Why Should I Study

59% of all high school varsity football and basketball players have the belief that they will receive a college scholarship upon graduation.

In actuality, 98 out of 100 varsity high school athletes involved in all sports will never play in the college ranks.

Also, only 1 out of 12,000 college student athletes will ever have the opportunity to become a professional athlete in any sport.

For the sport of football only 1 in every 5,200 college players will have the opportunity to become a professional in their sport.

At present, 67% of all players in the National Football League (NFL) do not possess a college degree.

Currently the average playing career in the NFL last only 3.5 years.

Quote of the Day

Oscar Hammerstein told a story of seeing the top of the head of the Statue of Liberty up close from a helicopter. What impressed him was the incredible detail the artist had sculpted on an area of the statue that the artist never expected anyone to see. The artist had no idea man would someday fly above his statue! When you are tempted to cut corners and you think, "No one will ever know."

The Price of Success (Texas A&M Credo)

Success

I often wonder what brings one, more success in life and what it is that brings mediocrity or failure to his brother. Their difference cannot be in mental capacity; there is not the difference in our mentalities indicated by the difference in performance. In short, I have reached the conclusion that some men succeed because they cheerfully pay the Price of Success, and others, though they claim ambition and a desire to succeed, are unwilling to pay the price.

What is the price of success? It is simply…

To use all of your courage to force yourself to concentrate on the problem at hand, to think of it deeply and constantly, to study it from all angles, and to plan.

To have a high and sustained determination to put over what you plan to accomplish, not if circumstances be favorable to its accomplishment, but in spite of all adverse circumstances that may arise… and nothing worthwhile has ever been accomplished without some obstacles to overcome.

To refuse to believe that there are any circumstances sufficiently strong to defeat you in the accomplishment of your purpose.

Hard?? I should say so! That’s why so many men never attempt to acquire success they answer the siren call of the rut, and remain on the beaten paths for beaten men. Nothing worthwhile has ever been achieved without constant endeavor, some pain, and constant application of the last ambition. That’s the Price of Success as I see it.

I believe every man should ask himself; am I willing to endure the pain of this struggle for the comforts and the rewards and the glory that go with achievement? Or shall I accept the uneasy and inadequate contentment that comes with mediocrity? Am I willing to pay the Price of Success?

Credo of Texas A & M University, College Station, Texas

12 Behaviors Every Coach Should Lead By

12 Behaviors COACH and Lead By
( Taken From Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey)

Behavior #1: Talk Straight. Communicate clearly so that you cannot be misunderstood. Preface your discussions by declaring your intent, so you leave no doubt about what you are thinking. Counterfeit behaviors include withholding information, flattery and spin. Be honest and call things what they are. Don’t manipulate people, distort facts or leave false impressions.

Behavior #2: Demonstrate Respect. This behavior is based on the principles of respect, fairness, kindness, love and civility. The opposite is commonly experienced as showing disrespect, which is a huge issue, both at work and at home. The counterfeit is to fake respect or concern, or, most insidious of all, to show respect and concern for only those who can do something for you.

Behavior #3: Create Transparency. Be real and genuine and tell the truth in a way that people can verify. The opposite is to obscure, and the counterfeit is illusion or pretending things are different than they are. You can establish trust quickly by being open and authentic, erring on the side of disclosure and not having hidden agendas.

Behavior #4: Right Wrongs. Make restitution instead of just apologizing. The opposite is to deny or justify wrongs because of ego and pride, and the counterfeit is to cover up mistakes. Apologize quickly, take action to make restitution when possible, and demonstrate personal humility to achieve this behavior.

Behavior #5: Show Loyalty. Give credit to others and speak about people as though they are present. The opposite is to take credit or not represent people fairly. The counterfeit is to appear to share credit but then downplay others’ contribution when they are away. To exhibit a trustworthy character, give credit freely, don’t badmouth people behind their backs and don’t disclose others’ private information.

.Behavior #6: Get Better. Continuously improve by learning, growing and renewing yourself. Others will develop confidence in your ability to succeed in a rapidly changing environment. The opposite is entropy and deterioration, while the counterfeit is the eternal student— always learning, but never producing. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes but learn from them. Develop formal and informal feedback systems and respond to them.

Behavior #7: Confront Reality. Take the tough issues head-on. This affects speed and cost by facilitating open interaction and fast achievement, and also allowing you to engage the creativity, capability and synergy of others in solving problems. When leaders use the opposite behavior by ignoring problems, they pay a huge tax when people feel they are being dishonest. It is far better to address the real issues and lead courageously in discussions of uncomfortable topics.

Behavior #8: Clarify Expectations. Create shared vision and agreement up front. The opposite is to leave undefined expectations and the counterfeit is to be vague about specifics.

Behavior #9: Practice Accountability. Hold yourself and others accountable. Leaders who generate trust do both. The opposite is not to take responsibility, and the counterfeit is to point fingers.

Behavior #10: Listen First. Genuinely understand another person’s thoughts and feelings, before trying to diagnose or advise. The opposite and counterfeit are to speak first and listen last, or not at all, and to pretend to listen while waiting for your own chance to speak.

Behavior #11: Keep Commitments. It is the quickest way to build trust in any relationship. The opposite is to break commitments and the counterfeit is to make vague, unreliable commitments, or never make them in the first place.

Behavior #12: Extend Trust. Shift trust from a noun to a verb.

Quote for the Day

"It's Not Who I AM , but about What We ARE !"

What Are Your Children Learning?The Impact of High School Sports on the Values and Ethics of High School Athletes, A Survey by the Josephson Institute

On the surface, sports are about competition — winning and losing. But, clearly, sports contain a more serious purpose, too. Broadly speaking, sports — particularly youth sports — are crossroads of character and controlled laboratories of interpersonal and inter-group conflict. The competitive drive that has helped us prosper as a species, but also threatens to annihilate us, forces each generation to confront great moral questions as they make their mark. And these questions are often introduced to children and young adults for the first time on the fields, rinks, mats, and courts. Ideally, we can help to direct that drive in a positive direction.Toward that end, the Josephson Institute of Ethics — founded in 1987 “to improve the ethical quality of society by changing personal and organizational decision making and behavior” — recently surveyed more than 5,000 high school athletes to find out what they’re learning in the sports laboratory.And, not surprisingly, the results are mixed.Student-athletes report that they admire their coaches and appreciate the life lessons that they take from their athletic experiences. But they also report that the lessons are often negative. While the high school athlete is less cynical and less likely to steal than his or her classmates, their honesty level slides when it comes to stealing victories. As the institute’s president, Michael Josephson, puts it, “Far too many boys and girls engage in other dishonest, deceptive, and dangerous practices without regard for the rules or traditional notions of fair play and sportsmanship.” In other words, win at all costs.We’d be foolish to think that this value stops at the boundaries of the athletic field, and it doesn’t. Student-athletes, according to the poll, are more likely to cheat on an exam than their peers. And, though the poll doesn’t cover the question of cheating beyond school, it’s not a logical stretch to imagine this lesson being carried further into life.Clearly, students take their cues from the adults in their lives. The pollsters unambiguously conclude that many student-athletes attribute their less-than-admirable practices directly to the coaches they admire. And while that’s sobering, it’s also heartening. While we’ve too often failed as stewards of youth athletics, we are still at the helm. With proper support and guidance, coaches — unified behind the ethical model our schools seek to promote — have the opportunity to shape the values of students in ways that are not only good for the students and the game, but for all humanity.

NFHS – Fundamentals of Coaching - (Notes from Objective #1)

Teachable moments: A moment of educational opportunity when a person is likely to learn something or is especially responsive to being taught or made aware of something. · Discipline · Perseverance · Delayed gratification · Team Work Sports in and themselves are not educational, However based on the set up and Structure they can be. Initially, sport became part of our nation’s schools to address four societal concerns: 1. Education 2. Socialization 3. Military Preparedness 4.

Health Interscholastic athletics becomes part of the education process when:
1. Learning objectives are clearly stated and integrated into the experience
2. Coaches purposefully plan for learning to take place
3. Coaches purposefully explain to students what they are going to teach
4. Coaches teach what they said they were going to teach
5. Coaches reinforce what the student has learned
6. The program is designed to enhance academic achievement
7. Coaches make sure that athletics never interfere with Academic success
8. Coaches use unique teachable moments that occur in athletics to promote the development of each individual.
9. Coaches stress personally responsibility and accountability for each participant Coach is the most influential person in determining the outcomes of interscholastic athletics

“No Stream rises higher than its source” – Frank Loyd Right Two Key Questions to be asked of all interscholastic coaches: 1. Why do you want to be a coach? 2. What are the values that define you as a person? Coaching Philosophy – Road map of your coaching life. Competition – Derived from the Latin word competere, “to see together, to coincide, to agree. Oppents are viewed as co-creators of an experience, and competition as a process of striving with, not against others”. What is the Value of Winning? What are your three major strengths and limitations as a coach?

Four Key coaching Skill Sets:
1. Technical skills: Knowledge base of Sport
2. Tactical Skills: Analytical/Decision making component of coaching. Skills that help win contents.
3. Managerial Skills : maintenance and organization of a systematic approach to coaching in terms of preparation, time management, administration, and programming.
4. Interpersonal Skills: Communication Social Skills, etc

Top Five Outcomes of Interscholastic Sports
1. Like Skills
2. Citizenship
3. Sportsmanship
4. Promotion of learning
5. Health lifestyle