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...

Lazy but Talented...

If you look at this shirt...I mean REALLY look at this shirt, it should piss you off.  It does for me.  I look at this shirt and it makes me sick to my stomach.

There are several reasons why this shirt bothers me, and I'm going to try and explain...

1. "Lazy but Talented"...what is the moral behind this phrase?  What/where is the motivation?  You're talented, ok, there are a ton of people with talent.  But you have the audacity to tell me that you're lazy as well?  Stupid...plain stupid.

2. I WAS the lazy but talented kid.  I look back at the talent that I wasted not working as hard as I should have been.  My college career was cut short because I was too lazy to go to class.  I look at this shirt and NIKE wants kids to think that it's cool to half-ass things...?  Stupid...

3. While you think it's cool to coast and not work hard, there is some kid out there (with probably less talent than you and a much bigger H.E.A.R.T) working his/her ass off to make you look like the lazy bastard you were all off-season.

4. This shirt was made for a professional football player.  What a great item to make for the youth to want to wear and emulate.  Do you really want your kid looking up to a Pro who endorses this type of sentiment?  Is this what you want your kid to strive for?

5. This shirt should now piss you off.

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!

Jeneba Tarmoh doesn't have enough H.E.A.R.T to compete.

The other day I'm at work, and I come across an article about U.S. Track and Field 100 Meter sprinter Jeneba Tarmoh online.  After reading the article twice, I felt deeply disturbed over some of the comments she made about attempting to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Apparently she finished for a tie in 3rd place.  Currently there are no "official" tiebreakers for such an event.  The United States Track and Field Association came up with the idea of having a "run off" to settle the dispute between her and Allyson Felix.

Despite having a chance to run another final 100 Meter Dash for an opportunity to participate in the 2012 London Olympics, she chose NOT to run...

Jeneba and Allyson had a photo finish tie and the result was a final "showdown" between the two .

She said, and I quote, "Running in this (runoff) came down to how I felt internally.  Would my heart be at peace running or would I not be at peace?  If I was at peace, I would have run," Tarmoh told The Associated Press on Monday night.  "My heart was not at peace with running."

MY only problem with this, is that she stated that her HEART was at peace with NOT running...I may be wrong, and feel free to correct me...but...SHE IS A SPRINTER!!!!  Regardless of any outcome, your HEART should ALWAYS be in the spirit of competition.  This is what you do and how you earn a living.

If your existence is to participate (currently that is) in the 100 Meter Dash, you should NEVER give up!  Regardless of the outcome.  Train your ass off and compete the same way.

The Olympics only come around ever 4 years and it is an honor to represent your country, win, lose or draw.  You (Jeneba) should represent yourself the same way...

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...



...

Playing the Game with a Little League H.E.A.R.T

This past weekend I went to go watch my cousin play in his T-ball league.  I absolutely love sports, so it really doesn't matter to me what I'm watching, as long as the players play hard, keep the complaining to a minimum and play their H.E.A.R.T's out.

As I'm watching these little guys and gals play, I can't help but notice that most of them are completely clueless to the rules of the game, but they really DON'T care...they are out there to have a good time!  Some may or may not actually "enjoy" playing, but the looks on their faces wouldn't give that away.

Most of these kids are playing their first year of organized ball and are out there on the diamond to experience a true game.  Regardless if score is kept or not, they are learning sportsmanship and the basic rules.  Most of all, they are learning how to play hard, smart, as a team and with H.E.A.R.T!

It's sad that as most kids get older, they lose the basic concept of how the game should be played (see the previously mentioned characteristics...) and the joy of the game which keeps them involved.  These youngsters showed a ton of enjoyment during their 3 innings and generally kept huge grins on their faces.

So let's not let this simple lesson that a bunch of 4-6 year old's have shown us...The game (any game) is about having fun and playing with H.E.A.R.T.  If you do this, even in a loss, you'll know that you gave it your all and that's all that matters.

Dayton Little League Giants

Dayton Little League White Sox