Friday, June 13, 2008

Olympic heroes

6/10/08

One of my Olympic heroes, Jim McKay passed away this past weekend. As a young boy watching the Olympic Games, McKay was a part of the Olympic lore that drew me in and captured my heart. As an 8 year old I wanted to be a part of the Olympic Games. This became my dream. I was saddened by his death. As I watched the tribute to him on television, the announcer made this statement “ Jim never sought after the spotlight but when the light shined on him he was the very best there was.”

I used this quote with our team this weekend. We need more guys on the team that live by this creed. If we all play for each other not seeking individual fame we will all get our opportunity to shine when the light hits us. Each guy on that team will be asked to play a role and each guy must be ready to score when it is his shot.

This is how a successful team operates. Each member of the team must play for one another. No one individual seeking fame or individual glory. However, each team member must be ready to do his best when the team needs him. As we work hard for each other we will make each other better and in the end we will become better too.

I see the signs of this beginning to happen on our team. We are now understanding that in order to succeed we must put our team mates first and sacrifice a little bit of ourselves. Last weekend we beat Croatia who is the reigning world champion. We were able to beat them by playing as a team. Sure Tony Azevedo scored 3 goals and Brandon Brooks made some great saves in the goal. But the truth is that all the guys stepped up and played together.

It was very rewarding as a coach to see this happening. I know that there is still a great deal of growth that still needs to occur but Team USA is on its way to becoming a great team.

See you at the pool!

Terry Schroeder D.C

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