February is upon us! It's hard to believe we are on the downhill stretch of the season. I am sure you have experienced a roller coaster of events all season long. This past week we have talked a lot about Effort (aka Industriousness or Grit) to our team. Certainly a skill to have when the going gets tough. Basketball is the longest NSAA sport season; not to mention encompassing two major holidays, change of semester and the cold/flu bug.
Let me share my "pump story" I often think of this time of year. As a teenager, every now and then, I would play golf north of Kearney, Nebraska. The course was hot, dry and barren. I would get really thirsty and by the 15th hole or so there was this old pump. Each outing I would try to pump it several times, but always in vain, or so I thought. One day my dad joined me and when we got to the pump I told him not to bother since it didn't work. He smiled and told me to start pumping. I said, "But dad..." He gestured for me to be quiet and just keep pumping. Eventually, after many several pumps, water started to flow...and flow it did! It was pouring out like Niagara Falls. Thanks to the encouragement of my father I learned a valuable lesson that day, "Success equals effort over time.” Staying power has a lot to say about who we are as a result of what we've done. It requires great staying power to finish strong. Let's keep pumping, and putting forth a great effort The Titan Way.