A Champion Long Before He Won the Title

“Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”

-Dan Gable

  This past weekend a national champion was crowned. Arizona State wrestler Anthony Robles won the NCAA title in the 125lb weight class, and he did it on one leg. Based upon the interviews I've watched and everything I've read, it seems to me that his final victory only validated what was already true. Anthony Robles has a champion's heart. This title wasn't won this past weekend in Philadelphia. It was won over the course of several years of discipline, hard work, confidence, and determination.

"Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."

-Leo Buscaglia

   Just like Anthony Robles, we all have strengths and weaknesses. Some are more obvious than others. Excuses and doubters are plentiful. No matter what you're trying to achieve, when it gets hard you don't have to look far to find a way out. There's never a shortage of people (including ourselves) who will expose our weaknesses and try to convince us that we can't achieve our goals because of them. Ultimately it comes down to a question of character. In sports we refer to this as "having heart". It's one of the most admirable qualities that people respond to in a leader.
   I train/mentor a group of high school athletes a few days a week. Our school is very blessed to have a first rate training facility. Even with this incredible facility and all of the state of the art equipment, there is still one basic truth. Nothing can replace hard work and dedication. There's no way around it.
  When I start working with a new group of kids there's an atmosphere of excitement and trepidation. The excitement stems from the results they have seen with other athletes that have trained with me. The trepidation is rooted in the rather intense work outs that I take those athletes through to get them there. The kids tend to think I have this secret workout knowledge that yields almost magical results. Well I'm going to share my big secret: You have greatness within you.

   My "magic" is that I can see it. The workouts are merely a tool I use to reveal it. Once athletes see it, believe in it, and take ownership of it, nothing can stop them. It's really not any more complicated than that. As I said before, these workouts are extremely intense. Every training session we work to our breaking point. We push our bodies to failure. That is the moment of our focus. This moment defines our character. We can pack it up and call it a day. Or, we can look deep inside ourselves; see our light; recognize our greatness; and push past all of the reasons for stopping. THAT is where character is defined. That is where greatness and success grow. It is this lesson that we carry with us onto the field or court, into the ring, or onto the mat.

   It is moments like this where a kid born with one leg moves beyond all the reasons he can't do it, and does it anyway. Anthony Robles was a champion long before he won the title.