my contest

“Welcome to Indiana basketball.” Hoops history was made in northern Indiana over marriage weekend by a small township school off US 30.

This should come as no surprise from the state that spawned the most famous and encouraging sports movie in history, ‘Hoosiers,’ detailing the run of the ‘Milan Miracle’ in 1954. That school had an enrollment of 161 students, Oregon Davis has 246 students; but what happened to both schools was similar Saturday night at the high school state finals in Indianapolis.

Oregon Davis became the first high school to win both the 1-A girls and boys championship in the same year. Four other schools previously had teams in both state finals, but none had won. In a state where basketball is beloved, where coach Bobby Knight ruled for a spell, that is a prized endeavor.

“I’m not an oddsmaker, but I gotta think the odds aren’t good for such a small school to make this sort of history,” said IHSAA assistant commissioner Ray Craft. “Having a community pull together for its young people is amazing and truly unique,” IHSAA commissioner Blake Ress said.

Do you want to know what is even more amazing? Four years ago, when my son(from Bremen) played against the OD Bobcats, I was actually rooting for and feeling sorry for that team. They had the longest losing streak in the state. That group of boys had never won a game throughout their entire basketball career. You could see it in their depresssed demeanor on and off the court. They were discouraged…my heart went out to them.

However, a younger group of guys did not let defeat define their school reputation. They began to look forward not back and did the next thing to prepare to change that losing legacy. They learned from the previous losses and then let that fuel the passion to perform better the next year and year after. Same coach but a different attitude. Their work took winning to a whole new level.

Congratulations to Coach Travis Hannah and OD community for not giving up on the school and the team. Congratulations to the many individuals, too numerous to name, who believed and had a part in the process to encourage the kids to work hard and stay in the competition.

It does make a difference in marriage and the game of life to have people behind the scenes who believe in you and encourage you to reach your goals. Let that be a lesson to all of us. And as they say, the rest is Indiana basketball history!

Kay the Encourager
My world needs healing words, inspiring words, caring words–I want to know the right words to say. Thus a lifetime of learning and how to encourage became my purpose and my story. I found out: I can impact a life in a positive way. I can encourage people to persevere in difficult life situations. You can too! We can make a difference in one another’s lives. My husband and I are still married, after 32 years of starting and owning several successful small businesses together. I have a degree in retail merchandising, am a human resource manager, advertising manager and janitor. I have been an employer and employee. I have been a counselee and counseled. I love to volunteer in my church and community, encouraging women and children. http://www.howtoencourage.com

Sooner or later, every human being that breathes fresh air comes across failure, in some shape, fashion, or form. Because this statement is so true, I wrote this chapter with all of us in mind. Anyone who attains any degree of success has typically encountered a certain amount of failure (including unexpected setbacks and relentless frustration).

I have coached countless individuals who have tried to change the direction of their lives, but have subsequently failed in their attempts. They have tried to lose weight, save money, or get their spiritual life on track, but do you know what frequently happens? More often than not, these well-meaning folks abruptly stop, just a few inches short of achieving their established objective!

What you must keep in mind is that losing doesn’t make you a failure. The person who is going to win always gets back up. I’ll give you an example. Do you realize that some of the greatest hitters ever to play baseball only hit an average of 3 out of 10? Notice that 70% of the time they did not succeed! Are they known as failures? Certainly not! The same holds true for you and me. We all experience periodic setbacks, but true winners are those who will not allow setbacks to prevent them from trying again.

What must we do to overcome failure? The first step is to change our perception of failure. I once heard it said, “Failure is a verb, not a noun.” What does that mean? It means that failure is something we periodically do; it’s not something we are. We must resolutely refuse to identify with our mistakes or failures and, instead, envision ourselves as who we truly are. Although we may slip up along the way, all our dreams will inevitably be achieved if we keep pursuing.

And here’s something else to bear in mind: What is so often seen as failure is actually not - it is only a temporary setback. When carefully examined, defeat, in many cases, is really a blessing in disguise. How can that be possible? It’s possible because it is at this very place of failure that character is refined and purified. Those who view shortcomings and mistakes as failure tend to habitually forego all that God desires for their lives.

No mistake amounts to failure if you regard it as a teacher of a vital lesson. There’s a great and enduring lesson in every trial, and it’s usually a lesson that could not have been learned any other way.

Failure is an Event, Not a Person:

Have you experienced setbacks in your marriage, on the job, in friendship, or in any other set of circumstances? If so, that doesn’t mean you are a failure as a person. The only real failure is the one who quits, the one who refuses to get back up and try again. Therefore, decide to learn from your past, to grow, and to move straight ahead. Let me illustrate my point with this story:

On New Year’s Day, 1929, Georgia Tech played the University of California in the Rose Bowl. Shortly before half-time, a player named Roy Riegels recovered a fumble for California. Somehow, he became confused and started running 65 yards - in the wrong direction! A teammate tackled him just before he would have scored for the opposing team. When California attempted to punt, Georgia blocked the kick and scored a safety.

The team headed off the field and went into the dressing room. As they sat on the benches, Riegels put a blanket around his shoulders, put his face in his hands, and cried like a baby.

Coach Nibbs Price was silent. No doubt, he was trying to decide what to do with Riegels. Everyone just sat there. When the timekeeper announced three minutes until playing time, Coach Price looked at the team and said simply, “Men, the same team that played the first half will start the second.”

All the players got up and started out, except for Riegels. The Coach called to him again but, still, he didn’t move. So he went over to Riegels and said, “Roy, didn’t you hear me? The same team starts the second half!”

Riegels looked up, with tears in his eyes, and said, “Coach, I can’t do it! I’ve ruined you! I’ve ruined my school. I’ve ruined myself. I couldn’t face the crowd in that stadium to save my life!” Coach Price reached out and put his hand on Riegel’s shoulder and said, “Roy, get up and go back. THE GAME IS ONLY HALF OVER!”

Roy Riegels went back on the field, and everyone who saw that famous game said it was the greatest half of football a player ever had.

Sure, just like Roy Riegels, we may foolishly take the ball and run in the wrong direction. We fumble and are so ashamed of ourselves that we never want to try again. But if you will distinguish yourself from the status quo, you must get back up, brush yourself off, and go at it again.

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