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.