Let's talk about USA Hockey first...
The Winter Olympics are coming up in a few weeks. I love the Olympics. I love the hockey tradition of the Olympics. If you were to ask me about the strongest memories of anything hockey related from when I was a young kid in the early 1980's, I definitely list: (a) East Grand Forks' Section 8 Champion Teams and State Tourney Participants in 1980 and 1982 (damn...didn't the State Tourney seem so totally magical back in those days?!?) - never mind that both teams went "O-fer"...(b) the 1980 and 1982 National Championship UND Sioux teams (damn...I loved Howard Walker), and, of course, the 1980 Miracle on Ice.
Wow...those early 1980's....seemed like all of the teams I cheered for and loved...they were all champions. Everybody was a winner! I remember me and all my buddies would pretend to be those guys, playing boot hockey at recess. We had Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, et. al. It was my slice of Americana...my "Normal Rockwell" times.
The USA Hockey team was prepared, determined, and outworked their competition. And they were highly trained by the master, Herb Brooks.
Next, let's talk about Brett Favre
The guy has one of his best seasons as a 40 year old! The guy is a trained assasin! He's a cold-blooded killer! And I mean all of that in a good way! He has to be included in the arguments of one the best all time clutch players. He has something mentally that pushes him to deliver over and over and over and over again.
Prior to this football season, I was a luke-warm Favre guy. When the Vikings made themselves look like fools, falling all over him to sign him, I was still luke warm. It wasn't until he destroyed his Green Bay buddies that I really fell in love with the guy. His competitive nature, that is.
Favre and the 1980 USA Hockey team and training and competition. Both good things in my eyes.
Lastly, let's talk about Babe Ruth...
Babe Ruth baseball, that is. I played organized ball all the way through my freshman year. Back in little ol' East Grand Forks, we never had Varsity baseball (still don't), we just had summer ball. I played every summer until I got into high school. I stopped because of an ACL injury and wanting to get a summer job.
That last year of playing Babe Ruth, we had the District tournament in Red Lake Falls, MN (for those of you who watch my videos on UO Teaching Videos, may know that Red Lake Falls played "The Final Countdown" by Europe). And they played it at that tournament...over...and over...and over again.
Anyway, I played for the EGF A's, which was the best 15 year olds and a couple 14 year olds. There was one more Babe Ruth team from EGF, which was the EGF Blue Jays, which was the best 14 year olds and a few 15 year olds. The very last game of organized baseball I ever played was my A's team against the Blue Jays, and the Blue Jays beat us (doh!). Knocked us out of double elimination.
- They beat us because they had more focus.
- They beat us because they had great coaching (we did, too).
- They beat us because they played with more heart that day.
- They beat us because their heart, focus, and coaching put Jason Hearn in centerfield, where he normally played infield, and the mother-effer ran down every bomb we hit into the outfield, including three of mine. I mean, the only reason I had three fly outs is because Hearn ran down all three of my line drives like a gazelle (the guy was an athlete and played like a champ). The only reason he didn't snag my fourth hit is because I hit the outfield fence in mid-air, thus limiting me to a 1 for 4 performance.
What does Jason Hearn, Favre, and the 1980 USA Hockey team have in common?
1. Training
2. Competition
3. The Heart of a Champion
And that's exactly what the camp participants form the [Ultimate Officials Early Season Referee Camp] have in common. I could go on and on, but I think results speak for themselves:
- Helped produce a National Tournament participant and State Tournament participants
- Introduced some guys to influential members within the hockey referee world...established contacts and got a few guys on the "radar" (otherwise, they would be the best officials nobody knew about).
- Helped get some other referees Bigger and Better games (isn't that what it's all about?!?)...quality regular season games.
- Helped some of them make great gains [physically and mentally!]
- Helped coach some guys to make improvements through video and collaboration be actually watching their games, giving them honest feedback, and mapping out a plan for them.
- And, on a satisfying note for me...started to break the "Good Old Boys Club" (see Good Bye 'Old Boy Network' on the right hand side of this page).
(click on the above link)
Or email me: info@ultimateofficials.com -- say, "More Info for Feb Camp!"
