Obstacles or Opportunities?

Last night, we began our Monday Night Program for our club…we call it Revolution Refining.  It is the one and only time that I don’t come with a prepared practice plan.  In the interest of full disclosure though, I typically have the beginning of a plan but it is an opportunity for the players, through their actions and performance, to show me what we need to work on – what do we need refined?

I shared with the 10 players who showed up last night of a recent story out of Happy Valley.  Rob Bolden, who was the starting quarterback as a true freshman at Penn State for the first half of the season until an injury sidelined him for a game, announced that he was going to transfer.  Bolden, while sitting out with an injury, had his job taken away from him by Matt McGloin, a sophomore.  While I have zero first hand knowledge of the situation, on the surface it appears as if Bolden hit an obstacle.  While everybody is entitled to make decisions that they feel are best, I am disappointed that it appears he is not going to come back and compete for the job – to create an opportunity out of an obstacle.

One of the players on our 18′s team in Chambersburg this year knows all about obstacles.  Brooke Sparks has torn her ACL (one in each knee) in each of the past 2 seasons.  If anyone has the right to feel sorry for her circumstances, it is Brooke…but instead of feeling sorry, she has attacked her rehab and is ready compete this season.  She’s a winner and winners make things happen regardless of the circumstances.  Winners look at obstacles as opportunities.

I’m hoping that Mr. Bolden will reconsider…because some of our most valuable lessons come when we hit an obstacle, I mean an opportunity.

If you are interested in attending Revolution Refining, we meet every Monday night from 6-8 at the Revolution Warehouse.