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Inside the
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1/6/08 ‘You don’t have enough talent to succeed on talent alone” -Gene Keady There is no shortage of confident, cocksure athletes strolling around Novi. Many are willing to tell you how good they are at the drop of a hat. And make no mistake there are many talented athletes that strut around that might just have the goods… But, to repeat real success at the next level they will be required to handle what is expected and what goes along with competing in college athletics and most will simply not be able to do it. Recently ESPN conducted a study and invited the top HS football recruits from around the nation to a 3-day event in Chicago. These kids were the cream of the crop, not because their parents said they were, but because of their measurable accomplishments on the field and the scouting reports of qualified coaches and scouts. We’re talking about 3,000+ yard passers, 2,000+ RB’s and All-American Defensive stalwarts. All of them were the Real Deal, at least at home in their comfort zone. Once sequestered, they were put through the paces designed to determine Four things even though they didn’t know they were being tricked; 1) Would they be open to new concepts, or were they set in their ways? 2) Could they adapt to a team environment even though they were no longer the star and their weaknesses would be exposed? 3) Could they perform when the lights went on in front of big crowds and external pressure, or were they simply legends in their own mind, much cockier in the safety of their living room? And… 4) How would they respond when doubt crept in and their mentors dropped little grenades on them like, “I don’t think you have what it takes.” The test involved being trained by the choreographic crew of the Chicago Bulls Dance team known as the ‘Lova-Bulls.’ The athletes all acted cool and smooth until they found out that in 48 hours they would have to dress up and perform during halftime at the next home Chicago Bulls game, in front of 18,000 fans and jeering peers. For some the looks on their faces were priceless. All of a sudden they didn’t look so tough, so mean or so sure of themselves. The Bottom line was that they pulled it off. Some did better than others, but only a few handled being out of their comfort zone in front of a packed house with grace. They didn’t have their parents there to bail them out and they realized that no matter how good they were at what they did, they would have to be willing and able to accept all the ancillary issues that come along with being a Division I competitor. But, all of them stayed the course and admitted that once they got back into the mentality of embracing the challenge, things got a little better. And they all learned a valuable lesson. No one has enough talent to succeed on talent alone. At any level of sports, or life… (c) 2008 Novi
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