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?

#RockReport - JV and Freshmen Results

JV (1-3)

The JV Football Team suffered a tough loss Tuesday night, losing to Brownsburg 21-6.

Offensively, the rocks were forced to run a new offense with Matt Crupi, Wes Gagnon, and Zach Rader at quarterback. Matt Crupi led the team in rushing and had the one touchdown following blocks from Matt Kinney, Will Davis, and Cameron Harrison.

Defensively, the Rocks had multiple tackles and pass break-ups from Jay Simons at safety. Also, they had a fumble recovery from Matt Kinney and a forced fumble by Luke Peters that was recovered by Keonte Crawford.

In the special teams phase, Josh Estridge was very consistent on punt as his teammate Matt Crupi ran down to make tackles from the snapper position. Ben Huntley had a big fumble recovery on the punt team and Paul Waite kicked an amazing onside kick that was recovered by Jay Simons. Turner Edwards led the team in return average from the kickoff returning position.

The JV Rocks will be at home next week as they host Zionsville on Monday at 6:00 P.M.

Freshmen (3-1)

The freshman football team played the Brownsburg bulldogs on Monday night. The Rocks came out victorious 14-12 and improved their record to 3-1. Branden Karsnick scored the rocks first touchdown on an 8 yard run. After Borwnsburg scored a touchdown Sam Trompen fought through the line to block the extra point. To start the second half Jordan Grimes ran 73 yards but it seemed like 100 yards after he continued to break tackles and throw defenders aside. Branden Karsnick scored the 2 point conversion on a run, The defense played an excellent game forcing 1 turnover and holding a powerful running team to only 12 points. Chris Davis and Noah Smith led the defense in tackles. The Freshmen team plays Zionsville next Monday the 17th at Zionsville.

#RockReport - Brownsburg

Varsity Football competed against the Brownsburg Bulldogs this weekend, in a game that extended over two nights. Storms halted the game after only a few minutes on Friday. The contest was completed Saturday night, resulting in a 17-20 loss for the Shamrocks.

Offensively, the Shamrocks struggled. The consistent play of Cory Sucese helped anchor the offensive line, and Devin Reece dazzled the highlight reel with an unbelievable one handed grab down the sideline.

The Rock D provided a few fireworks of their own, forcing several turnovers and netting 6 defensive points. Ethan Goins had an outstanding game, intercepting the football and recovering a fumble in the end zone for a score. Stephen Curry’s productivity and consistent play led a defense that hounded the bulldogs all night.

Shamrock Special Teams were able to put up some points as well. Turner Edwards blocked a punt, setting up Johnny Crawford for the scoop and score. The entire Punt Block team had a great night, harrying the Bulldog punter and providing the team several favorable turns.

Special mention should be given to Matt Crupi, Elvin Caldwell, Cam Harrison, and Brock Ginder. These Rocks made significant contributions in preparing the team for the Friday contest. They rose to the challenge each and every day this week during practice.

The Rocks travel to Zionsville this Friday for a rivalry game against the Eagles. Kickoff is at 7pm. For video highlights from the game, click here.

Leadership is... Effort

No one can ask more of another person or of himself than to give his best effort. Effort is one of the qualities over which each person has complete control. It is one of the major keys to success and represents the heartbeat of the team. Personal effort reflects a player’s passion for the team and its objectives; collective effort develops respect between teammates.

The dictionary describes effort as: the use of physical or mental energy to do something that is produced through exertion. Effort has nothing to do with talent or ability. Giving a championship effort in everything you do is a choice that you make.

Reasons for giving less than your best effort:

• laziness 
• lack of self-discipline 
• lack of mental or physical toughness 
• short attention span/inability to stay focused 
• being negatively influenced by others 
• ignorance 
• arrogance 
• inability to set goals

Reasons for giving your best effort at all times:

• quickest way to improve 
• builds confidence 
• shows the coaches that you want to play 
• makes you less likely to get injured 
• makes those around you better 
• effort is contagious 
• team success depends on it 
• allows you to feel the accomplishment that comes with hard work 
• eliminates the possibility of regret 
• develops habits that will stay with you in all areas of your life

“Welcome the tasks that makes you go beyond yourself.”

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.”

“Champions work hard even when no one is watching.”

“It is easier to work hard than to explain why you are not.”

#RockReport - JV and Freshmen Results

JV (1-2)

The JV Football Team suffered a tough loss Tuesday night, losing to Fishers 40-30.

Offensively, the rocks did outstanding in the run game but especially the passing game. Elvin Caldwell ran for over 100 yards again and Nick Alatza ran hard at tailback as well. Bailey Partlow was great at quarterback rushing for a touchdown and throwing multiple TD passes. On the receiving end, Ben Lotfalian had a huge game at wide receiver catching many deep passes and touchdown receptions. Cameron Harrison was also very consistent on the offensive side of the ball.

Defensively, the Rocks had two interceptions--one from Josh Beer and another from Turner Edwards. Turner and Luke Peters had several tackles from the safety position, while Josh Hayward and Matt Crupi made many tackles at linebacker. On the defensive line, Keyonte Crawford, Josh Estridge, and Evan Harlan had multiple tackles in the backfield.

In the special teams phase, Turner Edwards had two big kickoff returns and Paul Waite was perfect at extra points.

Freshmen (2-1)

The freshman rocks football team had a tremendous come from behind victory on Tuesday night. Noah Smith scored on a 8 yard touchdown run. Will McCool caught the 3 yard 2 point conversion. Ryan Ehlington scooped up a forced fumble by the defense and ran 48 yards to set up a touchdown for the offense. Jordan Grimes caught a 20 yard touchdown pass from Ryan Pepiot. Daniel Kainrath ripped the ball from an offensive player to get the interception. Brandon Karsnick ran an 8 yard touchdown. Jordan Grimes caught a 15 yard pass to tie the game with 1:01 left in the game. Max McCool caught the 2 point conversion to put the rocks up 2 points in the game. The defense stopped Fishers at the end of the game to secure the victory. It was a great come from behind win for the freshman team. They play Brownsburg on Monday the 10th at 6:00.

#RockReport - Fishers

Varsity Football’s trip to Fishers soured when they ended up on the wrong side of a 40-30 Tiger victory. The Rocks were looking Make the Play against Fishers, but came up short.

Offensively, the Shamrocks played outstanding. They put up 30 points through sustained drives laced with explosive plays, and led by Nick Ferrer and Devin Reece. The offensive line along with a key kick-out block from Cole McCrary cleared the way for Adam Horkay’s first scamper into the end zone, and there were several more exciting scores after that.

The Rock D had a rough outing, surrendering 40 points. The front line was anchored by the stellar play of Jacob Robinson, but it just wasn’t enough to overcome Fishers’ attack. Special Teams played well, gaining the Rocks the advantage in several stages of the game. Of particular note was the improved starting position of the offense, enabled by good kickoff returns. The blocking of Jacob Robinson, Matt Kinney, and Nick Kreig created seams for return men Emmanuel Calhoun and Johnny Crawford throughout the night.

Special mention should be given to Trey Stewart, Eric Reardon, and Nick Alatza. These three Rocks made significant contributions in preparing the team for the Friday contest. They made the play even knowing it would not gain them cheers or stats, selflessly improving our team.

The Rocks have regrouped and aim to break their slump this Friday as they host the Brownsburg Bulldogs. Kickoff is at 7pm. Video highlights of the Rocks can be found here.

Thank You Hunter, PRIDE Pins, and Special Olympics

I've got a few short points to hit today. First, a thank you to former Colts punter Hunter Smith for stopping by our practice on Thursday. He spoke at the chapel breakout and again after dinner about character. He posited a very simple goal for our players: Choose to be men of character!

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!

"The Special Olympics clinic was truly inspirational." Nick Ferrer, Junior QB