Lucky Boy
Potentially great athletes have come and gone and we have never heard of them. Some of them may have even been better than the ones we know about.
Take D.Y. D.Y. was a football star from White Plains back in the 1980's. He was a year older than I was, and was so good that many of the universities were coming to games to see him play. He was offered scholarsips to many of them. He was such a raw talent that the potential for a big future was apparent to everyone. D.Y. didn't make it to college, however. Shortly after the season of his senior year, D.Y. gave in to the wrong crowd. He started smoking crack. A few months later he was stabbed multiple times behind East Post Road by his dealer.
We probably have all heard stories of the great athlete who blew out his knee, or suffered some other injury that cost him his athletic future.
One thing we do not hear about is the hundreds of athletes every year who end up going nowhere because they have horrible coaches. Bad advice, or demeaning behavior can really hurt an athlete, even ones whose talents are so apparent they're palpable. Young athletes need coaches who can instill confidence as well as knowledge and skill.
That's why I think Jonathan is so lucky. Jonathan does two sports. He is great at one and potentially very good at the other. Without question, he has potential for a future in either sport -- at least up through the college level if he desires.
The masters he has in Tae Kwon Do are not unlike coaches. They are incredible. They spend so much time building confidence. There is a language barrier there, but you would never know it. Jonathan and fellow students listen. They learn. They improve. Their masters have taken his talent and made him better.
Jonathan's two baseball coaches are very much the same. After the very first game last year I knew that we were lucky to have them as coaches. Jonathan loves both of them and listens to them. Last year, Jonathan did not get baseball. He was lost out there. By the end of the season, he was at least having fun.
This year, however, he is one of the better players on the team. He is because the coaches have taken an interest in him. They see, as his masters have seen, that Jonathan has a determination to succeed that simply cannot be taught. And they encourage him. And he listens. And he learns. And he's improved.
Jonathan was one of the players to earn a game ball on Saturday for his performance. The coaches may as well give game balls to themselves. They truly have earned it.
We're lucky to have them.
Take D.Y. D.Y. was a football star from White Plains back in the 1980's. He was a year older than I was, and was so good that many of the universities were coming to games to see him play. He was offered scholarsips to many of them. He was such a raw talent that the potential for a big future was apparent to everyone. D.Y. didn't make it to college, however. Shortly after the season of his senior year, D.Y. gave in to the wrong crowd. He started smoking crack. A few months later he was stabbed multiple times behind East Post Road by his dealer.
We probably have all heard stories of the great athlete who blew out his knee, or suffered some other injury that cost him his athletic future.
One thing we do not hear about is the hundreds of athletes every year who end up going nowhere because they have horrible coaches. Bad advice, or demeaning behavior can really hurt an athlete, even ones whose talents are so apparent they're palpable. Young athletes need coaches who can instill confidence as well as knowledge and skill.
That's why I think Jonathan is so lucky. Jonathan does two sports. He is great at one and potentially very good at the other. Without question, he has potential for a future in either sport -- at least up through the college level if he desires.
The masters he has in Tae Kwon Do are not unlike coaches. They are incredible. They spend so much time building confidence. There is a language barrier there, but you would never know it. Jonathan and fellow students listen. They learn. They improve. Their masters have taken his talent and made him better.
Jonathan's two baseball coaches are very much the same. After the very first game last year I knew that we were lucky to have them as coaches. Jonathan loves both of them and listens to them. Last year, Jonathan did not get baseball. He was lost out there. By the end of the season, he was at least having fun.
This year, however, he is one of the better players on the team. He is because the coaches have taken an interest in him. They see, as his masters have seen, that Jonathan has a determination to succeed that simply cannot be taught. And they encourage him. And he listens. And he learns. And he's improved.
Jonathan was one of the players to earn a game ball on Saturday for his performance. The coaches may as well give game balls to themselves. They truly have earned it.
We're lucky to have them.
posted by E-Luv at 8:48 AM
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