I always enjoy being asked to speak to local community groups—especially to our younger audience.
For one, it helps me keep in touch with the “lingo” that young people use. For example, I found out a few years back that with kids, “mad” is used for an adjective that intensifies a strong feeling… “he has mad skills” means he is a very skilled person or athlete.)
I also learn what’s important to young people, what their biggest interests are …and, in some cases, stumble across a different way of looking at things.
One particular thing surprised me recently about a certain group of young people that I spoke with. To make a long story short, the kids expressed a dreaded fear of not being good at something…or, more importantly to them, afraid that other kids would find out a particular skill that they are not good at.
It prompted me to bring up the fact that in sports (and in life as well), failing is not only a part of an experience, but it is a way to learn, improve and make yourself better.
Using some sports examples:
- Russell Wilson, Seattle’s quarterback. He threw an interception at the end of a recent Super Bowl—one that cost his team the victory in sports’ biggest game, in front of the world’s biggest audience and on its grandest stage. Since that ill-advised throw, he’s gone on to be one of the premiere quarterbacks in the NFL and one of the sports’ most marketable players.
- Yankees’ outfielder Aaron Judge. He struck out over a whopping 200 times this past year in the regular season alone (sometimes players go years with fewer strikeouts) and yet is arguably baseball’s best up-and-coming player who received much attention for some clutch hitting during the last month of the season.
- Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook. He MISSES approximately 70% of his three-point shot attempts over the course of his career, yet is widely regarded as perhaps the NBA’s greatest three point shooters—and hundreds, if not thousands, of young people around the world are growing up tailoring their basketball ability based on his “success” (which happens 30% of the time). The changing style of basketball may have been re-written forever with more and more players shooting more three-point shots than ever before, in part because of Westbrook’s efforts.
The kids I spoke with seemed amazed by these facts–that the great athletes in the modern era actually fail many more times that they succeed…and that by not being perfect all the time—even with millions of people watching you—doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world.
I’m sure these young people would have realized these things on their own…but it certainly got me thinking. What a scary world this would turn into if people stopped trying to reach for the stars, because they’d be afraid they might burn themselves on the journey.
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As I often do here at the “SportsTalk” show, I ask local athletic directors, coaches and school administrators to pass along special accomplishments for us to highlight and let other people know about.
First, a shout-out to Freedom’s Athletic Director and Eastern Pennsylvania Conference Tennis Chair Nate Stannard for doing just that, as he sent me the EPC All-Conference Team members that were announced last week…
2017-18 EPC Girls Tennis All Conference
Robert Frey (Saucon Valley’s Athletic Director and District XI Golf Chair) passed along the results from the District XI Golfing Championship…
2017 District XI Golf Championship Results
Also, thanks to Easton’s AD Jim Pokrivsak for sending me a picture of the Red Rovers girls tennis team.
Coach Rossi and his team went a perfect 16-0 this past season and captured the EPC championship, also held last week.
If you have a player, coach or team that you feel deserves recognition or is worthy of extra attention, don’t hesitate to pass that information along to me at rcnsportstalk@rcn.com and we’ll look to highlight him/her on future editions of the “SportsTalk Shop” and/or on our weekly television show!
