I had the good fortune to meet a young lady and her family
during my journey through this project.
I had met her brother first and he was quite pleased with his younger
sister’s athletic accomplishments. He
really caught my attention when he started talking about scholarships. It seems his sister had been approached about
playing DI tennis by a college coach.
Now let me make this clear: a
student must graduate from their junior year and pass the NCAA clearing house
before they can be offered or accept a legitimate DI athletic scholarship. A
student or family can say the intend to go to a DI college but the NCAA has
very specific rules regarding athletic scholarships.
I was
invited by the parents to come to their house.
We had a very good conversation about athletics, coaches, tournaments,
and showcases. In my consulting
business, I call it Mental Health Consulting; I frequently talk to parents,
coaches, and athletes in youth sports.
What struck me about this family was the closeness they had sitting
around the kitchen table. You could feel
the honest caring for their daughter’s health and well being.
This
spring she is going to play tennis against the boys. Here is how I know she will be
successful. I watched her play one
match. Even before the match started I
could tell by the way she carried herself walking on to the court she had
class. I turned to her mom during
warm-ups and said, “She’s going to win.”
Even after she lost the first game, the outcome was obvious. But then she did something quite
memorable. She bounced the ball on the
side edge of the racket not to show off but to help her concentration. You can see DI athletics pretty clearly
pretty quickly. She had a steel-eyed
determination that was a joy to watch.
There wasn’t any show boating or any flare-ups of behavior. When she missed a shot, the mom and the
grandparents sat and watched and cheered nicely.
You see, you can’t buy DI talent. You either have it or you don’t. True
athletic talent is evident very quickly after puberty. There are however, many
late bloomers out there who need time, encouragement, and repeated
opportunities to compete in games to achieve their level of excellence.
The parents did not send her to Florida to
live and play at an academy. I am sure
there were overtures for her to attend such a place. These academies are prevalent
in all sports. Do players and families
have all the facts needed to make a decision on where and what kind of atmosphere
is best for their child’s long term health and development?
They
remained grounded and so did this young athlete.
As she
plays against the boys this spring, she is accepting a challenge based on
competition, not gender or what is popular.
Instead of fearing competition, or trying to stack the deck to win, she
embracing the challenge of finding out how good she really is in this arena.
Notice I did not say who is the best.
The truly great athletes play against their sport. The opponent is merely an obstacle or a
measuring stick as to how well they can play and compete. She has the look and pace of a class human
being, and I am sure she will be successful in whatever endeavor she chooses to
accept in her journey through life. Not just because of talent. It is way more
important for her future success to have an excellent work ethic, a grounded
base of integrity and humility, and a passion for life and fun.
Now isn't that what is really important?
Now isn't that what is really important?
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