Tiger Woods and Shaun White

Here’s a snapshot in time: Two people who are in the best in the world at what they do. One is Shaun White, the toast of the town. The other is Tigers Woods, trying to work his way out of disgrace.
And two days after White awed the world with his halfpipe gold medal and his [...]

Not a Positive Experience

What a blue Christmas in the world of sports!
Tiger Woods, with his image in tatters, faces a public divorce. Chris Henry, a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals, is reported on life-support after a domestic dispute with his fiancee. Kansas football coach Mark Mangino resigns amid allegations he mistreated his players.
One after another the reports [...]

What the Tiger Woods Story Teaches

If nothing else, the Tiger Woods sage proves one thing: No one has it all.
Tiger certainly seemed to. He had money, fame and a new family. But now his image is in shambles, and who knows how he will move on from here?
Whatever happens, the story brings to mind the two biggest mistakes that competitors [...]

Arnold Palmer’s Blueprint

Legendary golfer Arnold Palmer is receiving still another honor — the Congressional Gold Medal today in a ceremony at the White House.
Palmer, who recently turned 80 years old, is collecting an award extended 141 times, the first to George Washington in 1776.
Palmer, whose career victory total includes seven majors, offers a perfect model for greatness.
He [...]

Being a Finisher

Nothing quite matches the excitement of Day One of training camp.
Seeing old faces, learning new ones, getting ready for all the challenges, facing the unknown … it sounds a lot like New Year’s Eve, just without the bad driving. It’s got more buzz than Kourtney Kardashian’s pregnancy.
Only one thing takes away from the good feeling. [...]

Finishing Second

Jack Nicklaus finished second more often than any other player in the history of men’s major golf tournaments.
This made him a winner. How? Finishing second 19 times means that on 19 occasions, Nicklaus put himself into position to finish first. It didn’t happen. But it COULD have.
On 18 other occasions, Nicklaus put himself into position [...]

The Role of Mistakes

Imagine a sports landscape in which there were no mistakes.
Dave Johnson has done so, and what he sees isn’t pretty. The rallies go on forever, the score is endlessly tied, and there is no game. No sport. No thrill.
Johnson, president-elect of the Minnesota State High School Coaches Association, has written a thoughtful piece on the [...]

Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone

Perhaps you’ve seen the video of a recent daredevil stunt in which a kayaker plunged over a 180-foot waterfall.
This extreme sport says everything about how much you accomplish in your life and career.
Warning: I am not telling you to go out and ride over a waterfall. However, it is a good idea — in fact [...]

Doing Your Homework

Someone once said, “Never give advice. A wise person doesn’t need it, and a fool won’t take it.”

Nevertheless, the current issue of Fortune offers a cover article titled “The Best Advice I Ever Got.”

Featured are Bill Gates, Colin Powell and Tiger Woods, among many others. Several of the profiles can apply to coaches and athletes, but none more than the one about Jim Rogers, an investor and commodities guru.

Process vs. Product

“Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.”  ~ Bobby Jones
If you could have a front-row seat for any sports event in the world, what would it be?
Perhaps on a hair-raising stretch of a downhill ski race? Or at a World Cup soccer match?
For me, the [...]