Authorizing Authority

My whirlwind first season as a college soccer coach recently ended, so now I am working myself back to a few things that have been on the back-burner for the past few months - like my blog. I am sure some of you have been lost and confused not getting my regular posts, but hang in there, I am almost out of the woods ;)

The soccer team met last night for an end of the season banquet. It was a chance to put the season into perspective and say good-bye to the seniors for the last time. From day one I have been so impressed with the overall maturity of the players and their tremendous quality of character. No offense to the guys I played with back in the day, but there was an overall depth in spirit to these guys that was beyond what I was expecting. They truly made the experience for me such a special opportunity.

At the end of the evening the captains presented some gifts to the coaches. For me, they put together a book filled with gratitude and inspiring quotes from the players. I had a reputation this season for giving a few inspiring talks. Now, I wasn't so sure they were inspiring at the time, but apparently they had a little more impact than I thought. From reading my blogs you all can probably assume I am not real brief with my thoughts - and I think that kind of carried over to my coaching.

Early in preseason camp, I shared with the team the idea of "taking authority" for their experience. Mainly, it was about being clear and focused on what was really important to them, and not allowing outside distractions to pull their attention off of their goals. The temptation is always there to let outside influences distract us, pull us in different directions, and then allow us to make excuses for not performing our best. At least, I think that is what I shared.

So, the book of quotes from the team was their way of sharing the love back to me. They titled the book, "Authorizing Authority!" To be honest, it was the coolest gift I could have received. In the spirit of sharing the love - I am going to include some of those quotes here. Enjoy...

"There is no passion to be found in playing small, in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living."
--Nelson Mandela

"You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step of faith." --Martin Luther King Jr.

"Obedience to Truth gives men strength and power." --Anonymous

"Pray naked!" --Nate Mehring

"If there's no soccer in heaven, I'm not going!" --Paul Sanderude

"You don't know where you are going until you get there. You don't know what you are looking for until you find it. You don't know how to do something until you do it." --Jake Summerlin

"With great power comes great responsibility!" --Spiderman

"I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do." --Leonardo DaVinci

"The will to win...the will to achieve...goes dry and arid without continuous renewal." --Vince Lomabardi Jr.

"I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades...or during a game of 'fake heart attack.'" --Demitri Martin

Thanks again to all of the players and coaches for the 2008 Panther season - I love you all!

Much love,

Travis
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