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I have been coaching for more than 20 years. After spending 17 of those coaching at the collegiate level, I decided to step down and enter the “slower paced” high school environment. To my surprise, I found out quickly that teaching and coaching at the high school level was just as challenging, time-consuming and hectic as coaching in college. In some ways, it is even more stressful, as I found myself running ragged trying to get everything done.
If you hear someone extolling the virtues of teamwork, it’s usually within the context of a group of people pressing toward a common goal or successful result. That’s certainly something you would expect to hear from legendary UCLA head coach John Wooden, who led the Bruins to an unprecedented 10 NCAA men’s basketball championships between 1963 and 1975. But in an age when players and coaches are primarily judged by wins and losses or by individual performance, too often the journey from point A to point B is overlooked, even though there can be significant contentment found in the process alone.
To trace Zeller Mania back to its origins, you have to start with pigs—lots of pigs. And some cows, beans and corn. You have to travel deeper into the heartland, where the skyscrapers and asphalt jungles of America fade away into swaying fields of green and golden-brown. You have to go to Springville, Iowa (pop. 1,074). That’s where Steve and Lorri, the Zeller brothers’ parents, grew up.
Recently, my teenage son had to do something that was way too grown up. He had to get up, put on a suit and head to a local church for a funeral. It was the funeral of a friend, another teenager. It was not an easy thing for him to do or to face at such a young age.
Sadly, he has walked this path before. Several years ago, another of his friends lost his life in a four-wheeler accident. In that service, my son and his eighth-grade football teammates served as pallbearers. They all wore their football jerseys to the service and stood at the casket with so many questions running through their minds. “Why? Why him? Why now?” It was an awfully young age to struggle with such questions and to endure the sadness of never seeing that friend again—at least not here on earth.
If you have not received Christ as your Savior and Lord, I ask you to please read the following pages. The most important thing you can have in life is a relationship with Jesus Christ. This can also be used as one of the lessons in your study of Daniel.
What’s the secret of an athlete? Speed? Strength? Size? Training? Any of those will provide an edge, but none are the real secret. The most powerful secret of an athlete is actually a spiritual discipline—prayer. When was the last time we really pressed into prayer? Not the prayers that say, “God, help me with the big game today,” or, “Help me to play well.” I’m talking about intense prayer—a time of truly seeking God’s face and asking for His will.
Many athletes may want to pray but simply don’t know how. Here are eight simple tips for praying:
This form enables coaches to write down a couple of prayer requests for which one of their staff teammates may pray during the coming week. The sheets are exchanged during the meeting and each participant has one person for which to pray and to encourage.
Much like “Frisbee Rugby.” In a large room that’s easy to clean, two teams each try to advance the banana over the opposite goal line. The banana can be advanced only by passing it. Players may take only 2 or 3 steps before throwing the banana. A team loses possession of the banana if a member takes more than the acceptable number of steps before throwing or if a throw becomes an incomplete pass. Have plenty of bananas on hand; they’re reduced to mush quickly. And spiking the banana after a score is not recommended.
Someone starts out giving a testimony and everyone thinks it is for real. One by one people stand up in the crowd to correct him and his testimony. One says that praise and worship is the only way, another says tithing, another says legalism, another humility, etc. Before long you will have seven to eight people all arguing their perspective of Christ. Christ walks out and one by one acts out footwashing. As each one gets their feet washed, they stop arguing, drop their head and become silent. It ends with the original person still trying to give his testimony. He steps down after Christ washes his feet.
Goal
To show students that, much like having a workout partner who spots us while lifting weights and pushes us to do our best, we also need a partner who will help us to stick with our commitment to play drug free. Accountability will help them stick to their commitment.
Key Scriptures
Proverbs 17:17; Proverbs 27:6, 17; 2 Timothy 4:2
Warm Up
In a small group, discuss or list things that normally do not need accountability to complete (like eating, sleeping) and discuss or list things that do need accountability (homework, working out). Have the groups report their findings to the entire group and explain why there is a difference between the two lists.
See the international influence FCA is making in the Philippines
In sports we put our bodies through the wringer. We study game film, review game plans, and tax ourselves mentally. All of it is done so that on game day, we are prepared to win. To achieve victory, we battle our way over virtual mountains, following our dreams—to get to the pot of gold.
Do we follow the same routine in our faith? We rigidly “train” by reading our Bibles, praying, witnessing, and attending church. We compete in “games” when we face setbacks, difficulties, and temptations. And we often do it with a militant attitude of struggling to get to the final pot of gold—heaven.
Becky was the best player on her team. Every one wanted to play like Becky. She was a hard worker, but there was more to her than what people could see. On a road trip, the last freshman selected for the team that year broke her foot during a practice before a game. When they arrived at the hotel that night, Becky carried her teammate's bags to her room and asked her to stay with her. For the rest of the trip, Becky helped this little freshman with everything she needed.
Materials needed: sheets of paper, marking pens, tape.
A sheet of paper with the name of a person, place, or thing written on it (ie: 'Thomas Edison' or 'Giraffe') is attached to the back of each participant.
As each name is different from another, the individual participant does NOT know what person, place, or thing is attached to his or her own back; and, therefore, the participant must mill about the room asking only yes/no questions of the other participants to try to learn who is taped to his/her back.
The other participants can only answer 'yes' or 'no' to the individual's questions.
Example questions the individual participant might ask are: 'am I a basketball player?' ... 'do I live in America?'... 'am I a place?'.
FCA Softball grows through the influence of Jennie Finch, Dot Richardson, Leah O'Brien-Amico and Patty Gasso.
Part I
http://www.tangle.com/view_video.php?viewkey=e0027e7f3a2176389f7b
Obsession and Idolatry
In every sport, coaches teach their athletes what they need to do and how they need to do it in order to have success. As believers in Christ, this is what God does for us, as well through His Word, the Bible.
A coach is never happier than when an athlete experiences success by performing in a game what they were taught to do in practice. You've seen how excited the defensive line coaches get in football—jumping up and down, head slapping, chest bumping, high-fiving his athletes the moment after they made a big sack.
What can you find out in seven minutes on the phone with Chris Kaman? Quite a bit, actually.
Walking Without Fear
Watch the video, then walk through the following questions:
Key Verse: Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will hold on to you with My righteous right hand. –Isaiah 41:10
Football players come to camp and are handed a binder filled with plays, formations, and adjustments built to withstand any opponent during the season. A lot of work, foresight, and detail went into putting together what could be a championship playbook. However great a playbook may be, though, it is useless without memorization and proper execution.
Luke Ridnour credits his father for providing the earliest lessons about teamwork. Rob Ridnour coached high school basketball (including his son's team) before taking over as the head coach of the International Basketball League's Bellingham Slam. It was the elder Ridnour who instilled in his son some of those fundamental concepts about teamwork, such as sharing the ball and looking out for one another.
From the little leagues to the professional ranks, success in sports is almost exclusively defined by wins and losses. Perhaps legendary Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi summed it up best when he said, “Winning isn’t everything. It’s the only thing.” In some respects, you could make a strong case for that belief. Winning often opens the doors to life-changing opportunity. On the other hand, the all-or-nothing attitude that is prevalent in today’s sports community has the potential to bring undeserved disappointment to those on the outside looking in.
Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.–Romans 12:21
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