It has been over a month now since I took Jake to Cleveland Clinic to evaluate his epilepsy. Surgery was denied, my heart was broken for him, and yet in the midst of that there is always hope.
Last Saturday, while watching Notre Dame play he looked over at me and said " I really miss playing football".
and my heart fluttered a little bit.
and I thought about what it would be like to re-enroll him in high school
and what a royal pain all that was for me
but how very much he loved it.
And the answer just came out of my mouth: well, if you want to go back and play, we could make that happen.
Jake is in the midst of his growth spurt- at his last visit with the neurologist two weeks ago he was 6'3" and 260#. He is a massive human being - perfect size, though, for a lineman or any other Paul Bunyan sized job you might need done.
Back in June, he was in the pool and had a seizure as he was coming out of the pool. Our friends, Nick and Jim Auby happened to be at pool right as it happened. Jake, being a substantial person who was now dead weight, needed to be pushed and pulled out of the water. Thank God that Jim and Nick were there to help Brady and I get him out of the water.
The beauty of this possibility is that if Jake were to go back to school and play ball, he would be an offensive lineman responsible for protecting Nick Auby, who will be the quarterback in the same age-group. Seems only fair, doesn't it.
So then there is the question of letting someone with epilepsy play football- I googled it- there are about a dozen pro players who have well controlled epilepsy- and tons more who play high school and college ball successfully.
We have had a month without a seizure- and he feels good - and he is sleeping well- and for right now, he has the potential to get a normal ( thought well medicated) life back. Makes sense that he would want one.
There is a passage in Jeremiah that I have thought of often during these days of uncertainty: I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you a bountiful life and a future. Those words give me comfort - and in the -past couple of days as I am thinking about sending him back to school, I wonder if this was perhaps the plan all along. We shall see.
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Showing posts with label football. Show all posts
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Monday, September 06, 2010
Trust and Peyton Manning
I love Peyton Manning for a number of reasons including his humility and candor. He is accomplished and has been known to tell people that he and the offensive coordinator are the ones calling the plays - not the other members of the team. And given his success, he has a right to trust his own judgement. He told the following story starting at about the 5:30 mark on this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QZow3cuCOU
I've heard it in another interview as well, so this is paraphrased:
During the regular season, a second-year back up tight end named Brian Fletcher got to rotate in the lineup. The first time Peyton threw him a pass, they had a rhythm and an energy like guys who had been playing together for years. Brian really likes to give his ideas in the huddle for a number of offensive plays, mostly featuring him, so many of these suggestions go unnoticed. Peyton fondly calls him "The Suggestion Box". After their first game together, several games went by and he never threw to him again for one reason or another.
They still saw each other in practice, but Peyton's primary target was back to being Marvin. Still on the same team and with the same goal, but not working together at each practice.
During the 4th quarter of the AFC Championship game against rival New England Patriots, Brian once again got his chance. Brian came to the huddle and again suggested that Peyton put his faith in him and run a play that featured him receiving the ball. Peyton described as vibrating with all-over- the-place exuberance. Usually when Brian suggested such a play, Peyton said he was resistant, but this one time, he decided to try something different and use the suggestion.
The play was run, and the pass was incomplete. Fletcher didn't hold on to it despite being hit right in the numbers, and a down was wasted, and only he was to blame.
There had been a mistake - and it was serious enough that it could cost them the game.
To his credit, Fletcher comes back to the huddle and asked Peyton to run a corner route and trust him to catch it this time. Peyton told him that it took a lot of nerve to ask him to risk the game so that one person could prove himself. Fletcher asked him to do it anyway. Peyton, despite having been disappointed by this person just moments before - took a step back and thought about the suggestion - and did what Fletcher asked him to do.
The rest of the story is predictable, Peyton throws, Fletcher catches it for a 17-yard gain and 6 plays later Joseph Addai runs it in for a touchdown, winning the game ( I told you it was a Peyton story, of course they won).
Peyton said later, that if he wouldn't have said "yes" to Fletcher and believed in him, even though he had failed at the very same task just minutes before, they might have lost the game. Having faith that both of them were after the same result enabled him to trust the young receiver and complete his mission.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QZow3cuCOU
I've heard it in another interview as well, so this is paraphrased:
During the regular season, a second-year back up tight end named Brian Fletcher got to rotate in the lineup. The first time Peyton threw him a pass, they had a rhythm and an energy like guys who had been playing together for years. Brian really likes to give his ideas in the huddle for a number of offensive plays, mostly featuring him, so many of these suggestions go unnoticed. Peyton fondly calls him "The Suggestion Box". After their first game together, several games went by and he never threw to him again for one reason or another.
They still saw each other in practice, but Peyton's primary target was back to being Marvin. Still on the same team and with the same goal, but not working together at each practice.
During the 4th quarter of the AFC Championship game against rival New England Patriots, Brian once again got his chance. Brian came to the huddle and again suggested that Peyton put his faith in him and run a play that featured him receiving the ball. Peyton described as vibrating with all-over- the-place exuberance. Usually when Brian suggested such a play, Peyton said he was resistant, but this one time, he decided to try something different and use the suggestion.
The play was run, and the pass was incomplete. Fletcher didn't hold on to it despite being hit right in the numbers, and a down was wasted, and only he was to blame.
There had been a mistake - and it was serious enough that it could cost them the game.
To his credit, Fletcher comes back to the huddle and asked Peyton to run a corner route and trust him to catch it this time. Peyton told him that it took a lot of nerve to ask him to risk the game so that one person could prove himself. Fletcher asked him to do it anyway. Peyton, despite having been disappointed by this person just moments before - took a step back and thought about the suggestion - and did what Fletcher asked him to do.
The rest of the story is predictable, Peyton throws, Fletcher catches it for a 17-yard gain and 6 plays later Joseph Addai runs it in for a touchdown, winning the game ( I told you it was a Peyton story, of course they won).
Peyton said later, that if he wouldn't have said "yes" to Fletcher and believed in him, even though he had failed at the very same task just minutes before, they might have lost the game. Having faith that both of them were after the same result enabled him to trust the young receiver and complete his mission.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Believing Your Own Press - a lesson in Humility
I was in college before I knew that my family had money. I happened to be talking to this nice Lebanese boy who was in the IU Business School and when he asked what my father did for a living ( he was a CFO at the time) his brows went up and he declared that we were wealthy. I was shocked.
It wasn't until my father's funeral that we heard the litany of football hero stories from his early adulthood. We had no idea that he still held passing records at Logansport High School, or that he was in the Hall of Fame at University of Detroit. We just didn't know- because he didn't talk much about it, and when someone would bring it up, he would downplay the whole thing.
I was on TV several times while in high school - even athlete of the week once. Never thought it was important - still don't in the grand scheme of things.
I think the most important thing I learned from my father was to never believe your own press - your own cabinet full of accolades - all those people who tell you how amazing and wonderful and irreplaceable you are. Mostly because opinions change. There is always a new winner of the Superbowl, the World Series, and the World Cup. There is always a new hero on the scene. I love getting awards as much as the next person - especially if they are monetary - but I have found that while I may be the team hero in January, in June I might be the weakest link in the team chain.
The greatest temptation of Christ was probably not corporal, but the temptation of power - of recognition- of having everyone's allegiance and respect ( at least externally). It is an intoxicating potion, the perception that we are something special - that we are somehow gifted and blessed above others. And the more we hear these comments, the more likely we are to actually start believing them. We WANT to believe them.
We start saying things like: I deserve better; He isn't good enough for me; she is just not in my class of people, I would never be seen in public with him/ her or in THAT. We start to believe our own press agent who is busy convincing the world that we are something amazing.
All of us have our gifts, and channelled into our calling, we can be amazing- but it is an aspect of us. Michaelangelo was a great artisan, but could he make a great pot of soup? Who knows. But the odds are he wasn't amazing at everything - so while he had a talent, and he put it to good use, he was just a guy like the rest of us.
I'll never forget a very heated argument that I had with my friend who also works for my same company. She had encouraged me to write down all the things I did that were over and above my job description, to list out the lives I had impacted and the special projects I had worked on. My job involves both my skill set and my calling. I am usually pretty good at it - but I am not amazing at everything. So I refused to do this - and said it wasn't that important. In the end, I decided to compromise and kind of make a list in order to provide rationale for my promotion ( a monetary reward will get me motivated) but it still wasn't as much as she wanted.
So the moral of the story is that we have to be humble, keep our amazingness to ourselves, and let our actions brag about who we are, rather than our words.
It wasn't until my father's funeral that we heard the litany of football hero stories from his early adulthood. We had no idea that he still held passing records at Logansport High School, or that he was in the Hall of Fame at University of Detroit. We just didn't know- because he didn't talk much about it, and when someone would bring it up, he would downplay the whole thing.
I was on TV several times while in high school - even athlete of the week once. Never thought it was important - still don't in the grand scheme of things.
I think the most important thing I learned from my father was to never believe your own press - your own cabinet full of accolades - all those people who tell you how amazing and wonderful and irreplaceable you are. Mostly because opinions change. There is always a new winner of the Superbowl, the World Series, and the World Cup. There is always a new hero on the scene. I love getting awards as much as the next person - especially if they are monetary - but I have found that while I may be the team hero in January, in June I might be the weakest link in the team chain.
The greatest temptation of Christ was probably not corporal, but the temptation of power - of recognition- of having everyone's allegiance and respect ( at least externally). It is an intoxicating potion, the perception that we are something special - that we are somehow gifted and blessed above others. And the more we hear these comments, the more likely we are to actually start believing them. We WANT to believe them.
We start saying things like: I deserve better; He isn't good enough for me; she is just not in my class of people, I would never be seen in public with him/ her or in THAT. We start to believe our own press agent who is busy convincing the world that we are something amazing.
All of us have our gifts, and channelled into our calling, we can be amazing- but it is an aspect of us. Michaelangelo was a great artisan, but could he make a great pot of soup? Who knows. But the odds are he wasn't amazing at everything - so while he had a talent, and he put it to good use, he was just a guy like the rest of us.
I'll never forget a very heated argument that I had with my friend who also works for my same company. She had encouraged me to write down all the things I did that were over and above my job description, to list out the lives I had impacted and the special projects I had worked on. My job involves both my skill set and my calling. I am usually pretty good at it - but I am not amazing at everything. So I refused to do this - and said it wasn't that important. In the end, I decided to compromise and kind of make a list in order to provide rationale for my promotion ( a monetary reward will get me motivated) but it still wasn't as much as she wanted.
So the moral of the story is that we have to be humble, keep our amazingness to ourselves, and let our actions brag about who we are, rather than our words.
Not Cheerleader - I'm a Trainer!
My dad coached football from the time I was in third grade until long after I had kids of my own. In the early days, I was the water girl - running in during the time outs and helping lug equipment back and forth to practice.
When I got to high school, I still went to practice. During two a days, I stood back with all the parents and watched practice. Iron Mike McGinley came over to me after practice and asked if I'd like to be the trainer for the varsity team. I went home and talked it over with my dad. A resounding yes followed and so began my path as an athletic trainer.
I went through 6 weeks of classes - went to every practice for all 4 seasons I was at Cathedral - then added in basketball for my junior and senior years. I lettered in football for 4 years and in basketball for 2. I wrapped a zillion ankles and wrists and butterflied cuts and iced down all sorts of parts. It was remarkable and rewarding and made me want to be an orthopedist when I got through college. I enrolled in IU in the athletic training program, made the cut and was well on my way to finishing my clinical hours. How that changed is a whole other story.
The point is, there is a big difference between the cheerleaders on the sidelines and the coaching staff. While both may be female, as a trainer, my job is not to distract the players from their focus on the game, but to allow them to get healthy- get taped up - get hydrated - and get back in the game as quickly as possible. Our goals are the same, the player and the trainer - to win the game through optimal performance. Their win is my win, even if I never put my hands on the ball. During the game, we are all business - talking about the defense, talking about game strategy and who is healthy enough to substitute. When the game is won, and the time is appropriate for relaxing - then it is okay for me to be a distraction. I learned to be patient, to wait for the right time, to help my players keep their focus- it wasn't unusual for me to even have a conversation with particular girlfriends to tell them to wait until after the game to talk to their man.
I will not be a cheerleader - chanting rote hymns over and over again without realizing that we are now on offense again. It is important to know what is going on in the game - very imporant, in fact. The difference is in the ability to be helpful versus being a beautiful distraction. I would choose helpful more often than not. It is the same way in life - when you care about someone, the ability to be supportive, to help them reach their goal, to stand quietly behind them and tape them up behind the scenes - allows both of you to succeed.
As I grew older, I tried my hand at being a cheerleader. All it took was one game where the other girls didn't know if we were on offence or defense, and I had decided this was not for me.
When I got to high school, I still went to practice. During two a days, I stood back with all the parents and watched practice. Iron Mike McGinley came over to me after practice and asked if I'd like to be the trainer for the varsity team. I went home and talked it over with my dad. A resounding yes followed and so began my path as an athletic trainer. I went through 6 weeks of classes - went to every practice for all 4 seasons I was at Cathedral - then added in basketball for my junior and senior years. I lettered in football for 4 years and in basketball for 2. I wrapped a zillion ankles and wrists and butterflied cuts and iced down all sorts of parts. It was remarkable and rewarding and made me want to be an orthopedist when I got through college. I enrolled in IU in the athletic training program, made the cut and was well on my way to finishing my clinical hours. How that changed is a whole other story.
The point is, there is a big difference between the cheerleaders on the sidelines and the coaching staff. While both may be female, as a trainer, my job is not to distract the players from their focus on the game, but to allow them to get healthy- get taped up - get hydrated - and get back in the game as quickly as possible. Our goals are the same, the player and the trainer - to win the game through optimal performance. Their win is my win, even if I never put my hands on the ball. During the game, we are all business - talking about the defense, talking about game strategy and who is healthy enough to substitute. When the game is won, and the time is appropriate for relaxing - then it is okay for me to be a distraction. I learned to be patient, to wait for the right time, to help my players keep their focus- it wasn't unusual for me to even have a conversation with particular girlfriends to tell them to wait until after the game to talk to their man.
I will not be a cheerleader - chanting rote hymns over and over again without realizing that we are now on offense again. It is important to know what is going on in the game - very imporant, in fact. The difference is in the ability to be helpful versus being a beautiful distraction. I would choose helpful more often than not. It is the same way in life - when you care about someone, the ability to be supportive, to help them reach their goal, to stand quietly behind them and tape them up behind the scenes - allows both of you to succeed.
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