The following thoughts are brief attempts to elucidate the spirit of sacrifice and commitment. The more I see from the outside looking in, the more I realize the adventure is framed best by a yin-yang question: what do you want? And what are you willing to sacrifice to get it? Sacrifice is the key word here... a scary, but purposeful word.
#1 THE WINTER ARC
There are two major windows of development, one is from June to September, the other is now, from November to mid February. Taking advantage of this window of time will separate a player more than any other as the majority of people are unable, unwilling, or simply do not optimize the cold and dark holiday months of the year. There is a saying from Alice in Wonderland that characterizes the race of development properly which is akin to, "here, you have to run as fast as you can to stay in the same spot." From 8th grade onward that may in-fact be the game, stay on track developmentally, push harder to catch up, and do not fall behind because there is a not-small-minority of people going as hard as they can for the same exact goal you are. The concept of "being ahead" is a fallacy. It's an error from ignorance of a goal-attuned set of reference points.
The dream makes the demands. As the famous Bible verse goes, If you come to serve the Lord, prepare for war. For our younger players, if you are hoping for something unique, prepare for war - and smile at the sound of the trumpets because the battle is here. Or, it is much closer than you think. Admittedly, much closer than we thought.
I will make another honest confession (that has me smiling for the hungry few), the talent in the sport is accelerating in ways that have college players and college coaches equally shocked. The gap between the best and the average may be widening to an eventual unbridgeable difference. For colleges, it is a fight for the top chosen few. Or more accurately said, a battle for those who have chosen to get themselves there. Maybe the recruiting rules that gave hope to the late bloomers have also damned those who fail to commit to blooming, or miss the seasons to bloom? Henry and I were a part of the last two classes that were being offered scholarships as 8th graders, and committing the first months of our freshman year. There is a double edged sword to the gift of time. For those who use it, the prize of victory is theirs. For those who use it, the heights you get to climb are taller than anyone who has gone before you. But, for those who return to the valley season after season, the chances of catching the pack of those who choose will be beyond you, and what could have been becomes etched in stone as exactly that.
The tab for deserving what you dream dawns for the second time in the months ahead. Fight to keep the dream alive.
#2 PLAYING GAMES vs BEING GREAT
In Starbucks this past Saturday, we got to catch up with the coach at Army, a former UNC player. She has seen this mythical group putting in long hours of training in Cincinnati and was asking about what is going on - she's never seen anything like it. Here is the thesis that was laid out.
The systems out East will unconsciously build incredibly solid players to fill roster spots at the highest level - if someone from outside of the system wants to break in and get their name on the list, it is a deliberate and conscious effort sustained-and-improved over a long period of time. Excellence is keeping that process going for longer than anyone else. Biology is not biased, our ego is.
The gift that we try to deliver is a simple message: there is a difference between playing a game, and trying to be great at a sport. Being great takes a sober recognition of how far behind you are from the lead-pack, emotional and spiritual acceptance to the call, and willingness to endure the work to shift out of the predictable destiny of the masses. It's the hero's journey, beginning with the call to train like your career depends upon it, because it does.
There is a classic Coach Anson Dorrance story that sheds even more light on this paradigm shift. This was shared at a leadership workshop our sophomore year at college... Him and Mia Hamm, one of the greatest women's soccer players of all time, are sitting in his office. It is her freshman year. She walks in, sits down, and bravely says, "I want to be the best player in the world." He then commences to stand up, walk to the door, turn the lights off, then turn them back on. Walk back to sit at his desk and say something along the lines of, "finally, glad you've accepted it, let's begin."
The difference in paradigms is evident. It's as clear as the lights being on or off. Unfortunately, the emergent differences do not present as undeniable until it is too late. Are you playing? Or, are you trying to be great? When the lead pack emerges, will you be there? Or, will you have the heartbreaking realization that you didn't do it? Ahhh... Yes, the willingness to risk heartbreak. Yes. Contemplate it fully, and make your decision, because to dare is to risk, to risk everything. But, to not dare, to not risk, is to forfeit everything.
#3 SYSTEMS OF IMPROVEMENT
"What are the aspects of my game that I could change, that I would change, and want to change, if I had a clear plan?" We all fall to the level of our systems. Structuring a plan for development will be the key over the next months. Now, willingness is the linchpin variable. Often, there are things that we know must change, but the willingness (or pain) has not risen to a sufficient quotient to get us moving. That is the importance of realistic reflection against the backdrop of an agreed upon ideal. The Question - how were your stick skills this weekend? Only can make sense when the implicit question, compared to who? is made conscious. For the dreamers, make sure you are comparing yourself against the proper set of reference points.
It has been a blast already building some systems with players... Should I do wall ball before school or run? The answer, maybe neither... You should sprint. You should do set's of flat surface sprints M-W-F and T-Th do 25, 20, and 15 second hill-sprints if possible. Starting with 3 sets of 5, and scaling up each week from there. Do you have access to a treadmill? How long is your driveway? Can you sprint lightpost to light post in your neighborhood? How long does that take? How long does that take this week, and in three weeks? That is the construction of a plan, a simple plan, but a more high level one - and wow, is it fun. The game begins! The fun begins! Why? Because all of a sudden the old has been shattered, possibility is here, a new pattern of behavior is alive. The spirit is awoken, life is renewed.
This is what our dad loved the most. Just got home from work, "boys let's go get our upper body work in before dinner... Guys, we've got hill sprints before we go play golf..." On... and on... and on...
#4 OUR SINGLE MINDED AIM
Admittedly I steal from a mentor here... "You do not have goals, you have a hierarchy of aims." I write this last thought to draw a clear picture to our orientation because these tournaments continue to highlight a simple question - when the moment comes, will you be ready?
The Aim for the club is this: "When the Northwestern Coach is there, she (insert name) must be ready." Swap the school, swap the name, the system (The Academy and Club) cannot fail her. Any goal under this will be taken care of. This game is about peep holes of opportunity, not even windows. Millions of moments and decisions crescendoing in one play... So much sacrifice, for what? In the long run... To prove you can ascend and to know definitively that you can be great. In the short run, open up a world of possibility that wouldn't be there any other way - paid for school that you wouldn't want to get any other way. Here's the beautiful thing, the next proverbial mountain will call, and thank the good Lord you now know how to climb mountains. The game is over, breath in... breath out... your name is circled, all is well.
How do we know it will work? We don't.
That's what an adventure is.
Aim at paradise, focus on today.
Onward and Upward,
Harrison Schertzinger
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