a virtue program that can be used by public and private schools alike.

SportsLeader is an organization that encompasses the leadership components that are applicable to coaches at all levels.  I spent part of last year working with my son’s youth football team.  Coaches at every level of athletics have the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by living and teaching leadership, character and integrity.  As coaches give of themselves by actions and words, their sharing of their virtues becomes evident as selfishness goes out the window.  Young people can learn that being humble and living life the right way can be much more satisfying than being in the news for doing the wrong thing.

A life-long friend of mine, Dean Hood, Head Football Coach at Eastern Kentucky University has developed a great relationship with these men over the past few years now, does a Senior Virtue Camp weekend with them and his recommendation was enough for me to want to meet with them and work with them.

Please take some time to visit their web site at www.sportsleader.org

A representative from SportsLeader will contact you to see if you would like to get involved.

I wish all Teachers and Coaches the strength, courage and wisdom to accept the position of Leadership and to positively impact the future of the young men and women we work with. They need you!

Sincerely,
Urban Meyer

* These are my personal views and are not an endorsement of SportsLeader by The Ohio State University

DO YOU HAVE YOUR MENTORING GROUPS?

I was blessed to be a part of the Cincinnati Archbishop McNicholas High school football practice yesterday. They have their mentoring groups all set up and they are getting it all started next week.

As I was making my rounds I had two amazing conversations with young men that really confirmed for me the power of mentoring.

Mind you, these young men had never seen me before and did not know me from Adam. So if they open up to me this quickly, imagine how much good their coaches can and will do ...

The first young man approaches me, Sam, and we get to talking. Sam is the team manager and has cerebral palsy (CP).

He is one of the most inspiring young men I have had the honor to speak with.

Sam taught me more than I could ever hope to share with him. There was a fire in his eyes, a desire to help, a need to be a part of the team, a passion to learn about virtue and the program.

He spoke of his CP as a blessing, as an opportunity to help others. He spoke about his hope to create an organization to inspire greater awareness for CP but most of all he wants to talk with kids who have CP and give them hope, give them a smile.

McNicholas HS is truly blessed to have Sam on their team. Sam struggles to walk at times but there he is walking around the field brining water, bringing cold towels ... all with a smile.

I was moved.

How often are we moping around because it's too hot, or too cold, or too this ...

The lesson in all this - that if we didn't take the time to listen to Sam, we might miss all this.

There are so many players who get overlooked on our teams. And maybe WE are the ones missing out the most. Maybe WE are the ones who would benefit the most by speaking with them. Maybe THEY have more to teach us - than us them.

After my conversation with Sam, I commented on the "Spider-Man" like hands of a particular player as he made a pretty cool one-handed catch. This was Pat, the team kicker-punter.

Pat is a great student and is striving for an academic scholarship. Another inspiring young man in his right.

The team manager and the kicker ... two players that might not be on the top of anyone's list.

Let's change that. Let's make sure every player gets mentored every week this season.

You will NOT regret it!

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!

PENN STATE SCANDAL AND OUR REACTIONARY CULTURE

The great majority of us have heard about the Penn State - Jerry Sandusky scandal.

We first and foremost extend our sympathies and concern for the victims and their families. No words, punishments or money can repair what has been done.

But what we can do moving forward is to truly take a look at the culture that we have developed over the past few decades. A culture where sports and winning at all costs have simply taken over our common sense. Sports have become an end in itself. Winning is basically a deity.

This many people recognize.

But what continues to go hidden in many hearts is the fact that we are not only a Sports & Win At All Costs Culture but that we are also a Reactionary culture.

That unless a judge, jury, NCAA president or the like call a national press conference and point the finger at us to such a degree that we are forced to open our wallets ... so many of us will do nothing to change.

Unless we are fined or arrested ... all is good, all is calm, all is quiet.

But when the fines and the arrests arrive - then the national or local outrage explodes and then ... only then does something happen to foster change.

Why?

Why can't we be more pro-active about the way we build our culture? Why not BUILD instead of just repairing the damage after the fact? Why not go out of our way to teach, to mentor ... and yes spend time, money and energy doing it first instead of spending the time, money and energy to clean up the mess afterwards?

What are we so afraid of?

What the NCAA president speaks about below needs to happen at every University in the United States of America, most likely the world. Not just Penn State!

Mark Emmert, NCAA President's words are below. Two paragraphs that struck me the most are these:

"Our goal is not to be just punitive but to make sure the university establishes an athletic culture and daily mindset in which football will never again be placed ahead of educating, nurturing and protecting young people. More than 100 years ago, the NCAA was created to assure that sports are fully integrated into our colleges and universities, and that the athletic programs wholly embrace the values of higher education. "

"For the next several years now, Penn State can focus on the work of rebuilding its athletic culture not worrying about whether or not it's going to a bowl game. With the sanctions imposed today and with the new leadership, the university, we hope, indeed we intend to ensure that that will be the case. In closing, let me say that this case involves tragic and tragically unnecessary circumstances. One of the grave dangers stemming from our love of sports is that the sports themselves can become too big to fail, indeed, too big to even challenge. The result can be an erosion of academic values that are replaced by the value of hero worship and winning at all costs."

Let's be a part of pro-active change and not just the reactionary culture.

And if money is your core issue - Pro-Active Leaders spend less than Reactionary Janitors. MUCH LESS!

2,225

Some numbers take a bit to sink in.

2,225

2,225: Inmates in prison serving life without parole for crimes committed as minors

73 of them committed the crime at 13 or 14 years of age

That is 44.5 per state

Imagine - 44 young people serving life without parole from your state.

...

Our young people desperately need TRANSFORMATIONAL coaches.

What if these 2,225 had a coach who mentored them intentionally and specifically to be a more virtuous young man or young woman?

Thank you for coaching! Thank you for giving your life, time, energy and talent to such a needed and noble endeavor.

We need you to continue, to strive harder, to strive together.

THE EPIDEMIC OF WASTE

$68 million dollars?
Climate controlled lockers?
Over 400 possible football uniform combinations?

Further proof that it is never enough.

Funny how with all this money being spent on lavish athletic complexes it does not seem to be building up more virtuous men and women.

Coaches, I encourage you not to fall into this trap. Spend your time and money on things that last, that raise the maturity level of your athletes.

Virtue will help change our society. A climate controlled locker? Probably not.

Many virtues come to mind that are the opposite of all this: Moderation, Maturity, Other-Centered, Wisdom ...
...

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2012/07/ducks...

Ducks to build $68 million football operations center

By Erin Egan, USA TODAY

Chip Kelly won't be hanging his head after a loss.

No, instead he'll be soaking in his brand new hot tub next to his office while watching replays of the game on his waterproofed video center.

The University of Oregon football program is constructing a lavish $68 million operations center set to open fall 2013, and head coach Kelly's hot tub viewing center is just the cherry on top.

Blueprints submitted to the city of Eugene show 124 climate controlled lockers for the football players, each outfitted with an iPod dock and a charging station. Designed by Nike's Phil Knight, the facility will also include: two movie theaters, a Duck football museum, a war room akin to the White House's, a 2,285-square-foot players lounge, and a 25,000-square-foot weight room.

From The Register-Guard:

The new football building will be top-of-the-line "pro or college, in the U.S.," according to the UO's official athletics website. The addition will push UO facilities to "outrageously impressive," according to ESPN's ranking of college facilities.

Knight has reserved the rights to name the new football complex, but he has not yet revealed what it will be.

Former University of Arizona president and expert on college sports spending Peter Likins told The Register-Guard that the new center is likely to spark a round of one-up construction in the Pac-12.

The new complex will also feature two black-metal-and-glass buildings, one to serve as a teaching box and the other an office bar, totaling 130,000 square feet. Both will be mounted on top of the weight lifting building. The office block will be connected to the teaching block -- which will have nine classrooms each dedicated to a single position -- with a double-decker sky bridge.

Knight recruited Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects to complete the project -- the same company that designed the Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, the UO Athletics Department medical center and the Courtside student housing complex near the campus.

ONE OF OUR NEWEST MEMBERS

We are experiencing a lot of growth this summer at SportsLeader. It has been very inspiring to see new schools, teams and coaches join the movement to be more intentional and specific about teaching virtue.

One of the new teams to join is the Cincinnati Mason High School and Middle School football teams.

Chris Willertz led a training last week and it was awesome that all of the coaches participated.

So many young men will be able to be mentored.

Our world needs this!

SPORTSLEADER WITH URBAN MEYER AND DEAN HOOD

SportsLeader was blessed to be a part of a very special first annual camp and coaches clinic with Urban Meyer, Head Football Coach at Ohio State, and Dean Hood, Head Football Coach at Eastern Kentucky, on July 5th.

Urban and Dean grew up together in Northeastern Ohio and they wanted to give back to their community.

 

It was hosted by the Spire Institute. An amazingly impressive 750,000 square foot facility complete with indoor facilities for football, basketball, swimming, volleyball ... and pretty much every other sport imaginable.

 

19 area football coaches generously volunteered their time to teach the close to 225 1st-8th graders that signed up filling the allotted amount for this first year in 16 hours.

 

But this was different from your ordinary football camp. It was very intentional and very obvious that it WAS ABOUT Virtue.

 

There were two Virtue Talks about Self-Control and Charity. After each skill, the coaches would break the huddle with the kids shouting  "Self-Control" or "Charity". Chris Willertz spoke to the 6-8th graders while I took the 1st-5th graders and then we switched for the next talk.

 

You could tell the kids wanted more than just football.

 

While I was on the lunch line one of the coaches asked me where I was from, what we did, etc. At one point he asks, "Do you really think it was worth it to drive over 5 hours just to talk to some kids about virtue?" Whatever I said doesn't really match up with the below ...

 

“I learned charity, to give your life to other people,” 9-year-old Simon Taraska said.

 

Imagine if 225 young men really took that one lesson to heart. That would forever change the entire state of Ohio. So yes, it was more than worth it.

 

After the camp, Urban Meyer, Dean Hood and SportsLeader Founder Paul Passafiume spoke to the coaches. Paul's message of unleashing the power of manhood, training the will like a muscle and the need to help young people move from self-absorption to self-mastery really resonated with them.

 

There was a press conference during the camp and Coach Meyer said something that seemed to really catch everyone's attention:

 

"Talent will get you seven or eight wins," Meyer said. "Discipline will get you eight or nine. Then if you get leadership, that's when magic starts happening and rings get put on fingers. Really cool things happen."

 

What are we doing to intentionally, specifically, daily teach leadership to our young people?

 

Chances are that if you are not mentoring one-on-one - then you probably aren't getting it done.

LEARNING A LESSON FROM APPLE

At the risk of sounding like an advertisement for Apple and their new laptop, I'd like to share a few thoughts on what I learned from watching a simple "new product video."

One phrase that we hear in the coaching world all too often is that "we do that already" or "we do a pretty good job of that already".

 

This comes from coaches of all sports, at all levels ... and I'm sure it is not just coaches.

 

Author and speaker Matthew Kelly wrote that Fortune 500 companies have 2 things in common that they all do well:

 

1. Constant search for best practices

2. Continuous improvement

 

In other words Fortune 500 companies are that precisely because they DO NOT say "we do that already". They rather keep asking, "How can we do it better?"

 

As coaches maybe we need to adopt this perspective more aggressively - "How can we do this better?" - With regard to every aspect but especially virtue and building our players into great men and women.

 

Go to the link below and click on the watch video of the macbook pro ...

 

http://www.apple.com/macbook-pro/

 

Listen to the words they use ... And this from the best tech company in the world.

 

 

Create something new

 

willing to change - open up a whole new world

 

improve

 

focus on features that matter most

 

 

rigorously questioned the ways in which we've designed portable products in the past

 

... completely changing our approach to the design of the display

 

 

The above 2 phrases are amazing because Apple already was unquestionably, undeniably the best computer company as far as design. If a $100 billion tech company that already makes the best designed laptops on the planet can rigorously question ... completely change the approach ...

 

Should we saying, "we do that already"?

 

Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc., is a multinational corporation that creates consumer electronics, computer software, and commercial servers. Apple's core product lines are the iPad, iPhone,iPod music player, and Macintosh computer line-up. 

 

Founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak effectively created Apple Computer on April 1, 1976, with the release of the Apple I, and incorporated the company on January 3, 1977, in Cupertino, California. For more than two decades, Apple Computer was predominantly a manufacturer of personal computers, including the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac lines, but it faced rocky sales and low market share during the 1990s. 

 

With the introduction of the successful iPod music player in 2001, Apple established itself as a leader in the consumer electronics industry, dropping "Computer" from its name. 

 

As of 2011, Apple is the largest technology firm in the world, with annual revenues of more than $100 billion.

A WEST POINT CADET REFLECTS BACK

Coach Ron Adams of Wyandotte (MI) Roosevelt High School shared this email he just received from a former player who is now serving our country at West Point. Ron and his staff do an amazing job of integrating virtue and mentoring into everything they do and this note shows it.

"Season of Life" and "The Last Lecture" are two books that he had his players read. Some coaches might say, "My kids would never read it so why bother?" ... Well this kid did and look at the impact ...

 

Lets always remember the most important things ...

...

Coach,

I know that I have mentioned it to you before when talking in the fall when I came back for the conference when you gave me the great gift of being able to talk to the team but lately I have been able to do a lot of thinking and I just wanted to let you know some things.

I guess it is because of the profession I am in now, watching the seniors graduate and become new 2LT in the Army and watching them get their bars pinned on made me stand back and realize a few things. A couple of weeks ago while we were at breakfast they announced that a member of the Class of 2011 had been killed in combat and it just hits everything so home that now in 3 short years things will be so different. I know this is always what I have wanted to do and I do not regret it all.

I have been able to re-read both "Season of Life" and "The Last Lecture" and now with being older and seeing a lot more I see so many of the lessons that you have taught me and the team every year and why you did. You and all the coaches taught me so much in never giving up, being humble, giving back, and striving to be the best we can be in the classroom.

I talk to people all the time about the Bear Olympics and how we always went and did community service projects, reading to the little kids, and than the thing that shocks so many people is your commitment to academics, with watching our grades, attendance, and tardiness. These aspects of personal accountability have played a critical part for me here at West Point.

The way that you and the other coaches not only taught us our football skills ... you were without us maybe realizing it ... teaching us life lessons. We learned that the fundamentals were critical to everything else because if we did not understand those than the bigger and harder aspects would not be able to fall into place. The idea of tasks we do not think we can accomplish, those "Brick Walls" we always had to fight through, you taught us to never accept defeat and give our absolute best because in the end that is all anyone can ever ask of.

You are so very family related, and taught us to love our family and give back to them for all that they have given us, to loving each other like brothers, and you have sure been like another father to me and one of the biggest mentors in my life. You always supported me when I had all those hoops to jump through for the medical test, to helping me with recommendations, to seeing how I have been doing, and most of all always believing in me even when so many people told me I would never get in here or be able to stay.

I don't think there are words to describe how much you have impacted my life and the lives of so many others as well. As I grow older, and sometimes thrust to being older because of the profession I have chosen, I have been able to see truly all that you and all the other coaches have done. Thank you so very much, I will never forget these lessons that you have taught me and I will continue to build on them each and every day.
 

 

 

Very Respectfully,

Mitch Kittle
USMA Class of 2015
"For Those We Lead"
Regimental Cadet In Charge, Class of 2015 Class Committees
Army Mens Varsity Crew
UNCLASSIFIED

SEALS INSPIRE WOLVERINES WITH LEADERSHIP TRAINING

We've recommended to teams many times the idea of getting away and doing a virtue camp, really focusing on the things that matter - giving the most important things their due time.

Here is an example from a D1 football team that gave it its importance.

Let's do the same. If you need help or some ideas please contact us.

http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7987071/michigan-wolverines-take-leadership-training-road

SEALs inspire Michigan seniors
Originally Published: May 31, 2012
By Mark Schlabach | ESPN.com

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. -- The senior class from Michigan's football team gathered in a hotel ballroom on the second day of their senior leadership trip to California.

Greg Harden, an associate athletics director and director of athletic counseling, asked each of the team's 22 seniors a simple question.

"Are you a better leader today than you were a year ago?" Harden asked.

About halfway through the players' answers, Wolverines quarterback Denard Robinson offered a surprising response.

"I feel like I haven't grown," Robinson said. "For me to be the quarterback at the University of Michigan, I feel like I have to grow up a lot and be a lot more accountable."

Robinson's honest self-evaluation was just the kind of answer Michigan coach Brady Hoke wanted to hear.

Before Hoke's final season as Ball State's coach in 2008, he named his team's senior captains. One of those players, center Dan Gerberry, walked into Hoke's office the next day.

"What's a leader?" Gerberry asked. "I don't know how to be a leader."

Hoke instituted a senior leadership program for his players, in which he wanted to not only help them become better football players, but also better students and men.

"You could just see the growth of our team and seniors," Hoke said.

As Hoke prepares for his second season at Michigan, the leadership program has expanded to include a three-day trip to California, where last week the Wolverines attended daily leadership classes, took a tour of the Rose Bowl and organized and conducted a youth camp in Pasadena, Calif. The week culminated with nearly four hours of grueling physical training with Navy SEALs at the Naval Special Warfare Center at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado in Coronado, Calif.

"To watch the kids grow and see how they treat their teammates and influence their teammates is fun to watch," Hoke said. "If they run the locker room, we're going to be OK. If I have to run the locker room, we're going to be in trouble."

Over three days last week, Hoke, Harden and Michigan strength and conditioning coach Aaron Wellman were looking for more than a few good men. They were searching for the senior leaders who would guide Team 133 -- the 133rd incarnation of Michigan football -- into the 2012 season.

Wednesday, 3:30 p.m. PT, Newport Beach
Michigan's seniors had barely been on the ground for four hours before they were corralled into a ballroom at the Newport Beach Marriott for their first leadership meeting. The Wolverines left Ann Arbor, Mich., for Detroit's Metro Airport around 5:15 a.m. CT Wednesday, and then flew through Minneapolis before arriving at John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, Calif., around 11:20 a.m. PT.

Michigan statement
Michigan football officials told ESPN.com that Big Ten Conference compliance officials cleared their football team's recent senior trip to California because it involved leadership and life skills, which is permissible under NCAA rules.

The Wolverines paid for the trip through a special fund in the athletics department's operating budget.

"The Senior Leadership Trip was developed to teach our senior football student-athletes about leadership, career development and life skills, and the opportunity was made possible through a special athletics department fund designed to provide opportunities such as this life skills training to student-athletes," Dave Ablauf, Michigan's associate athletic director of media relations said in a statement emailed to ESPN.com. "Our compliance office reviewed the details of the trip with the Big Ten Conference, who concurred with our assessment that it was permissible by NCAA rules."

After lunch, Wellman was eager to lay out the week's plans.

"A lot of things are critical, but one thing to remember is that this weekend is Memorial Day," Wellman told the players. "We're not comparing what we do to what the Navy SEALs do. When they lose, someone dies. When we lose, we come in on Sunday and watch film. We're not saying to anyone that we're like the Navy SEALs. Showing respect to them is going out there and working your butts off and doing what they ask you to do."

Wellman, who also worked for Hoke at Ball State and San Diego State, also offered the players the week's thesis.

"Take time the next three days to reflect about where you are as a football player, but more importantly, where you are as a man," Wellman said. "How do you want to be remembered as the 133rd football team? If you haven't taken the steps necessary to become a leader, you're not out of time -- but time is running short."

After spending several minutes discussing the next day's youth camp, Harden offered the first leadership lesson of the trip, asking each player if he was a better leader now than he was as an underclassman. Michigan's senior class is a combination of returning starters, backups and walk-on players. Robinson, who threw for 2,173 yards, ran for 1,176 and accounted for 36 touchdowns while leading the Wolverines to an 11-2 record in 2011, is easily the team's most recognizable player.

But it didn't take long for other vocal leaders to emerge, like starting receiver Roy Roundtree, linebacker Kenny Demens, strong safety Jordan Kovacs and defensive tackle Will Campbell.

During the meeting, Roundtree was critical of a recent 7-on-7 voluntary workout. He criticized the defense for not putting forth much effort.

"We didn't get better as a team," Roundtree said. "We didn't get better on offense because you didn't get better on defense. It was like running routes against air."

Campbell was just as critical of the defensive linemen's poor showing in recent conditioning runs. Michigan's defense lost three starting defensive linemen, which is a big concern heading into its Sept. 1 opener against defending BCS national champion Alabama at Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The Crimson Tide is expected to have one of the country's best offensive lines.

"That's the position where we lost three starters," Campbell said. "The biggest part of Alabama is its offensive line."

"We want the team to be amazing," defensive end Craig Roh said. "We just need to map out a few things."

During the meeting, the Wolverines adopted their motto for 2012: "We Want It All."

"If you ask 119 other teams, their senior classes would say the same thing," Wellman said. "What makes you different? If you want it all, you can't remain who you are right now and become the men you want to be."

Shortly before the Wolverines filed out of the ballroom, Harden offered them a few more words of advice.

"We're talking about transforming a culture," Harden said. "You can't try it once and if it fails not try it again. You're at a place that's starving for leadership. Some of you were here under the former regime, which seemed to be a little more self-oriented. You're striving to become a team."

Wednesday, 6 p.m. PT, Newport Beach
After dinner, the Wolverines were back in the hotel ballroom, where Captain Duncan A. Smith and Special Warfare Operator First Class Eli Crane of the Navy SEALs gave them an orientation of what they would face on the beach at Coronado on Friday.

"I'm someone who is familiar with the pressure of being a part of an organization where there is an awful lot expected," Smith said. "That's a mantle. That's a yoke you have around you right now, not just for your team but the teams that will play at Michigan in 20 and 30 years from now."

Hoke and Wellman became involved with the SEALs while they coached at San Diego State. Hoke's last group of Aztecs seniors went through a day of SEALs training in 2010. The SEALs' traditional trident -- a three-pronged spear, which is associated with the sea gods Nepture and Poseidon -- has become a part of Michigan's football culture. Last season, before the Wolverines defeated Nebraska 45-17 on Nov. 19, three SEALs traveled to Ann Arbor and presented the Wolverines with their tridents.

"We have a notion or sentiment in our organization where you earn your trident everyday," said Smith, whose nephew,Nathan Brink, is a junior defensive tackle for the Wolverines.

Hoke wants his players to adopt the same kind of work ethic.

"They're the most elite warriors we have and everything is about team, accountability and trust," Hoke said.

Crane, who is from Arizona and served three deployments to Iraq, admitted to the Wolverines that he's a Notre Dame fan.

"Unfortunately, my team is Notre Dame," Crane said. "You guys have hammered them over the years. I'll try not to take it out on you on Friday morning."

Then Crane scanned the room.

"Who doesn't think they can handle three hours of training?" he asked.

No one raised his hand.

"It's going to be us against you," Crane said. "Please have thick skin. You guys are going to get yelled at and you're going to be taken out of your comfort zone."

The SEALs left the room, leaving the Wolverines to watch the Hollywood film "Act of Valor," which included active Navy SEALs in its cast.

Thursday, 9 a.m. PT, Newport Beach
Before departing for a tour of the Rose Bowl and conducting a youth camp at a nearby park, the Wolverines went through another hour of leadership training in the hotel ballroom. Harden divided the players into four groups and charged them with creating new ways to unify their team.

"Come up with some plans and ideas you think you can sell to the larger group," Harden said. "What emerges three weeks from now? A month from now, how can you galvanize and unionize and create some unity in this community? This is a community. It's a brotherhood."

Almost to a man, the Wolverines came back with identical dilemmas: They didn't really know their teammates.

"The thing I hate about leadership is you wait too late," Demens said. "Just imagine if we'd cared about each other like this as freshmen, sophomores and juniors. We'd be a dog-ass team. We'd be relentless."

During the meeting, several players shared stories about their backgrounds. Roundtree told his fellow seniors about how he overcame a learning disability as a child and still struggles with his brother being imprisoned. Cornerback J.T. Floyd admitted he's sometimes too self-centered because he's so focused on playing in the NFL. Floyd has a young daughter, Jordin, and is worried about her future.

Some players shared their proudest achievements. Center Ricky Barnum graduated in April and has been accepted to graduate school. Roundtree is the first member of his family to graduate from college, and guard Patrick Omameh spends one day each week at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, where he recently made a little girl smile for the first time in weeks.

Tight end Mike Kwiatkowski told his teammates he wants to become a pharmacist; receiver Steve Wilson wants to be a doctor; and walk-on quarterback Jack Kennedy wants to be a musician.

"You have to start talking to people about things that matter," Harden told them. "You've got X amount of months to decide what kind of man you're going to be when you leave this program. You need to be deliberate and intentional."

Kovacs said he learned a lot about his teammates.

"Everyone has a story and you really don't know everyone's story until you sit down and have some serious talks," Kovacs said. "I think until we know everyone's story we won't become a team."

Thursday, noon PT, Pasadena
The Wolverines traveled by bus to the Rose Bowl, where Kevin Ash, the Rose Bowl's chief administrative officer, greeted them. Ash said it was the first time he could recall a team touring the Rose Bowl during the offseason.

The Wolverines, who last played in the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day 2007, were given a tour of the locker room and the playing field. Most of the players used camera phones and iPods to take their pictures inside the stadium.

"It's unreal," Kovacs said. "Driving down to the Rose Bowl and winding through the mountains, it just sent chills through me. Hopefully, we'll be back here in six more months."

Added Robinson: "It's the granddaddy of them all. It's tradition. It's history. We needed to see tradition and history."

After leaving the Rose Bowl, Michigan's seniors organized and conducted a youth camp for more than 80 children from the Pasadena Youth Football Association at Robinson Park Field (named in honor of Jackie Robinson, who once lived nearby). The Wolverines split up by positions and sent the kids through a circuit of drills for more than an hour.

"You've got a chance to make an impact on these kids," Wellman told them. "They'll remember this for the rest of their lives. Don't think for a second they're not watching you and listening to what you're saying and saying to each other. Teach them football skills and have some fun."

Friday, 10 a.m. PT, Coronado
After breakfast, the Wolverines loaded a bus to make the 90-mile drive to the Naval Special Warfare Center at the Naval Amphibious Base, which is located outside San Diego. The breakfast and bus ride were noticeably quiet.

"They're nervous," Wellman said. "I knew they were nervous when they showed up at breakfast wearing headphones. It's just like game day."

When the bus reached the Naval Special Warfare Center, the Wolverines assembled into formation and jogged to a classroom. Crane and Rob Stella, the SEAL's chief special warfare operator, were waiting to meet them. The Wolverines stripped off their sweatpants and replaced them with camouflage pants.

"I'm going to tell you right off the bat -- we can't make you into a better player and we can't make you into a championship team," Stella said. "If you came here expecting us to have the magic pill, you're going to be disappointed. It's up to each and every individual to actually buy into it. The most important thing to remember about leadership is it's a privilege and it's a hard privilege. Your team is going to fail or succeed based on how you get them up."

Stella then told the Wolverines the only thing they really need to know about the next three hours of training. It's what he likes to call "Embrace the suck."

"It doesn't matter who can run the fastest, who can shoot the best or who can throw it the farthest," Stella said. "What it all comes down to is how do you perform when you're stressed and under pressure? We're going to take you places where you've never been before. Be prepared for that. You're going to get a snapshot of yourself today and your teammates are going to get a snapshot of you today."

Before sending the Wolverines out to the beach, Stella gave them a few final words of advice: "We might do some things today that you don't like. Talk yourself through it. Work as a team."

The Wolverines hit the beach around 10:30 a.m. PT, but they hardly were greeted by typical Southern California weather. It was around 58 degrees and the beach was covered with fog and misting rain. The SEALs call this time of year in San Diego "Grey May."

Michigan's SEALs workout started on a rope climb behind the beach. After the exercise was finished, Stella sent the players for a dip into the Pacific Ocean. A few players, including Campbell, had never been to the beach before. They wouldn't forget their first trip, not after Stella instructed them to cover their shivering bodies in sand from head to toe.

After completing a series of dips and pull-ups, the players had to bear crawl up a dune, with a teammate hanging on them from below. After moving to the SEALs' obstacle course, the players flipped tractor tires in a relay race. Team 133 was divided into four boat teams.

"Get your game face on and embrace the suck!" Stella shouted into a megaphone. "Make small sacrifices for your teammates, just like they're making for you."

Robinson's team, which also included Floyd and Roundtree, won one of the early tire relay races. But they made the mistake of celebrating in front of Stella.

"What did they do wrong?" Stella asked. "They celebrated. How many times have you seen a team celebrate before the game is over? They're out there jumping up and down and hollering and then it's about them. Football players are the worst about that. Be humble, people. If you act like that, you're going to put a target on your back and people are going to crush you! What is humility? It's the absence of arrogance. If you start winning games and acting like fools, I'm going to get on a plane and come out there and kick your butts. Be humble and act like a team."

Then Stella turned to Robinson's team.

"They celebrated and now they're going to pay," Stella said.

Instead of getting a reward -- a short rest period -- like other winning teams, Robinson's team was ordered to complete lunges and sprints. None of the Wolverines did any more celebrating.

Predictably, Robinson's team struggled on the next exercise, in which the players moved in unison while in a push-up position, with a player crawling under them through the sand. Communication and teamwork were more essential than strength and speed.

"If you guys are going for the slowest time, you're rocking it," Stella sarcastically told them.

Crane and Stella saved the best for last. For the last hour of their workout, the Wolverines carried 235-pound logs. Before they started, Stella gave them strict orders.

"These things are heavy as hell," he said. "As soon as you get lazy and don't carry your weight, your teammates are picking up your slack. Trust your teammates are going to carry their weight. It's all about teamwork. If you guys start throwing around my logs, you're going to get sand and grit all over them. Then I'm going to make you wash them. There's only one place to wash them -- in the Pacific Ocean."

Stella found more uses for the logs than WD-40. The Wolverines carried them on their chests, hauled them on their shoulders and pushed them with their legs. They even did sit-ups and push-ups while carrying them.

At one point, Roh has difficulty keeping up with his teammates while they pushed a log with their legs.

"Just go without me!" he shouted.

"No, get up here!" Campbell responded. "We're a team!"

Stella was watching them closely.

"It's the fourth quarter and your motivation is being sucked out," Stella said. "Your opponents are going to sense that and crush you! I don't hear any communication! Your motivation has dropped. Your teamwork has dropped. Your opponent is going to crush you!"

Mercifully, Stella gathered the Wolverines around him when the fun was finally over.

"You guys are starting to communicate, but a lot of it is negative," Stella said. "There was a lot of bickering back and forth. As leaders, you guys have got to be a united front and working toward the same goal. The reality is the team that learns to play like a team wins championships."

Friday, 7 p.m. PT, Newport Beach
After returning to their hotel, the Wolverines gathered in a ballroom for the final time. Wellman, who went through the SEALs workout with his players, wanted to put the experience into perspective.

"I think a lot of you guys got a lot of good things out of it," Wellman said. "Communication when you get tired is an issue. Some of us in here are soft and you know who you are. You guys have to hold each other accountable."

Robinson said the Wolverines needed to do a better job of communicating with each other.

"It's hard for people to believe when they're tired and fatigued," Robinson said. "We all have so many ideas and we all want to be leaders. But the thing that stood out to me is we have to have one goal and one plan for our team to get to the destination where we want to go."

Kovacs, a former walk-on who was second on the team with 75 tackles in 2011, told his teammates they'd learned something about themselves.

"My biggest concern is, how is this team going to respond to adversity?" Kovacs said. "There were times we did OK, but a lot of times we didn't respond very well. I guarantee you in every game we play, starting with Alabama, the other team is going to make plays. Are we going to respond?"

When the Wolverines boarded a plane for Detroit on Saturday morning, they had less than 100 days to figure it out.

SENIOR SENDOFF IN SANDUSKY

Ryan Wikel, head football coach at Sandusky St Mary's Central Catholic High School, had his first ever Senior Sendoff event last week.

He had 10 players, 9 coaches and 1 chaplain Father Jason in attendance.

They gathered at the South Shore Inn, played a game of kickball - players against coaches that went 9 innings plus a 2 out sudden death overtime where the coaches prevailed 7-6. They enjoyed some food and then they went inside for a chat.

Coach gave each of the 10 players a mentoring group, just like the coaches ... so this year all the football players will have a coach and a graduated Senior who will be helping them. Coach Wikel said, “I feel like it is important to keep the graduating seniors connected to our program.  Since this is year one of our virtue program, I wanted this group to be a part of it.”

He told them that he'd like each of them to text their mentoring group at least 5 or 6 times throughout the upcoming year to encourage the young men to be virtuous. For example on homecoming and prom nights ... send a text to your group to make good decisions, don't do anything you might regret. “I have a sheet of important dates that revolves around the school calendar.  Midterm dates and end of quarter are important for grades. School functions such as dances and opening night of football are other important dates.”

The great thing about this is that maybe because the new college Freshman is texting the high school players to make good decisions, that will help them stay on the straight and narrow as well because they are telling others to do it ...
He also gave them a sheet with all of the names and contact information of all the coaches and assured them that they are forever a part of the football family.

To close it out he gave each player a book that he signed - "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People".  “It is a good read and a small token for the graduating seniors.  They may not read it right away, but maybe they pick it up 10 years from now and it makes an impact.”

Since the event he has received numerous texts from his assistant coaches letting him know how much fun it was to simply play a game with the guys. Admittedly some of the guys were sore for a few days because some "new muscles were freshly discovered" but that it was worth it.

A new tradition has been started ... a lifelong memory created!

There's still time to get in this event if you have not done so already. You won't regret it. It is called Senior Sendoff and the objective is to gather your graduating Seniors one last time ... Here is a recent example.