Life Lessons

As a coach or a player, how many times have you heard or said, "He/she is really a good athlete"? Whatever you reward or recognize as being an athlete will be what your young people will live up to. Too often, this comment is directed toward a person who has a high level of physical skill, moves fluently, scores goals, or defeats an opponent on the scoreboard. Coaches refer to this person as an "athlete" while overlooking their less-than-best effort or attitude, and by doing so are settling for less than the young person is capable of and doing them a lifelong disservice. Young people in our care will meet any standards we set for being an athlete (high or low).

Being an athlete is more than having physical skills and more than happening to be better than an opponent on a certain day. These traits are God-given gifts that you have no control over. Being an athlete has nothing to do with gender, age, or sport. Being an athlete (great teammate) involves choices you make on the things you do have control over — effort and attitude — in other words, character issues. Choices versus accidental characteristics. Please do not consider yourself an "athlete" just because you have been blessed with some skill. Talent is something that can be developed or squandered — it is something you are lucky enough to have, not something you have "earned."