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After I finished up my preseason football camp, I reflected heavily on how the mental aspects of sports take a toll on us all during any kind of camp or season; whether it be learning technique, understanding key team concepts, memorizing plays, you name it.
Have different people stand up and say “I’m in/at a _____________, so I must be a _____________. This will make it obvious that just because we live in America, we aren’t automatically Christians.
Number of Characters:
As many as you like! Examples are as follows to fill in the blanks:
garage, car; Nebraska, cornhusker; football field, football player; barn, chicken;
White House, president; microphone, singer; watch, time; zoo, monkey; church,
Christian; FCA Camp, Christian
Read 1 John 5:11.
Every comeback starts with a single play and then grows with momentum and belief. Start your health comeback today!
Charlotte Smith’s illustrious collegiate playing career included a national championship, a Final Four Most Outstanding Player award, and a retired jersey in the rafters at the University of North Carolina. Now, after nine years assisting her former coach, Sylvia Hatchell, Smith is in her second year calling the shots at Elon and looking to replicate the same on-court success she experienced years ago while imparting God’s wisdom and love to her players from the bench.
Atlanta Dream guard Shalee Lehning has a favorite example of teamwork from the Bible. It’s found in Mark 2, and it tells the story of a group of men who were dead-set on bringing their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing.
It seems like, in this day and age of the free agent, the pressure on our coaches to win is heavier than ever. Everyone is chasing the brass ring. More and more coaches just want to land that next big job. They are constantly looking at the green grass on the other side of the fence. Don’t get me wrong, I am an extremely competitive person, myself. I can’t stand to lose! It seems, however, that just like everything else, we have taken the “win at all cost” mentality to a very dangerous level.
I remember starting practice for fall sports after a lazy summer. Practice often included two-a-days—working in the morning and afternoon to get in shape for the season. If we didn’t stay in shape during the summer, we were going to suffer.
Suffering, pain, and hardships are not things we look forward to. How often do we pray for anything on that list—or thank God for such difficulties? We avoid them! We would rather experience God’s blessings, favor, and success. Yet Paul not only experienced persecution on a regular basis, the Holy Spirit led him into it.
If you want to perform better on the field—and in life—sleep might just be your secret weapon.
I recently came across a study conducted by sleep expert Dr. Bill Dement from Stanford University in which he evaluated 11 players from the university’s men’s basketball team. For the study, the athletes were asked to sleep normally according to their habits for two to four weeks and then spend the next five to seven weeks sleeping 10 hours per night. While most of the athletes still slept fewer than nine hours per night, the results were eye-opening.
As coaches, we’re subject to having good days and bad days. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. I always like winning better than losing. Enough losses in a row, and any of us can get a little blue. So how do we maintain a joyful life? The Bible gives us some good answers, as in the text above.
Often times we are faced with adversity or obstacles in our path in life. Everyone’s trials, although similar in many ways, are unique to that person. We can never look at someone else’s suffering and how he or she handles it and lay judgment of the strength of their faith. Each one of us deals with our challenges in our own distinctive way as God deals with us in His unique manner.
In today’s world of sports, it seems that anything done for an advantage is fair game—as long as you don’t get caught.
As a Major League pitcher, I have seen it all. Managers who spend their entire careers stealing the signs of other coaches from the dugouts and down the baselines. Players who reach base do the same thing. Pitchers are supposed to throw a clean, unscratched ball, but you can do some pretty cool things with a scuffed baseball.
One of the first things Kylie Miraldi learned as a student at San Jose State University was the meaning of dehydration. Miraldi the nutrition major had studied it in class. Miraldi the athlete had experienced the physical symptoms. But it was Miraldi the Christian who faced it in a spiritual showdown.
I recently downloaded an app for my iPhone called “Eat This, Not That!” It’s the official app for the bestselling weight loss book series by the same title, which offers simple food and drink swaps we can make when eating out, grocery shopping and cooking. While not all of their swaps are necessarily “healthy.” they are always better options than the popular choices listed.
It’s hard to decide what Kara Lawson is most known for.
SEC fans remember her as the All-American from the University of Tennessee who led the Lady Vols to three Final Four appearances between 2000 and 2003. Followers of the WNBA know her as a key member of the 2005 league champion Sacramento Monarchs and now as the starting point guard for the Connecticut Sun. Still more recognize her as a member of the ESPN college basketball broadcasting team through which Lawson serves both as a studio analyst for the NCAA women’s tournament and a color commentator for men’s games. And fans of the Summer Olympics would most likely know her for the gold medal she won with Team USA in 2008.
Every Saturday in the fall, young men don their helmets and pads and suit up for their days of glory on the gridiron. They play with unyielding determination, heart and passion. They are RELENTLESS!
This fall, we interviewed college football players around the country who are passionately pursuing more than just worldly trophies and treasures. Beginning with Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, each answered the question, “Considering your relationship with Christ, what does it mean to relentlessly pursue Him?”
Coach Smith was aware that one of his players was smoking pot. There was good evidence that he had even smoked on a team trip, which was clearly a violation of team rules. But Coach Smith did not take any action or even talk with the player.
At the end of the season, the school principal called Coach Smith for a meeting and told him that there was verifiable evidence the player had consistently violated team rules. The principal also had clear evidence that the coach knew about it; consequently, he was asked to resign.
As a young girl, William and Mary lacrosse player Stephanie Steinweg looked up to female athletes. She loved watching them on the field and tried to learn what she could through observing their skills. Years later, the senior midfielder is returning the favor from the opposite end, inspiring young girls—specifically at FCA Camp—to give all they have on the field, not for their glory, but for God’s.
Texas soccer player Sharis Lachappelle is mature beyond her junior class status. A broken leg and school transfer strengthened the San Antonio native’s reliance on her Creator and helped her understand the true purpose of playing—to bring God the glory and share His light with those around her.
Saying goodbye is a tough thing to do. I have been doing it a lot lately. My two best friends moved on the same day last week — one to New York, the other to Texas. This week, I have said goodbye to a close friend who is moving on to the next level in his sport … the NFL. As I think about my dear friends and the challenges they will face in their new places, I realize that they all will do well. Why? They are all grounded in the truth.
Everybody wants the glory. Why shouldn’t we? It feels good to have someone say we played a good game. It feels good when someone compliments our athleticism or coaching skills. It feels good to hear our name over the loud speaker after a good play. The problem is, we didn’t do anything to deserve it.
Paul told the church at Corinth that they didn’t have anything they didn’t receive. That means they didn’t have anything at all that God did not give to them. Most of our society today has forgotten this.
One of the biggest conflicts I've had with teams that I've coached is how much they've said they loved the game. I would watch a game with them, and they'd tell me over and over how much they loved to play and how great the game is to them. I would immediately ask them, "When is the last time you were in the gym working on it?" I would get the same response, "I love to play, not practice."
I’m a big believer that God is in charge of your life. I believe this because I’ve seen how God has directed my path, even though I might not have been aware at the time.
So many times I was in a certain place, like when I played for the Chicago Cubs, and I thought that I was going to play there the rest of my career. Then I went to Colorado and I thought I’d be there the rest of my career. And then I went to New York. In the beginning, New York was very difficult. I didn’t understand why God put me there. But I realized over time that there was reason for everything He does, and ultimately, He’s in charge.
Playing two Division I sports is nothing new for Richmond senior Becca Wann. For the past three years the Chesterfield, Va., native has immediately gone from the soccer field to the basketball hardwood, a yearly routine that occupies eight consecutive months at a time. With those days soon coming to a close, Wann is looking to build on her already stellar athletic résumé and to utilize her platform to share her faith.
Looking to put a radio spot on your local radio stations? Here are the spots for you to use.
Both are 30 seconds and one allows you to add your own tagline.
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