Tryouts

This Friday and Saturday I will be going to the combine for the Detroit Mechanix. The Mechanix are a professional ultimate frisbee team in the AUDL (American Ultimate Disc League). Ultimate is one of the largest growing sports in the world, and the competition level is getting pretty high. I don't really know if I have a shot of making this team or not, but I'm not too optimistic. The Mechanix and the AUDL have even gotten some attention from ESPN. Here are some of the best plays that made the highlight reel.

In this play the assist came from a buddy of mine that I've been playing with for a number of years. The reciever, Ben Ayres, is the former captain of Kalamazoo College Ultimate.
Kraght to Ayres

In this video the play is #3 on the ESPN Top10.

I can't pass up on the chance to play a professional sport, and since I will never make it to the NBA I think this is the next best thing. Like I said before, there is a lot of talent emerging to come and try out for these teams, so I don't know what my chances are like. In anticipation that I will be getting cut from this team next week, I'm going to save that discussion for then. This week I want to talk about making the team, or just winning in general.

Throughout my athletic career I would have to say that one of my proudest moments was when I made my 7th grade team. I know that this seems a little silly to most people, but in seventh grade I was 6'0" and about 135 lbs. Needless to say, I was a scrawny little kid. I was also going to one of the largest middle schools in the state of Pennsylvania at the time, so it was a little harder than it sounds. I was so excited that I made that team that I don't think I broke a smile for about a week. I was on the top of the world, and I'm sure that everyone around me could tell.

So how do we handle situations like that as Christians? I'm now thinking of every Quarterback in their post game interview after winning the Superbowl saying, "I want to thank God for this awesome opportunity." I'm pretty convinced that there has got to be a better way of conducting yourself than just using cliches and thanking your mom. I think that humility is important, but what does true humility look like?

I personally believe that true humility is when you just take the stinking complement and say thank you. Don't be afraid to tell people how hard you worked for something. Your not being selfish by receiving compliments in a moment that you have worked hard to be able to enjoy. It is true though that you must turn the attention back to God at some point, but be specific. There is a reason that God has given you your athletic ability and put you in that situation. You can even tell a short story about how God got you through a difficult time to get you to this place. This is called a testimony, and it is something that will direct the attention toward the great works of God in your life, and possibly even in the lives of your teammates and coaches. Hopefully this time next week I'll be posting something that sounds an awful lot like what I just described, so wish me luck. 

Going All Out

I don't typically get in altercations with other players, but I see it happen with other people all the time.

Playing sports can get a little rough at times. If I'm trying to win and your trying to win, then there is going to be some incidental contact. I for one happen to love it. There aren't too many times in life where you are aloud to push someone around a little and they can push right back, and then you can step out of the game and have a very casual conversation. When I play basketball I kind of like playing against someone who is a little bit bigger than me. I know that I am going to have to toughen up a little bit in order to contain him. It's kinda fun.

Having said that, I hate playing against someone who is intentionally doing illegal things in order to beat me. I love playing in a really physical match-up. I hate playing against cheaters. There is a fine line between these two types of players, but it means a world of difference to your opponent. I believe that people who cheat have humility issues, and people who play hard have competitiveness issues. The person who cheats doesn't want to beat you. Rather, they just want the recognition for themselves. The person who plays hard just wants to beat you fair and square.

It's okay to be competitive. But what if I'm playing competitively and he is cheating? What should the right response be? The response should not be to cheat right back. If you hit him/her back harder, then you've already escalated the situations. An eye for an eye will not help you resolve the situation. It will actually make it worse. You are no longer there to have fun playing a sport that you love. You are now there for your own pride.

My solution is to just smile. I don't really have to force myself to smile, I just simply think that it is funny that someone needs to cheat in order to prove themselves. It is not secret that this guy is cheating. Everyone else on the floor and in the stands can see it. Just because your opponent is ruining their reputation, that doesn't mean that you should ruin yours.

As Christians we need to hold ourselves to a higher standard and not treat sports as a part of life that is completely separate from the Christian life. You should be the same person on the floor as you are off the floor. People should be able to tell that you are a Christian in day-to-day life, and the same should be true when you step our onto the court or field. It's fun to be competitive with other people and to give it your all, but it must be done in the context of the Christian life.