Play Like A Champion Today(R) Blog

2012-02-07T11:15:00.000-05:00

From the Notre Dame Alliance for Catholic Education website, Peter Piscitello, of Kansas City, KS talks about the potential for Youth Sport in the Catholic Church: http://ace.nd.edu/news/in-the-spotlight

Coaching in Uganda

2012-01-26T10:46:00.001-05:00

The Ugandan Media can be hard on a new coach I recently returned from a 16 month stay in Uganda where I was volunteering as a teacher, and also part time as a coach in secondary school outside the city of Jinja. It was a tremendous experience, and was a great period of growth personally for me. Coaching was an interesting experience and very characteristic of my entire experience living

Life Lessons Through Sport

2012-01-24T14:12:00.001-05:00

Based off of personal experience and those of other athletes I have encountered, I have learned a variety of things through sport. At a young age I was very active and involved in a variety of activities. By being engaged in multiple sports it allowed me to be taught by different coaches, interact with an array of athletes, and discover myself through various situations. As an adolescent the

Softball Creates a Lesson for Life

2011-12-19T11:56:00.001-05:00

I played softball in high school and our team was pretty talented. We had been playing well all season and we hadn’t lost a game yet. We had a really tough game coming up against our biggest rival, and they were also undefeated. Everyone on the team knew how important this game was and so we all committed to working hard and training specifically for this game. We gave 100% at every practice,

A Special Kind of Sport

2011-12-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

Most young athletes dream of playing for their favorite college or professional team. Yet these dreams are often accompanied by the pressures of making them come true. For some these pressures can create passion and lead to success, but for many they transform a fun game into a stressful fixation. What if we could take that pressure out of a sport? Then we would have rugby. There are no

Flow in Sport

2011-12-09T10:54:00.002-05:00

In our second meeting of our Social Foundations of Coaching class we discussed the article Flow in Sports by Susan A. Jackson and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. This article goes in depth into a state of mind that many athletes work and train to achieve in a time of competition. The authors describe the flow through nine different characteristics, challenge-skills balance, action-awareness merging,

Sport Injury - Lessons Learned

2011-12-06T06:36:00.002-05:00

It was my senior year in high school, my last year playing soccer with my friends and my first playing with my brother who was a freshman. When winter rolled around, a fellow senior teammate and I had been declared captains. We decided that this year would be different. We were being moved up to a much more competitive division, and so we knew we need to work that much harder. We started

Soccer - an analysis of the system

2011-12-01T10:36:00.001-05:00

Soccer, the most popular sport in the entire world, is in a state of disarray. A large majority of the teams in the Barclays Premier League, Europe’s most profitable league soccer league, are in over $75 million of debt. Currently only 4 of the 20 teams in England’s top tier of football are making a profit, and this figure is projected to get worse with the current market. Some teams are in

Life Lessons Through Sport

2011-11-16T12:20:00.004-05:00

Based off of personal experience and those of other athletes I have encountered, I have learned a variety of things through sport. At a young age, I was very active and involved in a variety of activities. By being engaged in multiple sports, it allowed me to be taught by different coaches, interact with an array of athletes, and discover myself through various situations. As an adolescent the

Little League Baseball Fun and Victory

2011-11-08T09:24:00.001-05:00

Everyone has some moment in their lives that they remember and hold in great importance, yet to other people these memories may not seem that important. I will never forget my minor league baseball team when I was 9 years old. When you are a kid sports tend to be far more important than most other things in life. I have always been a very competitive person and this was true this season. We

Special Olympics at Notre Dame

2011-11-02T14:38:00.001-04:00

As a varsity athlete at the University of Notre Dame, I am constantly reminded to “Play Like a Champion Today.” As a student in professor Clark Power’s ethics class, I am obliged to question the meaning of such a credo. Too often, the definition of “Champion” is reduced to a mentality of winning at all cost and lacks any consideration of the type of character that merits such a title. Fortunately

Notre Dame Football Strongman of Notre Dame, The Crown Jewel of Irish Legends

2011-10-31T14:47:00.002-04:00

Read a great article written by Jim Sheridan on one a legendary "Notre Dame Man""More often than not college legends are measured by wins or touchdowns. Father Bernard Lange quietly made his mark by inspiring others to exceed well beyond their greatest expectations." To read the full article, go to http://bleacherreport.com/articles/620911-

CHAMPION

2011-10-27T12:04:00.001-04:00

Dear Champions,In our second class meeting, we discussed what it means to be a champion. By definition a champion is, “a person who has defeated or surpassed all rivals in a competition, specifically in sports.” However, a champion is made up of much more than just what he/she does on the playing field. A champion is made up of many different qualities that support their attained abilities to

Fun, Growth, and Success in Minor Hockey

2011-10-25T09:30:00.000-04:00

My youngest 8-year-old brother, Matthew, has just begun playing hockey competitively on a traveling team, and I am so excited for him! After beginning and learning the game in house league during the past two years, so far, according to my parents, the transition onto a more competitive team has been positive for him. His skills and confidence are improving in leaps and bounds. I am

Sports: Childrens Games and A Path to Life Lesson Learning

2011-10-20T09:15:00.002-04:00

Sports are so much more than a game in the lives of children; it is also a way to learn important life lessons. Children learn how to cooperate with a team and build positive relationships and communication skills. However, in order to take advantage of the positive power of sports, everyone must play their part. When I was younger I competed in gymnastics for nine years and this is where I feel

Helping Engage Kids in Running

2011-09-26T13:06:00.001-04:00

In the spring on Notre Dame’s campus, you can’t miss the frequent running races for charity put on by dorms, ROTC groups, and academic departments. Every weekend there is at least one event and all of them donate proceeds to charity organizations. At Notre Dame, where 80% of undergraduates were varsity letter-winners in high school, these events are a golden opportunity to exercise and donate to

2011-09-13T12:25:00.002-04:00

ACE Building Dedication Events begin this weekend. Play Like A Champion Today(R) a unit of the Alliance for Catholic Education invites you to the dedication of our new building, Carole Sandner Hall on Notre Dame's campus Friday, September 16 at 3:30pm

An Effective Strategy for Equal Playing Time on a Youth Basketball Team

2011-08-04T10:25:00.003-04:00

St. Agnes Basketball Player Rotation: Dear PLC, I'm sure you get all sorts of resources that coaches/league directors use but I thought this one served me very well this past year after hearing some of your thoughts in Play Like A Champion and I'd be thrilled if other coaches found it useful. As I moved from coaching junior high varsity where I played kids based on a blend of factors to coaching

Uganda Continued!

2011-05-24T15:45:00.004-04:00

Over our other days in Uganda, PLC visited with faculty, administration and staff of Uganda Martyrs University, Makerere Business School and we had the pleasure of meeting Jasper Aligawesa who is the General Secretary of the Uganda National Council of Sport (pictured above with Clark and Kristin). Finally, our trip wouldn't be complete without sharing our group picture taken on the Equator.

2nd Day in Uganda

2011-05-24T15:10:00.005-04:00

During the PLC team's second day in Uganda, we traveled with the children of the village to the hospital to receive medical treatments. We played together while waiting for treatment and we all shared lunch together. The children loved learning a new game of "Duck, Duck, Goose" but gave it an African specific name of "Cow, Cow, Goat."

PLC travels to Uganda in Partnership

2011-05-24T14:27:00.005-04:00

The PLC team is back under the Golden Dome, but our hearts are fuller and our lives are richer due to the new friendships we have created in the beautiful country of Uganda in East Africa. We began our journey in the village of Kkindu. Attached is a video of the leader of PLC in the village, John Kakande, announcing the official partnership. The village also unveiled a PLC sign at the base

Former ND football player gives back to his community

2011-05-24T14:17:00.007-04:00

David Burton of the Denver Broncos is spending the time off during the lockout giving back to his community. 2009 Notre Dame Graduate with a degree in Political Science and Sociology is substitute teaching at his former high school in Dayton, Ohio. To see the full story, http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shutdown_corner/post/Broncos-8217-Bruton-spending-the-lockout-as-a-?urn=nfl-wp2141

Uganda update

2011-05-21T02:21:00.003-04:00

The PLC team is in Amsterdam on their way home from Africa. Our apologizes for only one blog while we were traveling. We had only one opportunity to get Internet access our entire trip. We will post a full report with pictures and videos in the next few days. We are feeling grateful and blessed for our life-changing journey. PLC team

UGANDA UPDATE - Just connected to Internet!

2011-05-19T13:50:00.000-04:00

After three flights, a 6 hour van ride (totaling 36 hours of travel), the PLC team arrived in the village of Kkindu, Masaka town, Uganda, Africa. On Sunday morning, we celebrated a beautiful mass in the village church with an accomplished choir, dancing, prayer and Eucharist. The village then unveiled a Play Like A Champion Today™ sign at the entrance to the village. John Kakande, the director of

Marathons: Adults Doing Athletics Right

2011-05-12T11:32:00.000-04:00

"The music of a marathon is a powerful strain, one of those tunes of glory. It asks us to forsake pleasures, to discipline the body, to find courage, to renew faith and to become one's own person, utterly and completely." -George SheehanRunning was punishment. We ran several laps for being late. Having an attitude or just not getting your head in the game resulted in a few more suicides at the

Consequences of specialization in early ages.

2011-05-02T11:31:00.002-04:00

Specialization in early ages is a serious and relevant problem in high school and youth sports due to several reasons. I believe that athletes in young ages should develop different physical skills by participating in various activities and different sports in order to build up the basis for future improvement. The limited range of skills performed during early sport specialization has the

No Prayer on the Field

2011-04-27T15:55:00.000-04:00

I came from a very small public school in Northern California; an area that has only recently adopted a “no prayer in public schools” policy. I had no personal qualms with this subject only because I made the conscious choice to lead a secular lifestyle, but I had friends on both sides of the issue ready to claw each other to death over whether prayer should be allowed in schools or not. As so

WHERE DOES DISCIPLINE FIT INTO THE GROW APPROACH FOR COACHES?

2011-04-20T12:06:00.004-04:00

As the face of a team, school or organization one of the largest responsibilities a coach is entrusted with is the position as ethical role model. Every coach is an example for his or her team, and the team philosophy and rules that each coach establishes will inevitably be tested and challenged many times throughout their coaching career. The most difficult decisions that I believe coaches have

A Tradition Unlike Any Other

2011-04-18T12:33:00.000-04:00

April brings about many exciting things such as the start of spring, my birthday, and one of the greatest golf tournaments in the world, The Masters. The Masters takes place the weekend of the first full week in April at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Augusta National is a masterfully designed course that is as beautiful as it is challenging. The tournament was established in

Play Ball!

2011-04-11T12:34:00.002-04:00

"People ask me what I do in winter when there's no baseball. I'll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring" -Rogers Hornsby, MLB Player 1915-1937 Beginning with the final out of the previous season's World Series, baseball fans spend the next five months pining for the return of the game they love. This offseason longing process, however, comes in stages. First, they spend

Book Review : Spirituality of Sport by Susan Saint Sing

2011-04-04T11:36:00.003-04:00

The book Spirituality of Sport: Balancing Body and Soul by Susan Saint Sing was a thought-provoking read. It discussed the idea that sports can be connected to spirituality; however it did not take the stance that sport is religion. To describe this nuance of thought, Saint Sing said that sport should neither constitute its own religion nor replace an existing one. Instead, it should be

True Mindset of a Champion

2011-04-01T18:40:00.000-04:00

With all of the focus at this time of the year being on March Madness, the NFL lockout, and the opening of the baseball season I figured I’d switch gears a little bit and talk about the football team I have (almost) always loved-Super Bowl XLV Champions, the Green Bay Packers.Now, being from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, I obviously come from your typical Green Bay packer adoring family; heck, it’s in

The Power of Community

2011-03-27T22:16:00.002-04:00

As everyone is I’m sure aware, the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament started over spring break this year. My parents were lucky enough to get tickets to Notre Dame’s first two games in Chicago, so my entire family enjoyed the NCAA atmosphere. I, however, was in Punta Cana, which I’m definitely not complaining about. Although I didn’t get to experience what it was like to watch the two games in

March Madness

2011-03-27T22:01:00.001-04:00

As the March Madness “Big Dance” tournament is rounding the end, it looks as though the underdogs have taken over this season. Though, there were many big wins for teams that were expected to win, there were also a number of huge upsets. I was lucky enough to be able to watch some of these upsets live. I was at the United Center in Chicago, IL when a #11 seeded, Virginia Commonwealth team

Sport Book Review: Find A Way: Three Words That Changed My Life

2011-03-15T10:19:00.003-04:00

A great read for any athlete or person who has struggled with rough times in their life is book written by former NFL running back Merril Hoge. The title of the book is called Find A way: Three Words That Changed My Life. The book is your typical autobiography on Hoge's life from the time he grew up in Idaho and all the way to his life after football. The book displays Hoge's unbelievable

The Long Ride Home

2011-03-13T23:45:00.003-04:00

Good day all...I thought we might switch gears today and examine one of the issues in youth sports that is overlooked more than Bobby Knight's behavior on the bench... the ride home after an athletic contest with parents. Some of the worst parenting and coaching in the world takes place in the privacy of the dreaded car ride home. Parents berate, condescend and over power young athletes to the

What High School Basketball Taught One Athlete

2011-03-11T13:15:00.002-05:00

My sophomore basketball coach was the best coach I have ever had. In my grade we had seven kids out for basketball. Two of those kids were very good so they were up on the varsity. The rest of us were not very good basketball players, but that did not change my coach’s expectations of winning games. What makes this coach the best I ever had was what he did with very little basketball talent.

Learning to Teach While Teaching Series Part VII: Passion

2011-03-07T11:52:00.002-05:00

Passion is a very peculiar word. We’ve heard it used in many different contexts over the years. Hmmmmm…let’s see – there have been crimes of passion, we’ve seen passionate outbursts by players and coaches, maybe someone we know has passion for what they do, some have even described passion in a sexual connotation meaning a physical relationship between two people – there’s even “The Passion of

2011-03-01T14:12:00.002-05:00

Over the past week, the blogosphere has lit up over a video showing John O'Connor, the head basketball coach at tiny Holy Family University, shoving one of his players to the ground during an early morning rebounding drill and kicking him when he stayed down. The nineteen year old Sophomore struggled to his feet, bleeding from his nose and holding a sprained wrist that has now kept him out of the

Learning to Teach While Teaching Series Part VI: Respect

2011-02-28T12:06:00.004-05:00

Today we continue to move forward in our Learning to Teach While Teaching Series:Today’s Topic: RespectI don’t really think I need to break out into Aretha Franklin’s all time number one smash single “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” for everyone to be able to understand at least in part how important respect is… I mean geez, if there’s a song written about it I’m guessing it must be pretty important. Motown

Learning to Teach While Teaching Series Part V: Positive Attitude

2011-02-21T12:48:00.005-05:00

Hello all… today we launch into segment five of our Learning to Teach While Teaching Series.Today’s subject: Positive AttitudeWe’ve all heard the quotes before:“Whether you believe you can or can’t you’re right.”“Whatsoever a man thinketh, so is he.”“I think; therefore I am.”A positive attitude sets the tone for anything we do. It could be the start of a difficult day, the beginning of a really

For the Love of the Missions

2011-02-15T14:02:00.001-05:00

Throughout my years growing up, I was an avid Notre Dame football fan. It was always the topic of discussion in my house. I'd like to change that norm for myself for once and discuss and share my thought on the Bengal Bouts. This year marks the 81st Annual Bengal Bouts. As many people in the ND community are aware, the first preliminary rounds occurred on Sunday, Feb. 13th. With no surprise, they

Learning to Teach While Teaching Series Part IV: Humility

2011-02-14T00:01:00.000-05:00

Once again it’s time for us to move into our Learning to Teach While Teaching Series. This week's topic: “Humility”As most of you know I was raised in a small rural town in Florida that isn’t much to speak about. Not much has changed in the way people think or do things since about the mid – 1950’s so there's always some sort of racial tension or overtone to most anything that happens.My

Overcoming Adversity, Changing Perceptions

2011-02-10T12:21:00.002-05:00

As many of you know, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl this past weekend. Anyone with even a passing interest in the NFL would undoubtedly know that the Packers came into the playoffs as the sixth (and final) seed in the NFC. As a result they had to win three playoff games on the road, including the NFC championship game at their division rival the Chicago Bears. The other compelling

Learning to Teach While Teaching Part III: Trustworthiness

2011-02-07T00:06:00.004-05:00

This week we dive into our third topic in our Learning to Teach While Teaching Series: "Trustworthiness"Our young people today need to be taught the value of being trustworthy. Unfortunately, when they watch ESPN or any television show for that matter the modeled behavior is often times less than what it should be – there’s what I like to call (PMS) the “Predominately Me Syndrome” displayed

2011-02-03T13:38:00.003-05:00

Take in the following scenario: 50 friends get to leave the snow and 10 degree weather of South Bend, Indiana, and fly to the sunshine and 70 degree weather of Orlando, Florida. The group will be going to dinners, staying together in a nice hotel, and going to Disney World. Now add to the scenario the fact that the group is actually a college lacrosse team, and that the reason for the trip is

Learning to Teach While Teaching Part II: Hard Work

2011-01-30T18:40:00.003-05:00

This week we tackle part two of our Learning to Teach While Teaching Series: Today's subject --> HARD WORKI think it’s safe to assume we all agree that our generation (Generation X) has worked hard to give our children (Millennials) all the things we didn’t have – to provide those experiences and opportunities that we believed would be valuable to them later in life. We strive to make sure our

Learning to Teach While Teaching Part I: Discipline

2011-01-24T01:26:00.002-05:00

Today we discuss the first section of our series on Coaching for Character. Today's topic: DISCIPLINEAs coaches we always say that discipline is important and how we need to be a disciplined team in order to be successful. What is discipline exactly? Merriam-Webster defines discipline as: (1) training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character (2) orderly or

The Learning to Teach While Teaching Intro

2011-01-18T12:37:00.004-05:00

This week I thought we would open with a subject that all parents, athletes and coaches hold near and dear... or at least they should - coaching for character.What exactly is coaching for character? What does that even mean? How does one go about it? What is character development? Who's responsible? Why is it even important?There's a whole lot more to sports than just winning... and please don't

Pushing vs. Shoving… Which Would You Prefer?

2011-01-11T14:13:00.001-05:00

As parents we always push our children to be better than they believe they can be… that’s part of the job in parenting. We all want to make sure that our kids have a better opportunity to be successful…a better opportunity than we did; but how far is far enough to push? How far is too far to push? At the end of the day maybe we should examine the difference between “pushing” and “shoving.”When we

High School Rudy Awards - Vote for your Favorite

2011-01-05T17:09:00.001-05:00

Twelve high school football players receive belated Christmas gift from Trusted Sports.Trusted Sports and Daniel ‘Rudy’ Ruettiger announce the top twelve High School Football ‘Rudy’ Award Finalists. $25,000 in college scholarships awarded to final four.Bend, OR – December 28, 2010 – Santa is coming a little late for twelve inspirational high school football players this year. Trusted Sports and

2010-12-17T09:06:00.002-05:00

On September 27, 1992, a milestone-in-the-making began. In a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Green Bay Packers decided to start relatively green quarterback Brett Favre. On this day, the greatest iron man streak in sports history began. On Monday, December 13, 2010, that streak ended at 297 consecutive regular season starts (321 if postseason games are considered). In an already tough

PLC Partners with the Jordan Family Sports Foundation in Chicago

2010-12-15T15:38:00.003-05:00

Play Like A Champion Today(TM) began a partnership with the Jordan Family Sports Foundation in Chicago on Saturday, December 4. A youth coach clinic was held at St. Ann school in the morning and high school coaches engaged in an afternoon clinic at Holy Trinity High School which culminated in a Coaches Commissioning Mass. Pictured above is Jessica Conlin, one of our new Local PLC trainers, with a

Team Unity

2010-11-22T11:59:00.000-05:00

Team unity on a sports team is as essential to the success of the team as is the physical ability of the players themselves. Even in individual sports like track and swimming, building a community with shared commitment and common goals will not only foster a greater sense of belonging and cooperation, but will inevitably result in more involvement, effort, and enjoyment gained out of the sport

Playing for Fun

2010-11-18T15:49:00.001-05:00

As I walked out of my dorm today at the University of Notre Dame, I saw a group of about 40 students running around on south quad. I stopped because they were not playing any ordinary sport. They had 3 balls in one game and they were using them for different purposes. One player from each team was holding a ball and they were pegging them at the players of the opposing team whenever that player

Gaints "Win" through TeamWork

2010-11-11T22:29:00.002-05:00

Before the Major League Baseball season started there were not many people who believed that the San Francisco Giants could win their division, the National League West, and no one really thought that the team could win the World Series. Well recently the Giants proved al of the experts wrong and won the 2010 World Series, their first since 1954 and their first since moving to San Francisco.

Play Like A Champion Today(TM) Welcomes our newest Partner St. Stephen the Martyr Parish in Omaha, NE

2010-11-10T12:03:00.005-05:00

PLC would like to welcome our newest partner St. Stephen Parish in Omaha, Nebraska. During the weekend of November 5-6, Kristin Sheehan traveled to Omaha and presented together with Jim Lebeda, Athletic Director and Asst. Principal at St. Stephen's - also a 2010 PLC Leadership Conference participant. A Parent Like A Champion Today(TM) workshop was held on Friday night(first picture shows St.

Our Prayers are with Declan Sullivan's family

2010-11-02T09:14:00.001-04:00

Declan.By Amy Holsinger, ND ‘12(Originally posted 12:22 am, Friday, October 29, 2010)I did not know Declan Sullivan. On Wednesday, Declan was killed on campus in an accident involving a hydraulic lift. He was filming football practice for his job as a student manager, and high winds caused the scissor lift he was filming from to topple over. He was 20 years old. He was a junior majoring in FTT (

What matters to the Athlete?

2010-10-22T12:59:00.001-04:00

When my high school religion teacher heard I was going to be home for a week for Fall Break from the University of Notre Dame, she asked me if I would come speak at my high school’s youth rally. The workshop I was asked to give was called “Reflecting God in Sports.” I had gone to the youth rallies while in high school and didn’t have much planned for the week, so I agreed to give the talk.I

Red Sox Fan

2010-10-14T23:30:00.000-04:00

As a Red Sox fan, the 2010 baseball season will be remembered as a lost opportunity, a season of wondering what could have been, if injuries had not plagued the Sox throughout the summer. Although Terry Francona and his players will be watching this year’s playoffs from their couches, and Boston sports fans will anxiously await the start of the NBA season, ESPN’s latest episode of its documentary

The Pageantry of Sport?

2010-10-06T10:10:00.001-04:00

Most recently, the world caught one of baseball’s most impressionable players red handed. Derek Jeter of the New York Yankees was caught acting. Not acting in a good sense either. It happened in a game between the Yankees and a major division rival. The game was significant because the winner would become closer than the other to reaching the division playoff bid. Jeter was up to bat when the

The Ike Special - Varsity Edition

2010-09-30T18:11:00.001-04:00

Watch this heartwarming sports story of Ike - Play Like A Champion Today(TM) likes this!

Just Coaching

2010-09-29T15:48:00.000-04:00

Justice has many definitions, but one I heard lately seemed particularly appropriate: “treating someone as they should be treated.” Being a just person means realizing that while not everyone has the same opportunities and skills and interests and priorities that you do, all people deserve respect. From a coaching point of view, being just means realizing that every single athlete can be a

Reggie Bush's Heisman Scandal

2010-09-20T10:48:00.001-04:00

The Heisman Trophy is one of sport’s most prestigious awards, given yearly to the best college football player in the country. For an amateur athlete, there is no greater glory or honor. This week, for the first time in its long and storied history, the Heisman trophy was returned. Reggie Bush, the 2005 winner, gave back the trophy after an NCAA investigation into his college playing days was

A Strange Game Down Under

2010-09-13T12:09:00.002-04:00

Last fall I was able to spend 5 months living and studying in the Fremantle, Western Australia. On my return, most people when made aware of my semester abroad “Down Under” would ask me if I spent time in the outback, or ran into any kangaroos, or saw the Opera House in Sydney. The answer to all these question was thankfully yes; my time in Australia was a wonderful experience full of wonderful

2010-08-18T19:22:00.002-04:00

Kansas City Parochial League board members and trainers Dave Schmitt and John Svetlecic, and Vince Fitzgerald, League director, show their Certificates of Recognition with Kristin Sheehan and F. Clark Power, of ‘Play Like A Champion Today.’What follows is a copy of the article on the KCPL which appeared in the KANSAS CITY Catholic Key — Shortly after taking the reins of the sports program in 2002

Kansas City Parochial League - Article Link

2010-08-18T15:34:00.001-04:00

http://www.catholickey.org/index.php3?gif=news.gif&mode=view&issue=20100813&article_id=6374

Kansas City Parochial League Celebrates it's Accomplishments

2010-08-18T15:28:00.002-04:00

One of PLC's first partners: Kansas City Parochial League boasts a great article about their good work in their local Catholic paper.CONGRATULATIONS KCPL!

Spreading the Play Like A Champion Today(TM) message across the world!

2010-08-05T10:22:00.002-04:00

PLC Consultant, Oscar McBride joins Kevin Dugan, Notre Dame Lacrosse Operations Director and PLC Consultant in Uganda this week. Together they are spreading the Play Like A Champion Today(TM) message to young people through Kevin's Fields of Growth International Foundation. Sport is a universal language and these young people are learning what it means to be a Champion while they play lacrosse

Sports are Spiritual: Lakers vs. Celtics: Game 7

2010-06-17T12:14:00.001-04:00

Why I care so darn much...Game 7. Lakers/Celtics. History. I was up on the South Fork of the American River whitewater rafting all this past week. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, but everyone in my raft knew when it was a game day. We’d park the boat, I’d run and get changed, and find my way to the closest pub to watch the 2nd half of the Lakers’ game. Everyone laughed, and no

The Trauma and Tragedy of Football

2010-05-26T14:06:00.001-04:00

We see them all the time on the gridiron and are fascinated with the violence. The sheer sound of the pop of pads is enough to stir most Americans into frenzy over the “Big Hits” in a sport of hits. I love them as a player of the game, and football fans all over the nation and world who love to watch the entertainment of the games can’t get enough of them. Recently, especially in light of the

Changing the Way We Think

2010-05-12T13:48:00.003-04:00

At the VA Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, a lab seemingly like any other holds a group of scientists doing research. Bennet Omalu, a neurologist, studies a computer screen. However, this lab is unlike any other. Surrounding them are vats filled with typical levels of deteriorated brains of 80 year old men. However, none of these brains belonged to anyone who made it past 80. They were all

Suns/Spurs Play-Off Series

2010-05-03T21:18:00.000-04:00

For the fifth time in the last seven seasons, the Phoenix Suns and the San Antonio Spurs meet in the playoffs, providing several high scoring games and many unforgettable moments. Who can forget the Robert Horry hip check on Steve Nash in Game Four of the 2007 Western Conference Semis? Or the Tony Parker-Steve Nash collision in Game One of that same series, causing Nash to miss most of the end of

Boxing to Help Others

2010-04-26T15:46:00.002-04:00

Box Like a Champion Today (BLACT) is an exciting new aspect of the Play Like A Champion Today(TM): Sports as a ministry program as well as Notre Dame Boxing. Working alongside both the Men’s and Women’s Club boxing teams the purpose of BLACT is to organize the local impact arm of Notre Dame boxing. I felt it would be important to integrate both of the club’s charitable purposes within the

It Takes A Village

2010-04-16T09:52:00.001-04:00

You might have heard of the common ancient African proverb, “it takes a village to raise a child”. Have you every considered that perhaps an athlete, too, requires a “village” to reach his or hers fullest potential? There are so many people that help and support an athlete – the parents, coaches, doctors, trainers, managers, and scorekeepers…the list is truly endless. I think often times only

Baseball Begins!

2010-04-13T09:26:00.001-04:00

Today marked the true beginning of a new era for my favorite baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, with the official opening of their new outdoor stadium, Target Field. This will be the first season since 1981 that the team will play its home games outdoors, since their home has been the Metrodome for the past 28 years. Gone are the cramped locker rooms, no longer do the players and fans have to

Is LeBron’s Free Agency Hoopla Bad for the NBA?

2010-04-12T13:04:00.001-04:00

LeBron James will be facing his first free agency opportunity this upcoming offseason, as I’m sure you have heard at least once by now, if not for the 792803024 time. Mr. James has embraced the opportunity by making a circus-like atmosphere around each game, media appearance, even celebrity parties with guests the likes of Drake, Beyonce, and none other than Shawn Carter, aka Jay-Z. This season

Take Me Out to the Ballgame

2010-04-08T13:44:00.001-04:00

Last week, the Minnesota Twins took the field for the first time at Target Field, a $425 million brand new outdoor baseball park in Minneapolis. Despite an afternoon of rain, thousands of fans flocked to the new park in the evening to watch their beloved Twins take on the Cardinals. Naturally, the event was a major feature on every form of media in the state, and news stories debating the pros

Acclaimed character sports coach author retires

2010-03-26T20:23:00.006-04:00

SALT LAKE CITY — Just three days after Judge Memorial Catholic High School played for the 3A state championship title, longtime coaching icon James Yerkovich announced to his team he was retiring.“I don’t have the energy I used to have to run the quality basketball program I would like,” said Yerkovich of his 44 years at Judge Memorial Catholic High School. “We still have that kind of program,

The NBA season

2010-03-22T14:24:00.001-04:00

http://technorati.com/sports/article/are-the-denver-nuggets-championship-contenders/ In listening to basketball gossip surrounding this year's NBA season it appears as though the season was decided and done with before it even began. From the get go all that has been discussed and covered by the media is how great this year's finals will be between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Cleveland

NCAA Tournament- too much?

2010-03-17T13:24:00.000-04:00

There is talk of the field of 64 (now 65 officially) expanding to 128 teams for the Men’s NCAA Basketball tournament. There is also something along the lines of 90 hours straight of Bracketology and analysis and the like leading up to the first game of the Men’s Tournament. At what point does this become too much? How many games or replays or plays or analysis or predictions do we need to go

Tiger Woods: Sincere or Staged?

2010-03-15T13:08:00.000-04:00

If you have watched any news program over the past three months, you may have heard the name “Tiger Woods” mentioned more than once. It is no secret that the life of Tiger Woods has changed over the past several months, particularly following his car crash on the evening of Thanksgiving. Tiger has always lived under a spotlight when it comes to his actions on the golf course, but following his

Tiger Woods’ Scandal Coming to a Close?

2010-03-15T11:40:00.001-04:00

Beginning on November 27, 2009, a series of events took place that would have Tiger Woods’ image changed forever. No longer the squeaky clean, role-model athlete he once was, Tiger now looks to make a return to golf, possibly eyeing the April 8th Masters at Augusta, or perhaps the Arnold Palmer Invitation in hometown Orlando, which takes place at the end of the month. The question remains

Everybody's a Critic

2010-03-08T10:21:00.001-05:00