“It’s not the will to win that matters—everyone has that. It’s the will to prepare to win that matters.” Paul “Bear” Bryant
The first game in 2015 high school football season is 75 days away. The first official practice is a 56 days away. School is out for the summer and summer football camp started last Wednesday. The 2015 Tiger football team began preparing, for W it will (likely) be his last football season as a player. He has learned a lot and grown a lot as an athlete and as a person. Being part of a team has helped hone his sense of responsibility and preparation as well as his sense of service. He is a team player – that’s what it takes for a team to be successful – players willing to put the team before themselves.
It’s during the off-season that the players come together and learn to work and play as a team. It’s the off-season when the coaches develop players and teach. There is a lot that will happen between now and the first game – a lot of growing – mentally and physically.
Saturday the Tigers travelled west for the first step in their preparation for the coming season and the NIU 7 in 7 tournament. The contest is all passing – the quarterback and receivers against a defense. It is a time to learn, a time to fail, and time to learn from failure. Because the off-season is the time to prepare.
And as The Byrds sang in the first verse of their classic song “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
To everything, turn, turn, turn.
There is a season, turn, turn, turn.
And a time to every purpose under heaven.
A time to be born, a time to die.
A time to plant, a time to reap.
A time to kill, a time to heal.
A time to laugh, a time to weep.
written by Pete Seeger
There is indeed a time for everything under the sun. My summer goals written and I need to continue to prepare for the coming year, there is a lot I can learn from W and the Tigers. Yesterday was a magnificent day and today is going to be a million and six times better. Making the Days Count, one day at a time, one step at a time, one small bit of preparation for the coming season.
What are you preparing for?
This post is in response the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Off Season. This week, we challenge you to show us what off-season means to you. It could be the shuttered ice-cream stand in the Southern Hemisphere where winter is drawing near. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere it might your snowmobile peeking out from beneath its tarp, or your Christmas decorations arranged neatly in the attic. Feel free to interpret this theme loosely — consider objects at rest and unmoved, places that are stagnant or abandoned.
Can’t wait to see how you interpret this challenge!
Gosh, forward planning or what? Most impressive! Hope you can also enjoy the moment and a welcome break: I know you can!
I usually don’t formally plan my blog posts – but Eli from Coach Daddy blog asked me to write a guest post and I needed to write the post ahead of time and it required a bit of planning and preparing. This week, I have been sitting in class trying to contain my excitement and wanting to share my learning – because by sharing, it deepens my own understanding. So far, summer is great but I know I’ll wake up in August and wonder what I have to show for it! Yikes, summer days move so much faster than the school year! Have a wonderful week.
I love the stop sign over the helmet. Daily doubles? Is W a wide receiver?
And before Pete Seeger — Ecclesiates.
Happy off-season from teaching, and on-season for everything else.
They can’t do doubles anymore – but they have football camp from 10-12 M-F and this day was a camp for high schools in the area. W plays tight end, but will line up anywhere they ask – on this play he was lined up as a receiver running a trailing route underneath coverage. He impresses me with his perseverance and hard work. Yes, Eclesiastes 3 – there is a time for everything under the sun. It’s a reminder that our time is short and we need to make every day count – have a great day and a great week!