mo·ti·va·tion
ˌmōdəˈvāSH(ə)n/ noun
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Stars vs Non-StarsAlthough this is a Hockey article...Fabulous analogy of "Stars and Non Stars".
I wanted to write an article about the importance of every single player on a team. A small percentage of every team from youth hockey all the way to the NHL is made up of star players. Typically eighty percent of a team is made up of what I am going to call the "non star players'. I want parents who are standing in the cold bleachers to know that even if your child is not on the first line scoring the goals, or racking up the assists or on the first defensive line, power play or penalty kill, that your son or daughter is an integral part of the hockey team. There are many cogs in the wheel that are necessary to make the wheel spin. I am constantly explaining this to my players, and teams. Parents should not feel bad standing next to the star players parents because their children are responsible for helping the star player child be that flashy goal scorer. I have friends that had long and successful NHL careers playing on the third and fourth line. Here are some tips for the "non star players": 1. Be vocal on the bench and the ice. Cheer your teammates on when they finish their shift. Start a bench pat and send it down the line periodically through the game. Don't be afraid to talk on the ice. Let a teammate know you are behind him or her, ready, or congratulate a nice play or pass by just saying 'Nice!" This also can psyche the opposing team out. It is hard to beat a team that is unified and gels. Please take pride in yourself as you are just as important on the team as the star player because you are. 2. Leadership. The goal scorers or stars are not always or actually usually not the team leaders. They may be gifted with natural ability, but not necessarily have the charisma or gift of gab of others. Non-star players are often the leaders of a team. There is nothing better than a team full of leaders, charisma and respect for all players. That is the team that will go all the way. 3. Be the first on the ice and the last off the ice. Work ethic is important for both the star players and the non-star players. When doing a drill, don't look to see if the coach or parents are watching. Be focused on the drill and yes your efforts will be noticed. Be the best practice player and you will be a star player. 4. Push your teammates to do better. Push each other including the last person in a drill. Say, "Nice effort, keep it up!" 5. Take pride in your role or your child's role. Notice the little things that happen in a game that YES contribute to a win or a great effort. I believe the assist to the assists of goals should count for points even though they do not count on the stat sheet. The shot blocked should count for a point. Taking the hit to save the play should count for a point. Winning the battle for the puck should count for a point. Winning the face off should count. Winning the race to the puck and battling for the puck and coming up with the puck, or batting so hard that a teammate can grab the puck should count for a point 6. Making all teammates smile or feel good about his or her game or the win. Every single player is responsible for the win! 7. Most importantly rally around your goalie. ESPECIALLY when he or she is in a losing streak. 8. It is a long season. Make a joke in the locker room, have a team joke that is an inside joke only to your teammates. Make each other laugh and become friends You need different personalities for a winning team. A happy-go-lucky joker as well as the serious down to business player Tips for the star players: Be fortunate that you are the star player, but realize that every player on the team is just as important and helps assist you to get those goals. Be humble and cheer on the non-star players and become a tight knit group and care for each other - that is how to win. Have heart! Non-star players can become the star players and vise versa: Don't think that you are pigeon-holed the "non-star player” or "star player". Things change quickly in hockey. You can become the star player of a particular game, or season, or the following season. The key is to keep working hard and don't feel bad about an off game or a bad shift. Pick yourself up and go for it the next game or the next shift. Remember that hockey is a game of mistakes. Recover and learn from the mistakes and move on, no big deal, guys and gals. The star players of the NHL make mistakes too. Don't forget to take pride in yourself whatever role you have on the team. Remember, you made that team and everybody is an important member and integral on helping the team to victory. Hockey is funny, different players step up at different times. And in my eyes (which are trained eyes of the game) the steady "non-star players are also my stars”. Jeff Serowik |
Fathers's EyesThis story is about a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. Practice after practice, he eagerly gave everything he had. But being half the size of the other boys, he got absolutely nowhere.
At all the games, this hopeful athlete sat on the bench and hardly ever played. This teenager lived alone with his father, and the two of them had a very special relationship. Even though the son was always on the bench, his father was always in the stands cheering. He never missed a game. This young man was still the smallest of the class when he entered high school. But his father continued to encourage him but also made it very clear that he did not have to play football if he didn’t want to. But the young man loved football and decided to hang in there. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice or a game but remained a bench-warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college, he decided to try out for the football team as a walk-on. Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he kept him on the roster because he always puts his heart and soul to every practice, and at the same time, provided the other members with the spirit and hustle they badly needed. The news that he had survived the cut thrilled him so much that he rushed to the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared the son’s excitement and received season tickets for all the college games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during his four years at college, but he never got to play in a game. It was the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the practice field shortly before the big playoff game, the coach met him with a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deathly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “My father died this morning. Is it all right if I miss practice today”? The coach put his arm gently around his shoulder and said, “Take the rest of the week off, son. And don’t even plan to come back to the game on Saturday.” Saturday arrived, and the game was not going well. In the third quarter, when the team was ten points behind, a silent young man quietly slipped into the empty locker room and put on his football gear. As he ran onto the sidelines, the coach and his players were astounded to see their faithful team-mate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play. I’ve just got to play today,” said the young man. The coach pretended not to hear him. There was no way he wanted his worst player in this close playoff game. But the young man persisted, and finally, feeling sorry for the kid, the coach gave in. “All right,” he said. “22 You can go in.” Before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little unknown, who had never played before was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he passed, blocked, and tackled like a star. His team began to triumph. The score was soon tied. In the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and ran all the way for the winning touchdown. The fans broke loose. His team-mates hoisted him onto their shoulders. Such cheering you never heard. Finally, after the stands had emptied and the team had showered and left the locker room, the coach noticed that this young man was sitting quietly in the corner all alone. The coach came to him and said, “Kid, I can’t believe it. You were fantastic! Tell me, what got into you? How did you do it?” The young man looked at the coach, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Well, you knew my dad died, but did you know that my dad was blind?” The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “Dad came to all my games, but today was the first time he could see me play, and I wanted to show him I could do it.” |
Hold the RopeI went down to Home Depot, and bought a long rope. I cut about a 5 inch piece off that rope and gave one to each and every player and coach in our program. I encouraged them to carry it with them all season. I was encouraged to see many of the boys took my words to heart, and most attached these ropes to their key chains.
HOLD THE ROPEEvery year a professional football team wins the championship. Every year a college football team wins the NCAA title. Every year the best high school team in Division A on down wins the state crown. All these teams have one thing in common: No matter how tough it became throughout their season, they did one thing — they held the rope! What is “holding the rope?” Imagine that you are hanging from the edge of a cliff with a drop of twenty thousand feet. The only thing between you and an fall to your death is a rope, with the person of your choice on the other end. Who do you know that has the guts to pull you to safety? Who will hold the rope? Who do you know that is going to let that rope burn their hand and not let go? How many people that you know are going to withstand the burning pain and watch the blood drip from their hands for you? If you can name two people, that’s not good enough, because those two people might not be around. The next time your team is together, look around and ask yourself, “Who could I trust to hold the rope? Who is going to let their hands bleed for me?” When you can look at every member on your team and say to yourself that they all would hold the rope, you are destined to win a lot of ball games. You see, the team that holds the rope when the going gets tough are winners. When you are down by four points with thirty seconds to go, don’t give up. Yell at your teammates to “hold the rope — let it burn but don’t let go!” Every year there are winners and losers in all sports. Every year the winners hold the rope. You don’t have to have the best team on the field to win the game. If you play with poise and do what your coaches ask of you, and most of all — hold the rope — you will be successful. No matter what sport you play, in order to win, you have to have a commitment to your team. If you are supposed to run three times per week, do it. If you have to lift weights three times per week, don’t miss. Once you start letting up at practice or start missing your workouts, you’ve killed the team because you didn’t hold the rope! Don’t let your team down! You’ve got to hold the rope! |