This video is amazing. The funny part is they asked me to be in it but I just didn't have time.
Seriously - watch this video because the things they do are pretty cool.
April 18, 2011
April 13, 2011
April 11, 2011
April 05, 2011
2011 NCAA Championship Game
From a fan perspective it was not a very good NCAA Championship game. It was not fun to watch. But I just read a great article written by Dan Wetzel that talks about the power of friendship, teamwork, and family. Take the time to read it and be inspired to be a part of a great team today. A team that exists for a greater purpose than to glorify the individuals on the team.
HOUSTON – Shawn Vanzant sat in the corner of the Butler locker room, sobbing, his teammates said, at an almost uncontrollable level. Next to him was Matt Howard, a towel draped over his head, the tears coming just as hard.
Together, the two seniors had shot 3 for 23, an absolutely abysmal, crushing performance in the biggest game of their lives. Connecticut was outside clipping the national championship nets. In here it was just hell, the aftermath of a great team gone bad – 12-of-64 shooting, a record-low 18.8 percent from the floor, a measly 41 total points, the lowest since the shot clock was invented.
(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Vanzant thought it was his fault. Howard felt no better.
And that’s when Ronald Nored, eyes red and tear-filled as well, noticed his teammates, got up, crossed the locker room and reminded everyone what this entire pursuit is about.
He pulled Shawn Vanzant up off his stool and hugged his friend, physically and emotionally attempting to lift him out of his depression.
After a few seconds, Nored stepped over to Howard and did the same. And soon enough, his teammates followed. One after the other, from the freshmen to the managers, from the benchwarmers to the starters, every last Butler Bulldog was taking a moment to remind each other, particularly those bottomed-out seniors, that this was about a lot more than some basketball game.
“It [was] hard for me to watch; it’s hard for me to talk about,” coach Brad Stevens said of the scene, his voice catching and his eyes watering behind his glasses.
“But it’s the best part of the story.”
The story of Butler, the one that’s captured underdog hearts for two consecutive NCAA tournaments, was always about a group finding a way to be better than its individual parts. The Bulldogs were a family, they said. They were a brotherhood, they reminded. They believed they could reach back-to-back NCAA title games when there was no logical reason to think such a thing was possible.
This is what all kinds of teams say, of course. And it’s easy to be a family when the shots are falling and victories are piling up and you’re shocking the world night after night. It’s another when you take the grandest stage in college basketball and proceed to experience a failure of historic proportions.
Butler hit just 3 of 31 shots inside the arc. It made just six baskets in each half. At one point, the Bulldogs missed 13 in a row. They clanked open shots and blew gimmes they make in their sleep. As much credit as the long-armed Huskies’ defense deserves, in the back of every Bulldogs’ mind was the thought that they gave this away by playing the worst game of their lives at the worst possible moment.
“All the people who played in the game think they let us down,” Stevens said. “And that’s ridiculous.”
That’s also when everything gets tested. Butler blew it and that’s when fingers tend to get pointed and playing time gets questioned and selfishness can rise up. If only he had made that lay-up. If only he had knocked down that open jumper.
“It’s very easy to just think about yourself and be frustrated in the situation,” Howard said.
Instead, the Bulldogs showed all the talk was real. They did it one hug after the next. One whispered “I love you” after another. One pat on the back and look into the eye and honest bit of concern. The harder some cried, the harder the rest worked to ease the pain.
Stevens stood in that locker room, took it all in and saw the kind of miracle for which coaches strive – collective support in the lowest and rawest of moments. Kids caring about kids. Perspective and purpose on display. It may not get you a clipped net, but that’s some kind of championship in itself.
“Hard, hard to put into words,” Stevens said, his voice trailing a bit.
“It’s probably the great thing about sports,” assistant coach Matthew Graves said.
Nored said he never hesitated. Once he noticed Vanzant in such a state, the game didn’t matter. Only his friend did.
(Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
“That’s what we’re here for, we’re here for each other,” Nored said. “In the big picture, who really cares about basketball? It’s about the guys in this locker room. I wanted Shawn to know we don’t really care that his shot didn’t go in; we care about him.”
Howard, just a half-hour later, could only marvel at the entire thing. Butler had come to win the title on Monday, but when he gathered the team pregame in the tunnel, he told everyone to forget what was at stake.
“Don’t think about the national championship,” he shouted. “This is our last time playing together.”
With that, the Bulldogs broke huddle and sprinted out into the dome.
A couple hours later, his message meant more than ever. The national championship was gone. The appreciation of playing together was not. He couldn’t hide under that towel after the game. His teammates wouldn’t let him.
“[They] come over and give you a hug and tell [you] how much [they] love [you] and appreciate [you] and that is what this team is about,” Howard said. “It’s really uplifting because no matter the result, they want to be a part of this team and that is all that’s on their mind. They want to pick you up.
“It’s a special group. That’s the only reason we’ve been able to do what we have.”
They talk a lot about the “Butler Way” around here, although no one has a specific definition of it. Mostly it’s about being selfless, not caring who gets the points or the headlines or the accolades. Here on the night of a bitter, bitter defeat, Brad Stevens was reminded it can mean a whole lot more than that.
“You know if someone has to go 12 of 64 and lose that game and do it that way,” he said, “these guys have the character to handle that.”
The game had been a nightmare. The embarrassment of all those misses will linger. The frustration of so many good players failing to make simple shots will haunt them.
But it won’t happen alone. Not with these guys. Not after Ronald Nored hugged Shawn Vanzant in the corner of that locker room and just wouldn’t let go.
April 04, 2011
April 01, 2011
team work
Four different people played the part of Darth Vader (body, face, voice, and breathing).
Sometimes we think we can or should do it all. It's important to know what you do well and what you aren't good at. By doing it all yourself you may be coming up short. With teamwork we are able to accomplish so much more than if we just go it alone.
Who's on your team?
Is everyone playing the right role?
March 31, 2011
24 ways for getting out of your funk
I read this on the blog of Michael Hyatt and I thought it was super helpful. Take a look and see what you think.
Sometimes, you get stuck in a funk and can’t figure out why. Maybe it is something tangible and specific. Maybe it is nothing in particular.
Photo courtesy of ©iStockphoto.com/erikreis
For example, a month ago, we had two gorgeous weeks of spring. The temperatures were in the 70s, the birds were singing, the daffodils began to bloom. I caught myself whistling as I was leaving for work.
But, as usual in Tennessee, cold weather has returned. Right now it feels just like winter. The temperatures are in the 40s. It’s overcast and raining. Last night, for no apparent reason, I caught myself in a funk.
What do you do?
Well, if you’re a blogger, you see an opportunity (or at least a post!) in every problem. I decided to make a list of twenty-four “hacks” (or quick fixes) for getting out of my funk:
- Write a list of 10 things you are thankful for. Be specific.
- Put on some upbeat, happy music. I like Keith Urban.
- Go for a walk—or a run.
- Plan a vacation or, better yet, go on one!
- Schedule an appointment with a counselor.
- Talk to a good friend who knows how to listen.
- Have a good cry. It’s okay. It will cleanse your emotional system.
- Take control of that little voice in your head. “Change channels.”
- Turn off the TV and the radio.
- Read the Psalms.
- Do volunteer work with a local charity.
- Organize your desk and/or your office.
- Take one “baby step action” for each of your top three projects.
- Take the afternoon off and take a nap.
- Get a massage or sit in a hot jacuzzi or tub.
- Change positions. If you are sitting, stand. If you are standing, sit.
- Pray. Pour out your heart to God.
- Smile. Your emotions will usually follow your body’s lead.
- Do that one thing you fear the most.
- Write a love note to your spouse and mail it.
- Excuse yourself from negative conversations.
- Resist the temptation to complain—about anything!
- Forget the past. Ignore the future. Be fully present NOW.
- Stop worrying about things you have no control over.
Recent Comments