Three weeks ago, the name Shaka Smart was not one most people would have recognized (outside of VCU nation, of course). However, Coach Smart—the head coach of NCAA men’s Final Four team Virginia Commonwealth University—is now a household name after their great run through the tournament. After the season, it’s a safe bet that Coach Smart will even be offered a number of coaching positions at larger schools. It’s just part of the situation for a once little-known coach who is now one of the hottest names in the sport today.

I will go on record and say I am not a big Terrell Owens fan. However, what he did in the Super Bowl was quite impressive and worthy of acknowledgement. Though he was hurt and his doctors discouraged him from playing, he knew he had to step up and play to help his team. He did a great job, and I am sure he played through a lot of pain. But he knew he was needed and did what he knew was the right thing for his team.

Of all the silly games that I learned as a child, the one I remember best was a game some of the older kids in the neighborhood played—one that we didn’t exactly brag about to our parents. “Knick Knocking” was the practice of approaching a neighbor’s front door, knocking loudly several times, and then running away. Serious Knick Knockers would retreat to a nearby hideaway so that they could watch the unsuspecting neighbor open the door and search for a visitor. This was actually entertaining to the mischievous kids on our block!

I know a team that loves to talk the talk, but does not know how to walk the walk. They look the part, but many of them do not work for the true good of the team. Many are just in it for the status and the look, thinking that they have already arrived. Know any teams or players like that? On game day, they are dressed to the hilt. They say the right things and look the part, but when the ball is in play, you find out what they are truly made of, or how much they have really prepared for the competition.

How many different ways can you get to FCA Camp? Planes, trains, automobiles. Those are just a few, but they come from all directions to make it on time. Once they arrive, the games begin and the coaches find each athlete has a different way of playing their sport. Each technique is similar but has its own unique way of getting things done.

When it comes to endurance, the power of the resurrection is necessary. As a triathlete who constantly goes through training cycles that push my limits, I often get skeptical about how far I can go or how much I can push myself. After a long race, I feel completely spent, like I’m older than the hills and will never fully recover. But given time and the fact that the body is a work of God—a miracle by all accounts—and in spite of personal human doubt, I spring back, stronger and better than before.