AAO Update 4/3/09

Basketball is winding down and baseball is just now heating up. Even though Major League Baseball doesn’t start for a couple of days Razorback baseball is in full swing…literally. The Razorbacks beat Missouri State last night to run their record to 20-5. Depending on which poll you follow they are ranked as low as 14th and as high as 4th. It doesn’t really matter at this point where they are ranked because there is still a lot of baseball to be played.
What has emerged to this point in the season has made the baseball coaches look like prophets. Last Fall they sensed something special. Gone were 1st and 2nd draft picks and high profile players, but what this team had was quality leadership. The point man for the Razorbacks is Fayetteville’s own Ben Tchepikow. He is putting up great numbers, but it is his leadership that has carried the team.

Jay Schultz, AAO staff member and the Razorback baseball chaplain, has utilized chapel time to communicate to the team about healthy, Godly leadership described in Scripture. During a recent chapel talk he challenged the team to avoid the pitfalls of misguided leadership. Several times in Scripture (one being at the Last Supper no less) the disciples argue with each other over which one was greatest. No doubt each one could make a case for greatness, but to do so at the tension-filled Last Supper indicated none were truly ready to lead.

Leadership with selfish motives in mind is the worst kind of leadership, especially in sports. Nothing destroys a team quicker than selfishness. For many, leadership is merely a tool to manipulate, to enrich and to control through power. In the office or the clubhouse this type of leadership is destructive to the team. Jesus recognized this pitfall and offered a solution: serve those you are in community with.

Jesus answered the disciple’s selfish debate by stating that true leadership is rooted in selfless service. He said the “leader should become like the servant.” We know from history this is just what happened. The disciples were transformed from selfish followers to selfless leaders. Great things can happen when a team, organization or family decides to follow Jesus’ example and serve one another. It appears the Razorback baseball team is doing just that by putting aside selfish ambition for the good of the team. Being a champion is more than standing tall in victory it is stooping low in service to those around you.

AAO Update 3/17/09

March Madness is here once again.  The 2009 version of the NCAA basketball tournament begins Thursday and, unfortunately for Razorback fans neither the men’s or women’s teams are in the Big Dance this year.  That said; let’s take the time to congratulate the Roger Mounties boys, 7A Championship game, Shiloh Christian girls, state champs and the Fayetteville High School Purple Dogs…men’s and women’s teams.  Both finished the year undefeated and are state champions!

It isn’t rare to see the boys and girl’s teams win state in the same year.  Occasionally, you will see a team go undefeated.  However, it is extraordinary to have the same school go undefeated and win state in the same year.  That is a remarkable accomplishment.

So how did it happen?  Why did it happen?  Better players?  Maybe. Better coaching?  Perhaps.  The teams outworked everyone else?  Who knows?  In some of the articles that followed the championships we are given some clues to what made these teams great.  Read some of the quotes:

“Everybody was committed to one goal.”

“The most talented team doesn’t always win. That attests to this team’s mental focus and willingness to prepare.”

“We played for each other.”

“There is love and support between the boys and girls teams that will stand out for years to some.”

“Players stuck around this season to practice AFTER practice. They were there at 6 a.m. to work on their shots and hone their offensive sets.”

They work hard individually-and sacrifice collectively-  anything that happens to them they deserve.”

To us, it shows a tremendous amount of character in the young men and women at Fayetteville High.  It is a testament to the parents, coaches, community organizations and everyone who played a hand in making these student-athletes the champions they are today.  It didn’t happen overnight.  It was a process.  At AAO, we are in to that process.  In the end, win or lose, doing it right, working hard, playing for something more than yourself is worth it.  It is what champions do.  Congratulations Purple Dogs!

And thanks once again to each of you for the support you give to AAO in helping us impact the next generation of athletes and coaches!

3/16/09 AAO Update

Dear Friends,

Rick Fires in his article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette states his belief that “Character and Team-first guys are back in style.”  He sites many examples from professional, college and high school sports programs that are starting to send the message to athletes that character, attitude, work ethic and team chemistry are just as important as talent. This is good news for fans, parents, coaches and the athletes who still play the game. At AAO, character and team have always been synonymous with sports. For many who receive this weekly update, you know AAO is about building champions for life and utilizing sports to make that happen. Selfishness and a me-first attitude cannot be found in a champion’s mettle.

We intentionally communicate to our athletes positive messages about healthy character beginning with athletes as young as 3rd grade and going all the way up to college age athletes. We tell them a CHAMP is all about the following:

C: Courage: the ability to rise up to a challenge without giving way to fear and doubt

H: Humility: rejecting an entitlement mentality and realizing our personal success is usually a result of someone else’s contribution and sacrifice

A: Attitude: a positive, hard working, team first attitude is what will produce long term success

M: Mental strength: the mental capacity to persevere through adversity without giving up or caving in

P: Purpose: learning to live and play with a sense of purpose

This is exactly the kind of attributes Coach Pelphry is trying to instill in his players. He is trying to develop strength of character in his young men that will give them an opportunity for success on and off the court. An athlete cannot be a champ if they are character deficient and consumed with themselves. The athletes involved with AAO understand this concept.  Do we play to win?  Absolutely.  We keep score, we coach hard, we train harder, but we do it with purpose and our purpose involves young men and women developing their full and God-given potential.  Winning is a by-product of our goal!  Can you be successful doing it this way?  According to a national high school survey of teams that had one a state championship, the number one answer given for their success was not talent but team chemistry!  Maybe Jerry Jones read that survey recently.

Hey, we want to thank Rick Fires though for pointing out what we got at AAO 18 years ago…CHARACTER COUNTS!