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This weekend Gary Brasher will attempt to accomplish something that most of us would never even consider, much less aspire to, when he completes a triple-iron triathlon. That’s a full iron-distance triathlon every day for three consecutive days! He will swim, bike and run his way over 422.6 miles in a 72-hour span! It is truly one of the most difficult sporting endeavors ever imagined.
Every once in a while we encounter an opponent in competition who, by all accounts, is unbeatable, and it prompts fear in our team. Some opponents seem to grow larger and larger as we approach game day. The media reports and general word-of-mouth discussions depict them as giants. How should we approach such an opponent?
Your opponents on the athletic field are worthy of your respect. They are not, however, worthy of fear! The work of God’s Spirit within us does not bring fear. It brings courage.
The foundation for success in any sport relies primarily on the mastery of fundamentals. Champion athletes spend time perfecting their skills by focusing on fundamentals. At times it may seem trite, but to error fundamentally could produce devastating miscues! It doesn’t matter at what level you compete, ignore the fundamentals and your performance will suffer.
Football is a physical game and requires self-control by coaches and players. We know there are consequences when someone loses the ability to control himself or herself. When a coach or a player loses the ability to control his or her emotions, everybody loses. Not only is the one who lost control penalized, but so is the team.
As coaches, we are to be examples of self-control for our players and fellow coaches. It is very easy to allow our emotions to get the best of us at practice or during a game. The situation that causes us to lose it could be a controversial call by a referee, a blown assignment by a player, or something that we have absolutely no control over. The situation is not the important thing; it is how we respond.
If we tried to count on our hands the number of times someone let us down or we have let someone else down, we’d run out of fingers. We as humans fail miserably all the time. Thankfully there are promises in the Bible like the one in Psalm 103:12, which states, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.”
There is incredible power in looking at ourselves through the eyes of Christ. No matter the mistake, the loss, the pain, or the regret—in God’s eyes we shine brightly. When we feel inadequate, depressed, or ashamed; we should feel His presence. He redeems our life, rescues us from the pit and showers us with love and compassion. He satisfies our desires with awesome and wonderful things.
Florida State University sophomore Caroline Smith made an immediate splash with the Seminole swimming team when, as a freshman, she set the school record in the 500-yard freestyle. Even more impressive was the fact that she did so while turning in a stellar classroom performance, earning ACC Honor Roll honors and a 4.0 GPA. Still, as member of FSU’s FCA leadership team, Smith knows the records and honors are blessings from the Lord, whom she joyfully worships both in and out of the pool.
Recently, I’ve been struck by the simple way in which children think. This spring, I volunteered at a camp, and as part of the curriculum, we were teaching the story of Daniel and the Lions' Den. When we asked the kids questions, a young girl around 5 years old would always answer in the simplest way, but I could tell she understood the story better than most kids her age. When the group was asked how Daniel was saved from the lions' den, the young girl said something to this effect: “Daniel trusted that God would keep him safe because God loves Daniel.”
Years ago, when I ran track in college, I had the privilege of doing workouts with several elite athletes who trained at the same facility in California. One of the athletes in my workout group was a promising college freshman named Mark Crear. Three years later, I watched his career take off after he finished third at the NCAA finals in 1990. Over the the next 14 years, Mark emerged as one of the top hurdlers in the world. An Olympian with two Olympic medals, he held the No. 1 or 2 ranking in the world several times during that span. He is remembered most for taking the silver medal in the 1996 Olympics with a cast on his broken arm.
As competitors, it is often hard to guard our mouths. Carson Palmer, a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 1 NFL draft pick in 2003, signed a $49 million, 6-year contract with the Cincinnati Bengals. A total of $10 million of the deal was for his signing bonus.
However, that $10millionwasn’t contingent upon his great throwing arm, his intelligence as a quarterback or his great play-calling. It was contingent upon his tongue and whether or not he would say anything negative about his team, coaches or management. Basically, the $10 million signing bonus was a loyalty pledge in which Carson guaranteed that he would not be critical. If he ripped into his team, he lost the cash. This was quite an incentive for him to keep his speech positive and encouraging.
While watching an NFL game I saw something that made me scream out. I hollered a saying that everyone, especially sports commentators, uses when there is an incredible play. "Are you kidding me???"
What does it mean to be sitting on the sidelines? It means we’re not in the game. In sports, there’s a limited amount of athletes who can be in a game at one time, and there are many reasons why certain ones have to sit out: they are injured, they aren’t starters, they’re lower on the depth chart, they don’t quite have the skills, or they’re just fans.
But what about those times when we are healthy, skilled and highly capable enough to be in the game, but we still choose not to go in? This is rare, but it does happen. Maybe we’re afraid, not comfortable with a situation, or that we’re losing and don’t want to be blamed for it.
As a coach in a low-income school, I see my players go through very difficult times. Many have no father at home, and they endure a mediocre educational system in a drug-infested neighborhood. These kids have to work twice as hard just to break even. It is hard not to internalize the problems of our players. Because the environment in which they live provides little or no hope, we find ourselves wanting to step in to solve their problems. However, we typically find ourselves feeling helpless. From time to time coaches find themselves serving as father, mother, lawyer, mediator, and mentor to their players, surrogate roles that press down with lots of pressure and responsibility.
This is an application for anyone who would like to serve as a chaplain during a major sports event. It is to be submitted with 3 letters of reference to the Serving the People of Sport Council of the International Sport Coalition which works with such events as World Cup events and Olympic Games organizing committees.
One of the biggest hindrances to an athlete's performance is doubt. Wondering whether or not he or she is capable of doing the job. From the hitting drills of football to individual at-bats of baseball to the weight lifting of everyone, a major factor of success is being confident in the ability to do something.
John was a great miler who liked to take the lead early in the race and run to victory. His coach was concerned about an upcoming race. John’s top opponent liked to come from behind to win.
When the race started, John raced to the lead. His coach told him to move to the inside of lane one, but John ignored him. Laps two and three, his coach said the same thing, but John only grew upset with him. On lap four, his coach was insistent, but John stayed firm.
Georgia FCA’s Joey Potter believes in a simple philosophy: Build a church and send a missionary, and a hundred people might come. But build a sports field and put a coach or pastor on it, and you can attract thousands.
A while ago I had the incredible opportunity to go on a cross-country trip with my family. We spent some time driving through Arches National Park in Utah, and at one point decided to take a break to get out and stretch our legs.
The park itself includes thousands of acres of desolate land with countless geographic features to hike and explore. We didn’t have a whole lot of time, but we decided to see the arch aptly named “Delicate Arch.” Because of our schedule, we set out to explore the arch from the more distant, lower view. From the parking lot to the viewing area was about a half a mile on an uphill, rocky, dusty trail. Mixed with the elevation and heat, it wasn't a simple walk to the overlook. You had to really want to see it.
Emotions are never in short supply during open-mic time. Although not many people knew this particular couple's past when the man grabbed the microphone, during the brief minutes that followed, they became part of a story they would never forget.
With tears in his eyes and a quiver in his voice, the man explained to the crowd at the 2007 FCA Couples Getaway at The Cove that he and the woman next to him didn't really know how they got there.
Let’s consider who has had the biggest influence on our athletic careers. Has there been more than one person who has made a significant impact on our abilities as athletes? First Corinthians 3:6 speaks about compounded influence.
In Paul’s first letter to his friends in Corinth, he used a familiar farming illustration. Let’s turn Paul’s farming comparison into a sports analogy.
Growing an athlete is like growing crops. There’s obvious collaboration among those who plant, cultivate, irrigate, and harvest. In the same way, growing a champion involves the compounding influences of parents, coaches, teammates, opponents, and so on.
What athlete does not want to be in a Hall of Fame? What little kid playing T-ball doesn’t dream of hitting the winning home run in the World Series? What sixth grader playing touch football at recess doesn’t dream of playing in the Super Bowl? It is in our nature to be driven competitors.
Our society has special places of honor for those who are above average. Whether it is dreaming of being inducted in Canton, Ohio, as a gridiron great or making it to Cooperstown, New York, as a hero of the diamond, everybody wants to be the best. The thing some athletes don’t realize is that they are already in God’s Hall of Fame.
As a coach, it’s hard to make athletes understand that improvement takes place in the off-season. I would always get the same excuse about needing time off after a hard season. Work ethic is a big deal to a coach. Athletes who put in the work are always better off in the end.
One of the common elements in all levels of football from peewee to pro is the playbook. It contains the game plan each team uses to try to overcome its opponent. Without the playbook teams and players would be in a state of confusion not knowing what to do or where to go. On the other hand, no matter how good the playbook is, it’s absolutely useless if the players don’t study and apply it.
More than thirty years later there is still evidence that my front tooth took a chunk of wood out of my mom’s furniture. When my two older brothers and I were kids, we invented a game called “Walkie-Talkie.” I know a walkie-talkie is a portable, handheld communication device, but we hijacked the name because it perfectly fit our game. When I think back on it, I’m pretty sure it was really just a game that allowed my brothers to inflict bodily harm on me, but I wasn’t smart enough to figure that out. I was just thankful they wanted to do something with their youngest brother. (Do I hear an “Amen!” from all the youngest kids out there?)
If you are reading this, it is likely that you are a coach. However, whether you are a coach, a parent, or an athlete, you are involved in relationships. One of the most encouraging aspects of relationships is the exchange of compliments—genuine, from-the-heart compliments that don’t patronize, but let someone know that he or she is valued. Coaches sometimes neglect to show their appreciation for the players who sit on the bench. We get so wrapped up with the starters that we fail to let those less talented or less experienced know just how much we’re thankful that they’re on the team.
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