The H.E.A.R.T Helmet Hoody Scholarship

We at H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC are glad to announce that we will be providing a 2 year scholarship to a customer who purchases a H.E.A.R.T Helmet Hoody, is a graduating High School Senior or recent graduate and is committed to graduating in 2 years.

The scholarship will include tuition, fees, books, room and board. For emailed updates and status changes, make sure you create a user account at www.hearthelmethoody.com to stay up  to date on important deadlines and requirements.

For a quick video brief, CLICK HERE (H.E.A.R.T Athletics YouTube Page)

Please let us know what you guys think in the comment section below and by emailing us at: iplaywithheart@gmail.com

Thank you all for your support.

#PlayWithHEART

Off-Season

Every shirt that is created by H.E.A.R.T Athletics LLC is either rooted in our beliefs, or tailored to a specific athletes liking.  Other companies (no name, no blame) just tend to make cookie cutter crap because of their logo.  *Blogger Note*  I think my business logo trumps theirs...but that's me...

When we created the "Off-Season" shirt (available in Men's, Women's and Youth...), the purpose was to inform those who "believe" in this time of year, that this time of year actually does not exist.  If it actually did exist, Saint Nick would be enjoying it from December 26 to December 24...Exactly.

Any competitive athlete knows (or SHOULD) know that training should be year 'round.  Where the problem lies is that most athletes want to get by on mere talent alone...yeah, that doesn't really work past the High School level.  But the fact remains that it shouldn't exist on that level at all.

The Off-Season is a myth.  It does not exist.  If you want to get better, be better, play better...you have to put in work.  There is no time for days off.  If you want to take days off, don't play.  Don't waste yours or your teammates' time.  Some people actually WANT to win.

So the next time you think the "Off-Season" actually exists.  Go to NIKE's website and order one of the atrocities...

The most thankless job in sports...

Every sport has it's guy/gal who puts in "dirty" work.  Whether it's Baseball/Softball (catcher), Basketball (rebounder, defender, hustle player, charge taker) or Soccer (Goalie...the proverbial goat).  These players are normally NEVER recognized unless something bad happens to the team.  Unfortunately, we all know this is true.

This brings me to football.  In football, when it comes to Kick-offs, the player who gets the most love is normally the kick-off returner.  But for some reason, when kick-offs aren't returned for touchdowns, we never have any appreciation for the kick-off team...strange...

The kick-off wedge buster is ALWAYS a dude who plays his #HEART out.  They never get any love, usually accumulate minimal stats, but continue to play their asses off.  I found a clip of a High School player who exudes the amount of #HEART it takes to do his job, game in and game out.  Check out the clip HERE.

Regardless of making the tackle or not, most wedge busters don't receive the love they should.  They put it all on the line to ensure someone behind them can get the stat.  They normally aren't celebrated at all, but they usually don't give a sh!t.  It's all about going hard and playing the with #HEART. 

Let's face it, without wedge busters...a great kick-off returner is going to be one-on-one with a kicker.  And nobody EVER wants to see this.  Hahaha.

It's not where you start, it's where you finish...

Before I start this blog post...I want you to take a look at this helmet.  Are you good?  You see it?  Good...This helmet represents more to a few than most, but those who recognize it realize that it represents a ton of #HEART.

I realize that I may be coming off as a "homer" because I wore it, but the fact of the matter is, it represents alot more to me than most (although every fan of this helmet feels the same).  This helmet represents hard work, dedication and preparation.

This helmet has won Chips (Championships) in 3, count'm, THREE different DECADES.  The 80's, 90's and the 00's (and thanks to Urbana it won a few less, but hey, who's counting...).  The point is, that anything less than #1 is not accepted.

In 1995, the Linganore football team won 9 out of 10 regular season games.  The ONE game it lost, it lost by ONE point (I know, a loss is a loss, but we HAVE to put that loss in perspective).  Out of the 8 teams that made the 2A Playoffs, Linganore was the 7 seed...SEVEN!

That didn't matter to this team.  It knew that regardless of how it started or how people "viewed" it, it had to produce in crunch time to produce results.  Without a home game in the Playoffs, it won every single game.  Resulting in ANOTHER Championship.

Linganore went on the road to play 2 other teams (one which they had already beaten) on their way to a State Title.

I say that, to say this...It doesn't matter where you start, it matters where you finish.  The end product is only as good as the amount of hard work you put in.  This team went through it's ups and downs and came up smelling the roses.

Times get hard, but you have to be HARDER...The bumps and bruises you receive in life should give you the determination to keep striving for your goals 100%.  If you stay down every time you get knocked down, you'll NEVER achieve your goals.

So set your goals, go hard and follow you #HEART!

What's fair...?

I'm a true believer that sports provide kids a parrallel between competition and "adult" life.  I know there are certain people who say that, "it's just a game".  I respect that...I disagree, but I respect that.  In any sporting event, you can draw a parallel to real "adult" life in which they/you can translate into experience.

This brings me to Bishop Gorman.  Bishop Gorman, in laments terms, is a MONSTER when it comes to High School sports.  If you don't know who they are, feel free to look over their history here -----> (Bishop Gorman).

This past year, Gorman won the 2011 State Football Chip (slang for Championship)

Won the 2011 Boys State Hoops Chip

and won the 2012 State Baseball Chip too...

Now, is this "fair" to the other schools in Nevada?  What's fair?  Is fair a level playing field?  Is it everybody has an equal shot at winning?  This is where I have pros and cons...

Pros:
1. Life isn't fair.  Period.
2. It IS a school (regardless if they recruit or not).
3. Every day of your life provides a lesson.  So if you don't like losing, don't do it.

Cons:
1. Public Schools have to play with what they have.
2. Public Schools are at an automatic disadvantage.
3. Creates division instead of competition.

In short, without standing on my soapbox, schools in EVERY district should play with who lives in their district.  But in sports as in real life, this isn't the case.  Progressive thinkers do what they can to gain an advantage.  This leaves the Nevada public schools at a great disadvantage.  But as in "adult" life, you have to adapt to your environment and keep moving forward.  Life isn't fair guys, sometimes sports isn't either.  You can either cry and complain, or you can get back on your grind and get busy...



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