Commitment

"Spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation."
-Roger Staubach

I have completed another Wye Island Regatta. The Wye, also known as the "Challenge of the Chesapeake" is a 13 mile marathon for "any human powered craft." I have used a kayak for the six times I have done it. I am not sure why I submit myself to this punishment, but the camaraderie is terrific.. Perhaps too, the sense of accomplishment is, as the MasterCard ad says, "priceless." But that sense is only achieved, as all athletes know, because of a commitment made much earlier. You cannot paddle that distance without spending a lot of time on the water and in the weight room anymore than you can race our cross-country course without the commitment to train and prepare for the race.

That is the reason we have "commitment" as the second part of our team motto "Courage, commitment, character." In order to complete the course - whether you are a Kindergartener or an 8th Grader you have to have the personal commitment to train. Failure to do so harms not only your teammates, but your own self esteem. The great football coach Vince Lombardi once remarked: "The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence regardless of their chosen field of endeavor." Cross country running is a perfect metaphor for life...there are times we suffer, there are times we feel we can run like the wind...but we can only achieve excellence through our commitment to learn, to practice, yes - to train.

This is my wish for all our runners: to learn from the commitment to excellence that cross-country demands and use that knowledge to excel in life and to fully understand Roger Staubach's observation about spectacular achievement.