Making Choices
From the desk of Wally Dawkins, Athletic Director:
Back in the 80’s, there was a popular commercial run by Fram Oil Filters. The general premise of the commercial was to recommend to car owners the need to change your car’s oil and oil filter on a regular basis while paying a nominal fee, or be negligent in servicing the engine and face a much larger charge down the road.
Do you remember the Fram Oil Filter commercial? It was “Pay me now or pay me later”! In other words, pay a little as you go or cough up the family farm in the end.
I consider longtime Whitehouse Basketball Coach C.L. Nix to be a mentor of mine. Coach Nix had the game of basketball…and life figured out. He had a great saying that he would use when dealing with athletes attempting to influence their actions. Coach would look the player eyeball to eyeball and simply say this: “You make choices, and I’ll make choices.”
Coach Nix would use this approach as a way of telling an athlete, “listen, you make decisions…you do things…and then I will make a decision based on your action.”
It was a brilliant strategy. It made the athlete feel like he was in control, but recognizing that having the ability to make a choice would also create a response. Psychologically, it made the athlete realize that with making a decision, responsibility suddenly came into play. Ownership!
The athlete had the freedom to make a choice…a decision, while Coach Nix would respond based upon what the athlete decided to do. Simple; “You make a choice (athlete), and I’ll make choice (coach). And rest assured; Coach Nix allowed his players to make choices, and he would respond…accordingly. The players knew the drill…or learned the drill, and it worked…beautifully.
Now, as you can see…this is in direct conflict with the “have your cake and eat it too” phenomenon that sometimes tends to be prevalent in our society today. The “cake and eat it too” mentality basically speaks to the idea that an athlete…a child…an adult for that fact, can do whatever they would like, and there will be no repercussions. No consequences or price to pay.
No consequences for actions…or lack of action. This strategy on the other hand…is very dangerous when dealing with children, students, and athletes. The “cake and eat it too syndrome” if used by parents, coaches, or others can lead to dire consequences. Children, athletes and adults have to know that when they make a choice or decision, a consequence will follow. To think otherwise is folly. To practice this with kids is actually setting them up to fail miserably.
At Brook Hill, our coaches constantly mentor and invest in the lives of our student athletes, understanding that these young men and women will one day be faced with making choices that will certainly bring about consequences. Preparing them for life’s decisions is a mission that the Brook Hill coaching staff believes in. It’s what we do.
Currently, many of our student athletes are choosing to workout 4 days a week with Brook Hill Coaches. Next fall, a staff of over 20 full-time, 51AVƵ men and women will greet all of our student athletes, welcoming them to Guard Country.
It brings to mind this famous quote by John Wooden: “There are two athletes practicing. And when they meet, the one who is best prepared…will win”!
Choose to prepare. Choose to train. Choose to practice.
Remember the wise words of Coach C.L. Nix! Or…”pay me now…or pay me later”!
And that’s another reason to be “ALL ORANGE”…All The Time!