ON THE BALL FIELDS: DAY FOURTEEN WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE?

The art of competition is such a powerful motivator if one can instill its true element of challenge by utilizing its passion of dedication, desire, and die hard attitude towards ultimate accomplishment. I am blessed to be raised by athletes. I am a natural athlete with an aggression to excel and take myself to limits that the mind would never think the body could be taken. I started young with T-Ball and Co-Ed futbol (soccer) within the great national wide A.Y.S.O. I could throw a a direct line drive no bounce from deep center field straight into the catcher's mitt with a thump. I love to break up those toddler soccer bee-hives and take the ball in for a score pass the goalkeeper between tow orange cones. I once scored 7 goals as a center forward in one quarter and was sent back to the goal where I spent the rest of my all star years aggressively defending the honor of my team while taking out forwards with my gloved hands. There is something about scoring, shooting, serving, and sliding that drove me into the ball fields, gymnasiums, basketball courts, and pitches across my towns that lead me to a life of athletics. I never mastered one sport, but could shoot anywhere inside or way out (Bird Style) on a basketball court, hit a ball deep right-center or be the voice behind the plate on a dusty diamond, or even send aces past you as I struggled with my racket-throwing-temper between the baselines. The smell of Saturday dew morning grass, chalked up grass under the lights on Friday night, or synthetic grass in a high-tech stadium, the playing fields of high-class sports to those of our youth, there is nothing like the sights & sounds of competitive play between determined guts&glory athletes. The strategies, schedules, stats, and sunshine that layer our games and are instilled in our brains, results in the amazing bond and foundational courage that is built within our participation. Friends & Brothers for Life, Coaches that Care & are Concerned, Play that is Promising, Careers that are Chiseled, and a lifestyle/way of life that is so filled with pride and perseverance. Winning is not everything. Perfect Practice makes Perfect. Leave it All on the Field. Take Charge. Go Hard or Go Home. Play with Heart. 110%. I was a Padre, GoldenEagle, Striker, SeaKing, Tiger, Fighting Irish, Yankee, East-Valley Trojan, Dolphin, Knight, and an Indian. Loved the Uniforms, loved to sweat, loved to motivate, loved to talk shit, loved the crowd, loved the pressure, loved to shoot, loved to protect, loved to catch, loved to bear-crawl, and loved to WIN. I wouldn't have been the competitor I was if it wasn't for my brother Patrick since he taught me to fight for space, to not give up, and to not take any shit from anyone. He taught me that since he never let me win, he beat me all the time, and would make it known that that wasn't going to change. My dad taught me all the basic skills of serving, throwing a spiral, and skiing, but on my own with many long hours under the lights and in a gym I was able to master my shot and thunderous first serve. There is always room for improvement NO DOUBT, I just wished I would have continued my career of playing baseball, basketball, baseball and/or futbol(soccer) in high school, but I just stuck to the grid-iron. Attending sporting events is a true passion of mine. I have been to over 50 championships events from high school to professional and even both Olympics. What does it take to be a champion? Who is a champion? What do they eat, how do they practice, what steps do they take to get to the top, why do some lose and some succeed, how do they celebrate, what does it take to become a legend? What kind of competition have you endured? How did it make you feel? What was the outcome? What kind of preparation was involved? Have you ever survived a whole season? Would love to get back and have a regular weekly tennis match, return to the pitch as a goalie, and even get on the basketball court in a local league. I have golf clubs and desire to complete a round of golf by the end of the year. That game of patience is something I want to pursue, but never had the time to focus on. I am thankful for my heart of competing in athletics and grateful for my parents of introducing me to team sports. What I learned, who I met, and how I played, such beauty and amazing moments in my life- RVB