Championship Events

I challenged our high school wrestlers to be engaged with the sports scene this past week and weekend.  A lot is going on.  Just tonight was the Stanley Cup Finals and the UFC fights at the White House.  Recently, the NBA Finals, RAF, World Cup, and other events have taken place.

The best athletes will always be able to glean something from these big events.  And it's extremely important to recognize the opportunity for a new source of championship information.  

Last night after the Knicks won the NBA Finals, I heard the series MVP speak to his time alone in the gym visualizing a championship.  This week I heard both hockey teams talk about systems and buy in.  These were the best athletes or the best teams in the world competing on the highest stage and we hear basic principles.  Nothing fancy.  A goal, a plan, commitment, hard work, etc.  The same stuff we preach everyday.

Championship events will never get old for me.  I love soaking in the atmospheres and looking for the stories behind the story.

Working together as a family

When I was a kid, my brother and I got hired to mow Dave and Donna Smith's lawn.  They provided the lawn mower and gas and, most times, Dave helped us pull the cord to start the mower because we were so little (and weak).  My dad also helped out on occasion because we needed a ride to their house.  One fall season, we were asked to rake the fallen leaves. So, we rallied our parents and sisters and raked a billion leaves.

We got our payment in an envelope accompanied by a refrigerator magnet that said, "the family that rakes together, aches together."  We had it on our fridge for many years.  It was actually pretty reflective of our family overall.  We did a lot of work together.  

Starting things out on a dairy farm, everyone had something to do.  Then it became sports with parents on youth boards - soccer, baseball, wrestling, etc.  We striped fields, mowed lines, set-up mats, hauled mats, and we did most of it together as a family.

Now, with kids of my own, I try to replicate some of those formative times that I had.  Times that I believe forged a strong work ethic.  Kind of like developing a grinder mentality.  So we do as much work together as we can.  We mow lawns, clean up around Victory, build things and tear them down, etc.  

Today, we went to our rental property and cleaned, mowed and painted.  All together.  And it was pretty dang fun.  We talked about life, learned basic life skills, cleaned up messes, fixed things, and just hung out together.  I actually felt like a pretty decent parent today.

World Cup - USA’s First Game

The U.S. Soccer Team put on a terrific performance tonight in the their opening game of the World Cup.  They were a lot of fun to watch.  After this game, there will be a lot of expectation on this team.  Rightfully so.  I’m excited to cheer them on.

I aim to watch as much of the World Cup as I can.  I have many reasons.  The biggest is I just enjoy watching the best people in the world doing their thing on the biggest stage.  I watch all of the big championships in as many sports as I can.  Fancy that the NBA Finals and NHL Stanley Cup Finals are happening simultaneously to the World Cup. 

I watch for habits and routines to shine through.  What’s revealed when the pressure is on is usually pretty easy to see.  I watch body language and anticipate when someone seeks out a pressure situation and answers the call.  As a fan, I sit on the edge of my seat hoping to see something like that.  Something great.  As a coach, I try to help athletes thrive in big moments.  As an athlete, I felt like I performed best when the pressure was the greatest.  I could watch top performers all day, everyday.

What are you planning on watching in the sports world over the next few weeks?

Another great camp underway

We started another great camp today.  It’s sure been a full week.  In addition to the camps at Victory, my boys are in camp mode, too.  The youngest is at church camp this week and the older two are at a team camp here in town.

We’re full of camps this month.  Our biggest one at Victory will be on Monday.  We have around 70 kids signed up for our Ben Kjar camp.  It’s going to be incredible.

Every summer, our goal is to provide “transformational” experiences for our athletes.  Camps that help change them from the inside - out.  Our Exclusive camps are our chance to dig deep and find out a lot about ourselves.  The girl’s exclusive is next weekend and the boys is the following.  Middle school kids is the week following the boys.

This week is starting out well and I can tell we’re going to gain some nice momentum and see some changed lives.  Exciting times are ahead!

It's okay if it's hard

I love wrestling.  A lot.  I love coaching and seeing things progress through a training plan.  I'm an extrovert and love being around people.  Especially people that I like and are interested in the same things that I am.  I also love a good challenge and working hard (although, that looks different at this age).  I enjoy creating things and building programs for athletes that work out in the end.  I love the process over the outcome, but I still really love winning.

But, sometimes it's hard to go to practice, even though I love it.  Sometimes, I need a break or some space, and that's okay.

If you've been following us this month, you're aware that we've started a challenge for our athletes to "Journal the Journey" and write in their notebook/journal every day.  I told them I'd lead by example and post my journal online daily.  I really love writing and sharing my options, but sometimes that's hard, too.  Or I just don't have the time for it.

Take a peak at Precious Wieser's online journal as she shares a few of the ideas above in an eloquent way.  She's writing a short series this week as part of her "Journal the Journey" experience.

It's okay if it's hard because often times, it's supposed to be.  Practice should be hard.  Breaking out of our shell should be hard.  Pursuing excellence is hard.  Wrestling, by nature should be hard.  It's great fun and brings me a lot of joy, but sometimes precisely because it's hard.

The reason I'm writing this is because tonight at practice one of our athletes shared that it's actually okay to grit your teeth and plow through the hard times, or the times you don't want to be at practice, or the times you're not having fun because that's just how it goes.  We love what we're doing, but sometimes we have a bad day or bad practice or practice is harder than we anticipated.  It was nice to hear from an athlete.

Following a plan and routine is worthwhile even if we have to embrace some suck along the way.  Showing up and pushing (or dragging) through is as important as showing up with excitement and vigor and dominating.

I had an athlete on the cusp of doing something no one had ever done in our sport at the highest level possible.  She committed to the program and dedicated her entire being to the process.  It was hard and pushed her to a breaking point.  She wanted to flat out quit and she asked me if I'd still accept her (the answer was yes).  She needed to disappear for a moment and collect her thoughts.  Then she spoke to another athlete who had done things that had never been done in her sport and she said if you never get to the point that you want out, want to quit, aren't enjoying things, then you're not giving everything you can to the goal.

That has stuck with me and shifted my perspective on everything, especially elite sports.  There's no judgement when you give everything you have to a single endeavor and get overwhelmed and want out.  If you don't get to that point, you're not giving everything you can.  It would mean there's more to give and a deeper commitment out there.  It's okay if it's hard.

We need people around us who recognize the difference between giving up/quitting when there's much more in the tank and the person who wants out because they've given everything.  Those are significantly different things.  Great coaches and teammates, friends and spouses, and others can step in and help us keep things in perspective.

It's okay if it's hard.

Book Recommendations for Summer Leaders

We built individual training plans this summer for a handful of athletes that included everything from nutrition, strength training, mental skills work, daily habits, etc. to wrestling.  Some of them are pretty in depth while others are fairly surface level.  Most of them include reading a book over the summer.

Schedules are jam packed, especially for most high achievers, so carving out time for important routines and staying committed and consistent over time is how you develop new habits.  Reading doesn't seem to be on the minds of many of the athletes we work with.

I've been able to have a few good conversations with kids about choosing the right kind of book.  Some of the heavy hitters that seem like good options are just too much for most high school kids.  For example, there are a lot of former Navy SEALS with books that are complete game changers, but a young high school wrestler might not be ready for them.  There are some very basic daily routine books out there that are essential to building a base, but some kids might need something that is higher stakes.  

So, considering this, I put together a small list of recommendations with these wrestlers in mind.  I left some obvious ones off the list while including some that are on the list every summer and most of our athletes have read in the past.

If you have any recommendations, please let us know.

Little Warriors Camp - Day 1

 Our first youth wrestling opportunity of the year was today.  We had a decent turnout and drank a lot of water throughout the day.  I like a hot and humid wrestling room, even for our little kids.

We spent some quality time on double leg attack variations plus different set-ups and finishes.  We did some live wrestling, fun combat games, and took a nice walk outside in the sprinkling rain.

I'm sure we'll have some sore and tired kids tomorrow for day 2.  We'll follow-up the Little Warriors Camp tomorrow with our first Summer School class on Wednesday then straight into an our Girl's Basic Skills Camp.  It'll be a full week.