There is an old adage that goes: "Players are made in the off-season, teams are made during the season." Here's what the Rocks are doing in the off-season...
Showing posts with label PRIDE. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PRIDE. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2015
Friday, November 1, 2013
A Portrait of Resolve
I can't resist sharing articles when I come across them. It's a weakness, I know. As coaches, we are blessed to be some of the very first people to witness and recognize extraordinary resolve. Those intimately involved with the program know how special our kids are long before the papers pick up on it. So I'll admit that it's a little extra sweet when they finally do, and makes me want to share.
The Noblesville Times ran a story about Frank Grimes recently that I think is stellar. There's not a good online link unless you have an account with the Times, but you can see the headline on their main page right now. They were kind enough to pass along a copy of the article to the coaching staff. I won't steal their scoop, but I will post a couple quotations as both a teaser and because we're proud of our family members.
I enjoyed the intro, particularly the focus on "resolve:"
The Noblesville Times ran a story about Frank Grimes recently that I think is stellar. There's not a good online link unless you have an account with the Times, but you can see the headline on their main page right now. They were kind enough to pass along a copy of the article to the coaching staff. I won't steal their scoop, but I will post a couple quotations as both a teaser and because we're proud of our family members.
I enjoyed the intro, particularly the focus on "resolve:"
And then, of course, a closing quotation from Coach Gilbert:The word resolve was visible, with the date 11-29-13 underneath to signify the Class 5A state championship game.While Grimes' position in front of Westfield's season mantra was coincidental, no word better signifies his ability to overcome both family tragedy and major injury to return to the field.
“The only time, ever, I've seen him lie down on the field was when he tore his ACL. And then he just gets up and jogs off the field. It's a blessing and nobody deserves it more than this kid.”
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Be A Student of the Game
It's been pretty quiet on here, hasn't it? The coaching staff has been busy (hence a lack of articles). A lot of folks may not realize this, but there is an upside to losing early in the tournament. We'd obviously rather be playing (way, way rather be playing), but we're not about to let an opportunity for improvement pass us up. An early exit allows us to attend other practices and find lessons to apply to our own program. You can discover a lot about the nature of a team by observing them practice.
It's also an opportunity to catch up on all the work we've been putting off. Consult other coaches about certain aspects of the offense or defense. Brush up on some game film. Kick back and take in our favorite teams at the collegiate and professional levels. I'm sure that's not at all unlike many of you (especially over Thanksgiving!).
If you're a student-athlete, you should always be learning. While you're munching on that turkey, watching a game, keep your mind active. What is the team doing well? What are they doing poorly? How could you use something, anything that they are doing to improve your own play? Be a student of the game, at all times.
Just wanted to mention this in the wake of yesterday's post. We have some really smart people in our program. A high level of intelligence, team-wise, is definitely something we coaches consider a strength of Westfield Football. This fact, however, means exactly nothing for us on the field if we do not endeavor to make the most of our gifts. Offseasons are where champions are made. What are you doing to increase your football IQ?
Always strive to learn; in sport, in life, in faith.
It's also an opportunity to catch up on all the work we've been putting off. Consult other coaches about certain aspects of the offense or defense. Brush up on some game film. Kick back and take in our favorite teams at the collegiate and professional levels. I'm sure that's not at all unlike many of you (especially over Thanksgiving!).
If you're a student-athlete, you should always be learning. While you're munching on that turkey, watching a game, keep your mind active. What is the team doing well? What are they doing poorly? How could you use something, anything that they are doing to improve your own play? Be a student of the game, at all times.
Just wanted to mention this in the wake of yesterday's post. We have some really smart people in our program. A high level of intelligence, team-wise, is definitely something we coaches consider a strength of Westfield Football. This fact, however, means exactly nothing for us on the field if we do not endeavor to make the most of our gifts. Offseasons are where champions are made. What are you doing to increase your football IQ?
Always strive to learn; in sport, in life, in faith.
Thursday, September 13, 2012
Leadership is... Knowing Why
I have something a little different for today than the usual word. I've been made aware of an excellent internet video, and I wanted to share it.
The video captures a great talk about "How Great Leaders Inspire." It is given by a man named Simon Sinek and discusses a theory perhaps more geared toward professional business types, but still very, very applicable when you consider a host of other things, not the least of which is our football family. It is a very cool theory talking about how, throughout history, the very greatest of leaders have approach life differently. They key is that they start with the "why" instead of the "what." (That last link is to his web page if you'd like to read more.)
We've run a series here called #WhyICoach. At the very core of our program is the "why." Coach Gilbert has made it very clear: We do this because we believe a high school football program can be the most amazing experience of someone's life. He knows why. Manager, player, coach, parent, fan, starving child; it doesn't matter. Many of us are here because we've already experienced the truth of that goal at some point in our lives. Some of us are even experiencing it again, some for the first time.
The "what" of high school football is very easy to see. The chance for victories, glory, competition. The opportunity to influence a community and make a difference. These are all "whats." For us, they all stem from the why of attempting to achieve an amazing experience, of enhancing lives. At the very heart, it is our staunch believe that involvement in sport has the extraordinary potential to enhance lives and communities. This is why we do what we do.
To truly be the family we are meant to be, each member has to answer that question for themselves. Why are you a part of the team? Do you believe in the potential of sport? Do you believe what we believe?
Wins, hard work, making a difference... these are all things that will naturally follow once you know your "why." I think most people get stuck on winning and losing, on the what. We very much want to win, and here's why: To win, you need to outplay your opponent. To outplay your opponent, you need to outwork them, and this can be directly traced back to our PRIDE mantra. If every player takes personal responsibility for their daily effort, then we will outwork our opponent. But why give that effort? If your answer is "to win," then there are going to be days when you don't feel like giving that effort. Winning, by itself, is simply not enough. What if you don't play? What if you're injured? What if you feel disconnected from that win in some other way? These things happen in sports.
However, if you start with the "why" of creating an amazing experience, you avoid these pitfalls of effort. Why do you work hard in practice? To create an amazing experience. Why do you play hard on the field every play? To create an amazing experience. Why do you cheer from the sideline? To create an amazing experience. Why do you get pumped for service opportunities and give that some of your time? To create an amazing experience.
You have the chance to create an amazing experience for someone every day. Whether it's packing thousands of meals to feed the hungry, or selflessly giving it your all on the last sprint of the day, or just working hard in the classroom to stay eligible and improve your mind... these are things you decide to do. And if you constantly have to answer the question "why am I doing this," it's going to be very tough to stay motivated. If are already grounded in that answer, if you're focused on creating an amazing life experience for you and everyone around you, that answer becomes very easy to see. This is exactly why we say we are "hungry to serve."
Packing meals doesn't directly get us any more wins. A single selfless sprint won't show up on the stat sheet. But I guarantee you that it improves the experience. Yours, your teammates, your parents, your schoolmates, the fans, a starving child. Everything we do is done with the "why" in mind. We don't always knock it out of the park; we're human. But we know why we're doing it. We're working hard to create an amazing life experience.
Wins follow effort. To give maximum effort, you have to know why you're doing what you're doing. Our football family can achieve an amazing experience. We can be great leaders in everything we do. Unlike a Friday night victory, the experience we choose to create on a daily basis is completely within our control. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Do you believe? Are you hungry?
Here's our PRIDE pin list from last week (Brownsburg): Nick Alatza, Renzo Alvarez, Milo Beam, Josh Beer, Josh Blanton, Zane Burtron, Elvin Caldwell, Sam Coe, Johnny Crawford, Gavin Cross, Matt Crupi, Stephen Curry, Anthony Daugherty, Chris Davis, Turner Edwards, Nick Ferrer, Joey Freeze, David George, A.J. Gilchrist, Brock Ginder, Normando Gonzalez, Jake Grace, Cam Harrison, Warrick Hinshaw, Adrien Hobleman, Adam Horkay, Ben Huntley, Hunter Jakositz, Daniel Kainrath, Matt Kinney, Kory Kostecka, Nick Krieg, Zack Krieg, Dan Liebbe, Carson Lorts, Ben Lotfalian, Will McCool, Max McCool, Cole McCrary, Eric Miner, Zach Rader, Eric Rearden, Devin Reece, Jacob Robinson, Jay Simons, Evan Slagle, Deryion Sturdivant, Cory Sucese, Jacob Tebbe, Kelly Thompson, Mitch Turley, Sam Walden, Colin White, Nick Woerner, Madi Turley.
That seems like a lot of names, doesn't it? Well, it only represents 38% of our team. Our best so far this year is 50% (Fishers week), and I think we've already created a pretty cool experience. We've done a lot of good, and at best, as a team, only have 50% of our effort capacity.
Make no mistake, holding yourself personally responsible for your effort day in and day out is a very challenging expectation. The fact that these people were able to put that focus together for 7 straight days is certainly commendable. There are people in this world that will never achieve a string of 7 days of top effort in their entire life. Still, imagine what we could do with everyone making that PRIDE pin list. Imagine the experience we could create. And it starts with answering a simple question:
Why?
The video captures a great talk about "How Great Leaders Inspire." It is given by a man named Simon Sinek and discusses a theory perhaps more geared toward professional business types, but still very, very applicable when you consider a host of other things, not the least of which is our football family. It is a very cool theory talking about how, throughout history, the very greatest of leaders have approach life differently. They key is that they start with the "why" instead of the "what." (That last link is to his web page if you'd like to read more.)
We've run a series here called #WhyICoach. At the very core of our program is the "why." Coach Gilbert has made it very clear: We do this because we believe a high school football program can be the most amazing experience of someone's life. He knows why. Manager, player, coach, parent, fan, starving child; it doesn't matter. Many of us are here because we've already experienced the truth of that goal at some point in our lives. Some of us are even experiencing it again, some for the first time.
The "what" of high school football is very easy to see. The chance for victories, glory, competition. The opportunity to influence a community and make a difference. These are all "whats." For us, they all stem from the why of attempting to achieve an amazing experience, of enhancing lives. At the very heart, it is our staunch believe that involvement in sport has the extraordinary potential to enhance lives and communities. This is why we do what we do.
To truly be the family we are meant to be, each member has to answer that question for themselves. Why are you a part of the team? Do you believe in the potential of sport? Do you believe what we believe?
Wins, hard work, making a difference... these are all things that will naturally follow once you know your "why." I think most people get stuck on winning and losing, on the what. We very much want to win, and here's why: To win, you need to outplay your opponent. To outplay your opponent, you need to outwork them, and this can be directly traced back to our PRIDE mantra. If every player takes personal responsibility for their daily effort, then we will outwork our opponent. But why give that effort? If your answer is "to win," then there are going to be days when you don't feel like giving that effort. Winning, by itself, is simply not enough. What if you don't play? What if you're injured? What if you feel disconnected from that win in some other way? These things happen in sports.
However, if you start with the "why" of creating an amazing experience, you avoid these pitfalls of effort. Why do you work hard in practice? To create an amazing experience. Why do you play hard on the field every play? To create an amazing experience. Why do you cheer from the sideline? To create an amazing experience. Why do you get pumped for service opportunities and give that some of your time? To create an amazing experience.
You have the chance to create an amazing experience for someone every day. Whether it's packing thousands of meals to feed the hungry, or selflessly giving it your all on the last sprint of the day, or just working hard in the classroom to stay eligible and improve your mind... these are things you decide to do. And if you constantly have to answer the question "why am I doing this," it's going to be very tough to stay motivated. If are already grounded in that answer, if you're focused on creating an amazing life experience for you and everyone around you, that answer becomes very easy to see. This is exactly why we say we are "hungry to serve."
Packing meals doesn't directly get us any more wins. A single selfless sprint won't show up on the stat sheet. But I guarantee you that it improves the experience. Yours, your teammates, your parents, your schoolmates, the fans, a starving child. Everything we do is done with the "why" in mind. We don't always knock it out of the park; we're human. But we know why we're doing it. We're working hard to create an amazing life experience.
Wins follow effort. To give maximum effort, you have to know why you're doing what you're doing. Our football family can achieve an amazing experience. We can be great leaders in everything we do. Unlike a Friday night victory, the experience we choose to create on a daily basis is completely within our control. Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it. Do you believe? Are you hungry?
Here's our PRIDE pin list from last week (Brownsburg): Nick Alatza, Renzo Alvarez, Milo Beam, Josh Beer, Josh Blanton, Zane Burtron, Elvin Caldwell, Sam Coe, Johnny Crawford, Gavin Cross, Matt Crupi, Stephen Curry, Anthony Daugherty, Chris Davis, Turner Edwards, Nick Ferrer, Joey Freeze, David George, A.J. Gilchrist, Brock Ginder, Normando Gonzalez, Jake Grace, Cam Harrison, Warrick Hinshaw, Adrien Hobleman, Adam Horkay, Ben Huntley, Hunter Jakositz, Daniel Kainrath, Matt Kinney, Kory Kostecka, Nick Krieg, Zack Krieg, Dan Liebbe, Carson Lorts, Ben Lotfalian, Will McCool, Max McCool, Cole McCrary, Eric Miner, Zach Rader, Eric Rearden, Devin Reece, Jacob Robinson, Jay Simons, Evan Slagle, Deryion Sturdivant, Cory Sucese, Jacob Tebbe, Kelly Thompson, Mitch Turley, Sam Walden, Colin White, Nick Woerner, Madi Turley.
That seems like a lot of names, doesn't it? Well, it only represents 38% of our team. Our best so far this year is 50% (Fishers week), and I think we've already created a pretty cool experience. We've done a lot of good, and at best, as a team, only have 50% of our effort capacity.
Make no mistake, holding yourself personally responsible for your effort day in and day out is a very challenging expectation. The fact that these people were able to put that focus together for 7 straight days is certainly commendable. There are people in this world that will never achieve a string of 7 days of top effort in their entire life. Still, imagine what we could do with everyone making that PRIDE pin list. Imagine the experience we could create. And it starts with answering a simple question:
Why?
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Thank You Hunter, PRIDE Pins, and Special Olympics
I also wanted to recognize the PRIDE pin nominations for this week. You'll find the list below. A (p) after the name indicates that this was the third nomination for that person, making them eligible for a pin. Considering this is week 3, that also means their work ethic has been impeccable for the first three weeks. Good stuff.
PRIDE Pin Nominations for Week 3: Renzo Alvarez (p), Keegan Benich, Josh Blanton (p), Zane Burtron (p), Jonathan Cochran, Same Coe, Gavin Cross, Matt Crupi, Stephen Curry, Austin Dalton, Anthony Daugherty (p), Dalton Davis, Jamarcus Davis, Will Davis, Chris Davis, Jacob Eccles, Nick Ferrer (p), Joey Freeze, David George, A.J. Gilchrist, Brock Ginder, Normando Gonzalez, Jake Grace, Cameron Harrison, Jack Hiatt, Warrick Hinshaw, Adrien Hobelman, Adam Horkay (p), Ben Huntley (p), Daniel Kainrath (p), Tyler Keller, Nick Krieg (p), Zack Krieg (p), Luke Lammers (p), Dan Liebbe (p), Jordan Long, Carson Lorts (p), Ben Lotfalian, Austin Mazura, Will McCool, Max McCool, Cole McCrary, Daryn Milton, Eric Miner, Ryan Pape, Bailey Partlow, Ryan Pepiot, Luke Peters, Devin Reece, Jacob Robinson (p), Nick Schaeffer, Logan Schneider, Cam Shaw, Jay Simons (p), Evan Slagle (p), Noah Smith, Luke Speek, Trey Stewart, Deryion Sturdivant (p), Jacob Tebbe (p), Sam Trompen, Ryan Tuffnell, Mitch Turley (p), Paul Wait (p), Sam Walden, Blake Waters, Colin White, Nick Woerner (p), Ryan Wonderlin, Grady Young, Andy Aiken.
Finally, the team wanted to say thank you to all of the Special Olympians that attended Saturday's clinic. From all accounts, it was a blast. I've embedded the group picture below (along with a quotation from team Captain Nick Ferrer), but there are a whole bunch more. 170 of them, to be exact. I've uploaded them into an album that anyone can view if you click here. Enjoy, and go Rocks!
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| "The Special Olympics clinic was truly inspirational." Nick Ferrer, Junior QB |
Friday, August 24, 2012
Gameday: Avon
Home opener tonight! Your Westfield Shamrocks will play host to the Avon Orioles, looking to extend our record to 2-0. Avon has been a particularly tough opponent for us, but this year we're looking to claim our seat at the table. We've prepared hard for this game.
I'm told the theme tonight is "Beach Party." Kickoff is at 7pm. No directions this week, just look for the bright lights in your backyard. Listen for the cheering.
Something new for this week, to remind us of our all the work we've put in (and to give credit where credit is due), I'm going to share the list of PRIDE Pin nominees. A bit of an explanation: PRIDE stands for "Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort." Each week, the coaches select the Rocks in their position group that have shown a high level of personal responsibility, and put forth exemplary effort in all areas expected of them by the coaching staff. This is not just practice effort. This includes efforts in lifting, classwork, self-review of film on Hudl... everything. If any coach can find even one place where a player is deficient in effort, they do not receive a nomination. Three nominations grant that player a PRIDE pin. In our program, this is a very prestigious award.
For week 2, the following Rocks earned a PRIDE Pin nomination:
Renzo Alvarex, Josh Blanton, Jalon Burns, Zane Burtron, Emmanual Calhoun, Sam Coe, Johnny Crawford, Anthony Daugherty, Will Davis, Turner Edwards, Nick Ferrer, Logan Floor, Ethan Goins, Normando Gonzalez, Caleb Graff, Conner Harrison, Josh Hayward, Nick Henderson, Jack Hiatt, Adam Horkay, Ben Huntley, Austin Jordan, Daniel Kainrath, Kory Kostecka, Nick Krieg, Zack Krieg, Luke Lammers, Dan Liebbe, Carson Lorts, Austin Mazura, Eric Miner, Ryan Pape, Ryan Pepiot, Devin Reece, Jacob Robinson, Jay Simons, Evan Slagle, Deryion Sturdivant, Cory Sucese, Jacob Tebbe, Kelly Tompson, Sam Trompen, Mitch Turley, Paul Wait, Ben Wainscott, Sam Walden, Nick Woerner, Grady Young, Dani Hartnett, Patrick Wood, Peyton Lorts, Carlie Crain, Andy Aiken.
I'm told the theme tonight is "Beach Party." Kickoff is at 7pm. No directions this week, just look for the bright lights in your backyard. Listen for the cheering.
Something new for this week, to remind us of our all the work we've put in (and to give credit where credit is due), I'm going to share the list of PRIDE Pin nominees. A bit of an explanation: PRIDE stands for "Personal Responsibility In Daily Effort." Each week, the coaches select the Rocks in their position group that have shown a high level of personal responsibility, and put forth exemplary effort in all areas expected of them by the coaching staff. This is not just practice effort. This includes efforts in lifting, classwork, self-review of film on Hudl... everything. If any coach can find even one place where a player is deficient in effort, they do not receive a nomination. Three nominations grant that player a PRIDE pin. In our program, this is a very prestigious award.
For week 2, the following Rocks earned a PRIDE Pin nomination:
Renzo Alvarex, Josh Blanton, Jalon Burns, Zane Burtron, Emmanual Calhoun, Sam Coe, Johnny Crawford, Anthony Daugherty, Will Davis, Turner Edwards, Nick Ferrer, Logan Floor, Ethan Goins, Normando Gonzalez, Caleb Graff, Conner Harrison, Josh Hayward, Nick Henderson, Jack Hiatt, Adam Horkay, Ben Huntley, Austin Jordan, Daniel Kainrath, Kory Kostecka, Nick Krieg, Zack Krieg, Luke Lammers, Dan Liebbe, Carson Lorts, Austin Mazura, Eric Miner, Ryan Pape, Ryan Pepiot, Devin Reece, Jacob Robinson, Jay Simons, Evan Slagle, Deryion Sturdivant, Cory Sucese, Jacob Tebbe, Kelly Tompson, Sam Trompen, Mitch Turley, Paul Wait, Ben Wainscott, Sam Walden, Nick Woerner, Grady Young, Dani Hartnett, Patrick Wood, Peyton Lorts, Carlie Crain, Andy Aiken.
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