Dave Meadows "Reach Out for Advice"

Dave Meadows
Longtime High School Head Football Coach and Athletic Director (OK, KS, TX)
Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame 2007
Oklahoma State University, '69

THE RACE TO BECOME CHAMPIONS !

In today's athletic society, it has become entirely too easy for athletes and teams and coaches and fans to proclaim themselves to be in the "race to become champions".

Most of these folks have proclaimed themselves as entrants in the "race", without having given any thought to what becoming a champion involves. They want to reap the rewards - but have little or no interest in paying much of a price to achieve at even a moderate level, much less at a championship level.

There is great risk involved with "entering the race", as truthfully, most who enter will not be successful, and will have to live with the fact that they came up short. The rewards that accompany winning the CHAMPIONSHIP are many, however, only a select few athletes or teams are willing to keep pressing on through the trials and pressures required to achieve that goal. For those who dare to DREAM BIG DREAMS, I offer the following encouragements:
 

I. The Olympic Flame is kept burning during the entire Olympic Games time period.
    It represents a dream.

    a. How many hours and how much pain are we willing to endure in order to accomplish
        our dream?

    b. Are we willing to really make a commitment to achieve it, or we just giving it lip service?


The following poem, by sportswriter Grantland Rice, describes pretty well what commitment is.

"We Know How Rough the Road May Be,
How Heavy There The Load May Be,
We Know About The Barricades That Lay Along The Track.
But We Have Set Our Soul Ahead,
Upon A Certain Goal Ahead,
And Nothing, Left From Hell To Sky,
Will Ever Turn Us Back."

    c. The road to becoming champions is filled with barricades, and the load
        becomes very heavy. Are we willing? The Reverend Bob Richards, an Olympic
        Pole Vault Champion, was asked - "What does it take to win the Olympics?" His
        answer - it takes 10,000 hours of practice and preparation.

    d. Along the road to putting in 10,000 hours are many distractions and opportunities
        to "get by". Are we focused on our dream enough to keep our eye on the flame?


II. Bible references to "THE RACE"

    a. Ecclesiastes 9:11 - "The Race is not to the Swift-nor the Battle to the Strong."

        1. Many who have the physical talents to be the best will not be willing
            to pay the price to be champions. Those who "hang in there", who
            go beyond pain and boredom, who "keep their eyes on the flame", will
            defeat many who are more talented along the way.

    b. 1 Corinthians 9:24 - "Don't you know that in a race, everybody runs, but only
        one receives the prize? So Run to win the Prize."

    c. Hebrews 12:1 - "Lay aside every weight, and run with patience the
        race that is before us."

        1. Championships come after many discouragements and setbacks, but
            can be attained by moving forward with patience.


III. Vision

    a. Can you see yourself or your team at the top?

    b. Do you believe that greatness is a goal that Can Be Accomplished?

    c. Remember that the talented are not necessarily the ones who will become champions.

    d. What is your plan to "Earn The Right" to be champion"?

    e. Abe Lincoln - in the midst of the Civil War, was asked by the press - "Why do you think
        God is on your side?"  His answer - "It is not important that God is on Our
        Side - what is important is that God knows that WE ARE ON HIS SIDE".

    f. Have you included God in your plans?




REMEMBER THAT "ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE", AND THE CHAMPIONSHIP MAY ONLY BE ONE MORE ATTEMPT AWAY.



Dave Meadows