Quote of the Day:

"There are those who work all day. Those who dream all day. And those who spend an hour dreaming before setting to work to fulfill those dreams. Go into the third category because there's virtually no competition." -Steven J. Ross

My relationship with Kurt Budke

Terrible news this morning: Oklahoma St. women's basketball Head Coach Kurt Budke and Assistant Coach Miranda Serna were killed in a single-engine plane crash last night coming home from a recruiting trip.

I first met Kurt at the Final Four in St. Louis 2009. He was part of the "Male Coaches of Women's Basketball" presenter panel along side Tom Collins (head coach at Arkansas) and others. I took a copious amount of notes from Kurt's talk, which outlined his path in women's basketball- starting as a volunteer coach sleeping on his friends couch and painting houses for money.

That presentation really struck a chord in me and helped reinforce the words dedication, sacrifice and commitment.

I spoke with Kurt after the presentation and thanked him for his insight. We kept in touch, and I saw him again in November of 2010 as the University of Rhode Island played Oklahoma St. at the New Mexico tournament. I scouted OK St. and spent about 15-20 hours studying their plays, personnel and coaching style. It was great to see Kurt again in person and see his calm, methodical coaching style first hand.

Our paths crossed again at the Final Four in Indianapolis 2011. We saw each other several times throughout the weekend, always stopping to chat. It was one of those things where you go "geez, we keep running into each other- stop following me!". As fate has it, in the giant arena for the first 2 games of the Final Four, where is my seat assigned- right next to Kurt Budke!

I thoroughly enjoyed knowing Kurt- he was calm, intelligent and so grateful to be a head coach in a highly successful program. What I will miss most is his eagerness to help guide and mentor young coaches. His conversation was genuine; his demeanor gentle; his enthusiasm for women's basketball contagious. 

He will be missed.

Aspects of Peak Performance- Sport Psychology

My wife Christine has shared many great articles with me as she was getting her Master's Degree in Sport Psychology. Here's a great one:

Although peak performance at times may seem illusive, there are universal aspects of performing well. Loehr et al. (1995) found from research that athletes performing at peak levels are physically relaxed, mentally calm, and exhibit focused and flexible concentration, high energy, consistent motivation, and positive self-talk.

You might have experienced this yourself when you have been at your best. Sometimes it is referred to as "Flow" or "The Zone". Whatever term you use, when performing well in sports you most likely consistently develop the aspects mentioned above.

Csikszentmihalyi (1994) and Jackson and Csikszentmihalyi (1999) also state that peak performance is an altered state of consciousness where we experience performing without over analyzing. We just "flow" and react without getting caught between our ears. Because, in sports, often when we think we are then a second behind.

Csikszentmihalyi (1994) also found that peak peformance will contain aspects of playfulness, a feeling of being in control, concentration and highly focused attention, mental enjoyment of the activity for its own sake, a distorted sense of time, and a match between the challenge at hand and one's skills or confidence.

Peak performance in sports and other aspects of life has been actively researched for four to five decades. From this research we have the knowledge to enhance one's experiences throgh maximizing one's strengths and identifing one's weaknesses. We all can learn skills that allow us to be physically relaxed and mentally prepared even when competition and life get difficult.

Quote of the Day:

"Hard work spotlights the character of people. Some turn up their sleeves. Some turn up their noses, and some don't turn up at all." -Sam Ewing

13 Key Habits to Help You "Seize the Day" Part 2/2

From Success Magazine, Paul J. Meyer, 2009.

Part 2/2

7. Be a giver!


8. Be positive: Being positive has the potential to turn the worst situations into victories.


9. Smile a lot and laugh at life: Adversity is a stepping-stone, not a road block. Why not laugh in the midst of challenges?


10. Live life with enthusiasm: Why not give it your all?


11. Enjoy life!


12. Find a hobby you enjoy: Balance your work and with "personal" time spent with friends, family, or a hobby.


13. Look for people to help: Being a helper is so rewarding!

13 Key Habits to Help You "Seize the Day" Part 1/2

From Success Magazine, Paul J. Meyer, 2009.

Part 1/2

1. Be an inverted paranoid: Believe that the whole world is conspiring to do good things to you.

2. Be a quick forgiver: We don't have time to waste in unforgiveness.

3. Be optimistic: Believing the best of people and circumstances is a sure way to find the best.

4. Be thankful: Always give thanks for the blessings in our lives.

5. Be an encourager: Encouragers make you feel better, stronger and more capable of accomplishing something. Be that for someone.

6. Be spontaneous: Have a sense of urgency and a do-it-now attitude

Quote of the Day:

"Remember this your lifetime through,

tomorrow there will be more to do,

and failure waits for all who stay

with some success made yesterday.

Tomorrow you must try once more,

and even harder

than before."

-John Wooden

Quote of the Day:

from "InsideOut Coaching: How Sports Can Transform Lives" by Joe Ehrmann -->

"An InsideOut coach's answers are radically different from the responses our contemporary sports cultre expects, or rather, demands. An InsideOut coach resists the transactional impulses and asserts that the right way, indeed the only way, to coach young people is to seek to transform their sense of their own worth, talents, and value. An InsideOut coach sees a younger, developing version of himself or herself in every athlete and bases lesson plans, communication, and the very structure of the program on the obligation to transform the many young athletes who need connection, empathy, and guidance."

There is no magic forumla for success...

Success is determined hard work:

"In 1948, I began coaching basketball at UCLA. Each hour of practice we worked very hard. Each day we worked very hard. Each week we worked very hard. Each season we worked very hard. Four fourteen years we worked very hard and didn't win a national championship. However, a national championship was won in the fifteenth year. Another in the sixteenth. And eight more in the following ten years."

Quote of the Day:

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” -Peter F. Drucke

Quote of the Day:

"Be more concerns with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others things you are". -John Wooden