This is a repost from Tom Burgdorf”s series of articles. Follow Tom on Facebook and check his website gymnetsports.com
Parents, Coaches, Teachers & Owners – “Building A Champion”
In the next couple of weeks I am going to write a series articles about “Building A Champion” in our children/students/athletes. I hope that you enjoy them. A couple of them will be written specifically to the children.
For me there are 2 types of champions, one wins when compared to others and the other is a person who reaches more of their potential than others. Sports provides us with many special champions from the little league winning pitcher in a game to Olympic Champions. The 2nd type intrigues me even more.
“Everyone” can be a champion. Each of us is an individual with special “possibilities” given what we were born with. We are not equal and we do not have unlimited potential in all areas. Our children are born with “possibilities” based on their desire, hard work ethic and yes, opportunities. We work with the tools we have been given to create a great life for ourselves. To me a champion is someone who fulfills their desires, dreams and the individual happiness that makes their life beyond satisfactory.
Part of growing up is evaluating your potential strengths with your realistic weaknesses or limitations. This is evaluating yourself to know what you are working with. I can’t, as an adult at 5’ 7” tall, work hard to become the World’s Tallest Man. Am I disappointed my parents didn’t give me what I needed to achieve that specific goal?
In my mind there is nothing wrong with helping a child understand the concept of limitations. It is what it is. As human beings one of our “negatives” is that we can’t be anything and everything. You can’t take a model car kit and make it a jet airplane. Life is what it is and the people who accept these facts may get ahead because they can then focus on the “real possibilities” for themselves and those they work with.
Yes, most children can get through many levels of math in their schooling but only some can max out Calculus. They have the building blocks to understand those concepts. Life is about improving your weaknesses and maxing out your strengths.
A champion maxes out what their parents gave them to work with. There are measures of some of these building blocks like IQ’s, sports proficiency, natural desire, eye sight and health and on and on. Each individual is challenged to “make it” with the tools we were born with. If you make a great life with the tools you were given, you are a champion. You win. If you get beaten down and look back at age 40, 50 or 60 and say “I am not happy with where I am,” you are not as much a champion for yourself.
My career in working with children has always been driven with a personal fear of them looking back and being unhappy. I wanted to be a mentor/teacher/coach/parent who helped trigger them to make it happen. To find what they were searching for and to grab it. I hope the majority of the children I have worked with are happy with their progress and are even today striving for more if that is what is going to make the next phase of their life happy and successful in their eyes.
A wonderful part of this whole process of growing is that we can all be influenced by others. Yes, the majority of our success has to come from being self driven but mentors/teachers/coaches/
Every child can be a champion.
Tom Burgdorf on Facebook (If you like “Tom’s style,” and you run a “for profit” sports gym, cheer gym, dance studio or sports program, consider becoming a member of his Elite 100 Sports Business Program. You can receive a sample of this program by e-mailing Tom@gymnetsports.com. This program is terrific for all year training of staff.)
