This time of year brings gifts, and a real gift showed up today in the form of a quote. It comes from the book “The Only Thing That Matters” by Neale Donald Walsch, and it goes like this: “98% of the world’s people are spending 98% of their time on things that don’t matter.” Test […]
A chicken raced around the barnyard, spreading new good news. “Hooray!” he said. “We’re going to have bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning!” All the animals except the pig shared in the joy. The chicken approached the pig and asked him why he was so solemn when everyone else was so happy. “For you,” […]
We’ve called in an expert. Trying to coach our middle school basketball team as best we can, we got an instructional video starring John Wooden. Wooden, legendary coach at UCLA, did not disappoint. Before mentioning even one word about dribbling or shooting, Wooden defined success. He said that to him, success means being able to […]
In the days leading up to today’s game in London, Tampa Bay Coach Raheem Morris paid tribute to the New England Patriots, calling them a “model” team. Morris cited “their head coach, their quarterback, their receiving corps, their defense. Everything about the New England Patriots is a great model to follow.” All that is fine, […]
Every time you see a sports team with an extraordinary winning streak, you immediately ask, “How do they do it?” Thanks to the eagle eye of Larry O’Connor, who pointed out a recent story in the New York Times, we get another chance to analyze the question. This time it’s Smith Center, Kan., home to […]
With football training camps underway, it seems like a good time to check out some of the musings offered by championship football coaches. “ Failures are expected by losers, ignored by winners.” — Joe Gibbs “The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. Our vision is what we […]
Richard Quick, legendary collegiate and Olympic swim coach, died earlier this month of cancer.
I had never heard of Quick, but anytime a coach is accomplished enough to have his obituary appear on the national wires, I want to know more . And everything you need to know about Quick comes from the way his former athletes describe him.
“Most people get ahead during the time that others waste time.” ~ Henry Ford Can “Dancing With the Stars” and “The Biggest Loser” offer something for coaches? Both reality TV shows offer the same model: a contestant forms an objective, has a finite amount of time to achieve the objective, and then works with a […]
Give attention to the details and excellence will come.” ~ Perry Paxton As a player, Gary Burley helped the Cincinnati Bengals reach the Super Bowl. Today, as a coach and mentor, he is now helping young people reach for the heights. He founded ProStart Academy, whose goal is to produce “citizen athletes.” “Coaches have to communicate the […]
“First master the fundamentals.” — Larry Bird If you ever get a chance to visit St Louis, check out not only the famous Gateway Arch, but also the video on how the arch was built. Workers constructed two legs that soared to a rendezvous 630 feet into the sky. But as the video emphasizes, the engineers […]