Spring Football and prepping for the next season...of life

Virginia Tech football has always been known for it’s tough, blue-collar mentality.  If we weren’t the most talents or most athletic team on the field, we would outhustle and outwork you for the win.  We would deliver a whoopin’ in every game.   Last year my Virginia Tech Hokies went soft!  Our offensive and defensive lines were manhandled.  Our receivers didn’t block and just seemed to go through the motions.  When players were asked what the problem was, almost to a person, they said it was a lack of leadership. 

Coach Beamer saw where things were trending.  He changed almost the entire offensive staff and brought in a group of coaches who had “been there” and new what needed to be done to right the ship. 

Spring practice has begun andI love seeing what the coaches are doing to change the environment. 

*more intense 6:00AM practices that are pushing the players and separating those who want to be great compared to those who are just going through the motions.

* Coach Loeffler is being more verbal and demanding of an offense, that underachieved and a quarterback who had some seriously bad habits that were detrimental to his game and the team.  Everything is going back to the basics.

*Bull in the ring!  Those words bring fear to every person who ever played football who didn’t want to hit (Dion Sanders?).  Coach Grimes is requiring toughness from an offensive line that was anything but tough last year.  Check out the video!

These coaches understand that you can’t wait until game time to change a team’s culture and habits.  It must be a day-by-day event that begins right now.  It’s true what they say, “you will play like you practice”.

What areas in life do we need to change now to see long term change in becoming who we want to be?

Who are the people we need to surround ourselves with (our coaches) who will help us get headed in the right direction?

May we all have the heart to want to be all that we can possibly be.  

Bowl Games, New Years, and Great Expectations

My Hokies were in town this past Friday for the Russell Athletic Bowl.   I got a great deal on four tickets for Gina the boys to join me.  (Sophia would view going to this game, or any game, as cruel and unusual punishment).   The Virginia Tech Hokies and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights!  I was ready for the GREATEST BOWL GAME OF THE YEAR!!

Honestly, the game was ugly. Rutgers took the lead 17 seconds into the game.  I’m glad our defense was good because we couldn’t run, pass, or block.  The entire first half would have had me pulling my hair out had I had any.  My expectations went from seeing the greatest bowl game of the season to trying to figure out how to fire our entire offensive staff DURING HALFTIME! 

We go into the third quarter and now, on top of an ugly game, it begins raining.  We are all wet, slightly cold, and losing by 10.  (Just a note here, Gina did not complain about the rain, the drunk guy who rubbed her head, the overpriced $12 hamburger with nothing on it, or sitting in the rain even when the game went to Overtime.  I’m gonna have to pay for this one later on in a major way).  After tying the game in the fourth quarter and taking the lead in overtime, I was on a total adrenaline rush. I was so jacked up; I would even let the drunk guy rub my head!  This ugly game came down to a 43-yard field goal attempt by Rutgers.  The kick was up and… NO GOOD!  Everyone was hugging and high fiving and, in my mind this game had become an instant Hokie classic.  Same pathetic offense through out, sitting in a driving rain, but all of a sudden, this was the greatest game ever!

Now, looking back on 2012.  I was so FIRED UP when 2012 began.  I started back to school, my kids were set for great things in their own academics, and my dad’s life seemed to have settled down after losing my mom.  Gina’s online store seemed ready for a big year, we were ready to make new hires and move forward at the church.  I was expecting really big things!  In short, the year flopped.  2012 was one of the roughest years I have ever had to endure.  In my family, in ministry, financially, everything was a challenge and it seemed like I was always on defense and never progressing offensively.  At the end of the year though, I look back and the final 5 weeks of the year seemed like “we won by a field goal”.  Two of my kids pulled 4.0’s in school.  I finished my degree.  Gina had to downgrade her store but it is opening other opportunities for her.  Dad retired after 45 years of ministry.  And Maddie is in Amsterdam preparing to head to Africa tomorrow and she is fired up for God.  I didn’t see any of this happening in July.  I was wondering how to just survive.  The secret seems to be in not quitting.  Press on even when the game of life does not meet our expectations at the moment.  As Matthew 6:34 in the Message paraphrase says, “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.” 

2013 has launched.  I have some big goals and big expectations.  My challenge is not to quit in the second quarter and remember the game is not over.  Some of it is stuff from 2012, some of it is working toward life goals I have, and some is just high expectations. 

Do you set goals for the year? 

How do you do it? 

Do you consider your expectations to be optimistic, realistic, or pessimistic? 

Any advice?