Charlie's Blog

By Motivational Speaker Charlie Adams

The last time I went ice skating, all six foot six inches and two hundred and thirty five pounds of me fell when a little rug rat skater whizzed by me and knocked me off balance. I was moving at a speed of 1 mph at the time, if that, and the slightest tough by the ankle-biter skaters was enough to make me wobble. I fell like a ton of bricks, and have stuck to  speaking and writing ever since my “Timber!” experience! This past Sunday, though, I was able to witness real ice skaters and have the fire within me stoked by the story of Krista Kellner. That’s her on the left in the photo. She is an autistic teen skater.

I emceed an event called “Wish Upon a Star” at the University of Notre Dame that included the figure skating of Krista. The large crowd fell in love with her, her story, and the story of her coach.

The very special evening was put on by Logan Center, a non-profit that provides resources and opportunities for people with disabilities, and Notre Dame.

The picture is of Krista hugging her coach, Elizabeth O’Donnell. Elizabeth formed an organization known as Gliding Stars. She teaches adaptive ice skating for people with physical, mental, emotional or multiple challenges.

“Krista screamed her entire first year on ice,” Elizabeth told the audience before Krista came out, “but by age seven was skating at an intermediate level and by age eight, was an advanced ice skater.”

There was a time that there was no way Krista could have skated around an arena with a large crowd watching her perform. But little by little she made progress, and now performs around the country. On December 18th Krista will perform at “Musselman’s Applesauce Presents The Music of Seal on Ice,” at the Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

I met Krista and her coach before the performance and was truly inspired by her courage and determination. She said that skating helped her to discover her competitive spirit and strengthened her confidence in learning to live with autism. This high school student is in advanced Spanish and holds a A- average in most of her other classes. She loves to play the clarinet.

“I feel you can be who you want to be when you skate,” says Krista. “I feel free on the ice. I can be who I want to be. I can do anything I want!”

Skating is what stokes the fire within her….

While introducing Krista, Coach O’Donnell said in reality we all have disabilities. It might be being impatient, or character issues, or not having realized our potential.

Another part of the evening that left lasting inspiration with me was TEAMWORK. The photo below is of the Notre Dame Figure Skating Club, young ladies from Notre Dame and St. Mary’s College that have won back to back gold medals at the Midwestern Championships of College Skating.

When they skated as a group, it was remarkable! All of them in sync, soaring around the ice, as the audience roared! When I speak, I love talking about the power of team and what can happen when everyone truly works together. These young ladies are proof of it as their performance was flawless. Holding hands, they trusted each other as they skated forward, backwards and sideways!

Whether you are a Bank, Hospital, School or what-have-you, there is no limit to what you can accomplish when you truly grasp teamwork. These young ladies made history on February 5 of 2011, taking the gold medal at the prestigious Midwestern Synchronized Skating Championships. The Irish took the title for the first time in the history of Notre Dame’s skating program, which was founded in 1997.

Later, they performed individually. I about fell backwards when Chelsey Kelso performed. A first year Law Student at Notre Dame from New York, she was amazing on ice! It didn’t come easily, as she has been skating for 14 years. Today, she makes the time to study Law and perform at a high level of figure skating.

What a fire.

Charlie Adams, Speaker

charlie@StokeTheFireWithin.com

574.807.2279

Helping to Ignite People and Events

On Facebook I posted the two Scriptures that Dr. Pat Somers goes to as his Fortress when negative thoughts approach him.

To Follow on Facebook

(photo – delivering Stoke the Fire Within in 2011)

It is important to always challenge ourselves and to stretch our limits. One of my goals as I approach my 50th birthday (oh, my, the big 5 0 !!) in July of 2012 is to be in the best shape of my life! One reason I am doing it is I understand how importance Wellness is for companies and organizations of all kinds. It will be a major point of emphasis for organizations from here on out. As a motivational speaker and former Television Anchor and Positive News Reporter, I can help to motivate and inspire people to take their fitness to another level.

Here is an excerpt from a recent Chicago Tribune story on the importance of workplace wellness in 2012:

“Workplace wellness is not a passing trend or a human resources platitude. When implemented correctly, wellness programs are an incredibly effective tool for managing costs. For every $1 spent on wellness measures, evidence shows medical expenses fall by more than $3. The benefits don’t stop there. Studies show workplace wellness programs also reduce absenteeism, boost productivity and build  morale and company loyalty.” – Jerry Roper, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce

Part of my motivation to be in top shape in 2012 comes from remarkable trainer Cindy Wagner (photo below) and her quest for ‘the vein.’.

Cindy has shown me many weight lifting and exercise routines that have made a major impact on my fitness. She is a former Pro beach volleyball player, equestrian polo player/trainer, and is a latin ballroom dancing competitor. She has 18 years experience as a NASM, ISSA Certified Personal Trainer.

One day I was lifting weights in the I Can Excel (I.C.E.) Athletic Center, which is where I work out and take various exercise classes. Close to me as I was lifting some weights one day were these two big, muscular guys with their chests all puffed. They seemed to be in their late twenties. We all looked up on the TV that was above us as the local NBC affiliate was airing a taped segment where a TV Host was interviewing Cindy about fitness. The two strappin’ guys watched it for a minute, and then I overheard their conversation:

STRONG GUY ONE: “Hey, that’s the chick that is a trainer here!”

STRONG GUY TWO: “Yeah, she is in shape, and she has got to be like 40 or something!”

STRONG GUY ONE: “I know, dude. You know …. that chick…she has got a vein!!”

STRONG GUY TWO: “That is the ultimate, man! A chick with a vein!”

I chuckled to myself as, for one, I had not heard someone called a ‘chick’ in forever and, two, there is a motivational lesson in ‘the vein.’ Those two serious lifters were so sincere in their admiration that Cindy had worked out so hard over the years that a vein clearly showed on her muscular and toned arms. Whether you are into serious fitness or not, we all should have a goal out there like ‘the vein.’ One thing I have learned about Cindy is she has ‘the fire within’ and is passionate about helping others in fitness. Cindy truly believes she has been put on this earth to help people which led her to personal training.

“I love changing peoples’ lives, not just physically but mentally as well,” she told me.

That is her fire! The ‘Stoke’ messages are about the importance of individuals and organizations finding their fire, and keeping it stoked with a constant pursuit of excellence!

One day after a training session, I sat down with Cindy in the lobby of I.C.E. and ask her to share a little of her story:

“Charlie, it all started in High School when I saw Rachel McLish (female bodybuilding champion). I wanted that toned physique with muscle. She had a vein in her arm that I could see, and I thought that was so cool. It motivated me! I started working out and reading on how to achieve muscle and got to where I was in the gym six days a week for three hours a day. Others were going out. I would be in the gym. People knew that I had a goal to have that vein. Then, in college, there was a contest one time where whoever came back from summer break in the fittest shape would win $500. I said ‘I’m winning it!’ I trained all summer long and won the prize.’”

Cindy kept training, developed strong nutrition habits, and eventually got ‘the vein.’

“At my 20 year High School reunion my friends were saying, ‘You got your vein!’”

Getting ‘a vein’ in life is not easy. So many people want to take shortcuts, or not realize that anything worthwhile will take work, dedication, and sacrifice.

“Charlie, people have to understand you have to sacrifice for a length of time. Everyone wants it in an instant, like a pill.”

Cindy has a vast knowledge of not only training, but the mental side of it, and the hurdles people have to overcome to reach their fitness  goals. One of the elements of this Newsletter from time to time will insights from Cindy to help you stoke the fire within your fitness goals.

I got Cindy to take the picture above after a recent workout session. I am on fire to reach ‘my vein,’ which is to be in the best physical shape of my life at 50!

January/February is an opportune time to stoke the fire within employees about the importance of wellness, a renewed positive attitude for 2012, team spirit and service to the customer. Contact me about bringing the ‘Stoke the Fire Within’ messages to your team or your event. If you know of someone within your company or organization that deals more directly with setting up such events, I would appreciate it if you would forward them this information.

Contact Information for Charlie Adams Motivation

Fire up for 2012!

Charlie Adams

Peak Performance Speaker

charlie@StokeTheFireWithin.com

574.807.2279

Cindy and the I.C.E. Athletic Center in Mishawaka work with companies and organizations on workouts at I.C.E. or on location. You can reach her at CindyW@ice-gym.com or cinsferrari@yahoo.com

This is Motivational Speaker Charlie Adams. When delivering Stoke the Fire Within or How to Build a Positive Attitude and KEEP the Darn Thing, I often play a 3 minute video feature that I once did on the treasure known as Brett Eastburn. For years I was a Positive News Reporter for WSBT Television and one of the features I did was on Brett when he spoke to Middle School kids back in the late 1990’s. I was blown away by his message to them.

I became friends with Brett, went to his Wedding where he married Chrisa, and have often talked about him in Motivational Talks literally around the world.

In August, I delivered the opening motivational keynote at an Anti Money Laundering Conference in Antigua. The audience was international to say the least, with people there from London, Jamaica, Ireland, Cayman and all over. A bit concerned they would connect with the message, I loaded up heavily on ‘Brett stories.’ They laughed, connected, and appreciated that part of the keynote.

Every audience does, because Brett is …. a treasure. I have never met anyone more positive or with more resolve.

His highly anticipated book came out recently. I was just about first in line. I took the photo of Brett signing books with his mouth and stubs. Over 200 books were sold on the first day alone as people came from all over his home area of northern Indiana. The initial printing has sold out, and more are being printed.

I read a chapter in the car in the parking lot, and by Tuesday night had devoured it. I am now underlining parts.

This book will inspire you, help you, and entertain you. If you know of folks that could use some ‘ooomph’ in their life, you might want to get a copy in their hands.

Corby Books, publisher of Stoke the Fire Within, has done a fine job laying out Brett’s book. Ken Bradford, who edited at the South Bend Tribune for many years, helped Brett with the editing. Fellow Edgerton’s Group Travel host Bill Moor wrote the Foreward.

As a special treat to you, I have part of Chapter One, which includes what Brett stands for, and the amazing story of his birth. Can you imagine a baby being born with no arms and no legs?

This Newsletter is the kind to enjoy when you have some time. Get a cup of coffee or tea, and enjoy the chapter and the rest of the Newsletter. I hope you support the book. This is a story people need to know…

Charlie Adams
Speaker/Writer and Edgerton’s Group Travel Host

“By  the  dictionary’s  definition,  a handicap  is not a person. It’s a thing. More accurately, a handicap is something that will slow you down, get in your way or stop you completely. So,  in my opinion, based on  that definition, I’m not handicapped. Over the years, I’ve found only a few things that I  can’t  do well.  I’ve  played  basketball,  football  and baseball. I’m an accomplished swimmer. I was ranked fourth in the nation in my weight class in wrestling, I have studied martial arts and I can hold my own in pool.

I  eat  with  a  knife,  fork,  spoon  or  weapon  of my  choice.  I  have  been  driving  legally  since  I  was eighteen. Sometimes I do things in slightly unconventional ways. But overall, things don’t slow me down, get in my way or stop me completely.

My stubs? No, I didn’t really chew off my nails, my hands or my feet. And no, I didn’t lose my arms and legs in an accident. They weren’t blown off in a war. I was born this way. And it may surprise you that
I thank God every day for making me the way I am. I am different  enough  that  people  notice me wherever I go. Sometimes I might scare them or make them  squeamish. They might stare  at me,  or  they may try to ignore me. But always, I make an impression on them. And I know, somewhere in their minds, they’re wondering, what on earth happened to that guy?

My theme is “No Arms, No Legs, No Handicaps.”

I was born  in 1971 in a hospital  in South Bend, Indiana. As you might expect, my entrance into this world was a bit unusual. Like a lot of young married couples, my mom Barb and dad Vaughn wanted children.  So  they were thrilled when Mom got pregnant the first time. They were sad when the baby was miscarried, but Mom was pregnant again soon.

This second child, Shawn, she carried to the eighth month, but he died shortly after birth. Dad was in the military in Hawaii at the time, so
Shawn is buried in a military cemetery in Springfield, Illinois. I’ve been  to  see Shawn’s grave once.  It’s  in a big field with row after row of white headstones. There are four empty plots available there where my mom, my dad, my sister and  I can be buried,  if we so choose.  I
doubt we will use them because it is too far for friends and family to visit.

Also,  it  gives me  the  heebie-jeebies  to  look  at  a section of ground that is waiting for me.

Obviously,  when  it  was  my  turn  to  be  born, something wasn’t quite  right. We haven’t gone  and put forth the effort of having DNA tests or anything like  that.  So we  really  aren’t  sure medically  how  I
ended up the way I did.

My mother didn’t  take Thalidomide or anything like  that. The drug, prescribed by doctors  in  the  late 1950s for nausea, a painkiller and sedative, was blamed for widespread birth defects, mainly in Germany. Some of the people older than me with deformed arms and legs have been called Thalidomide babies. These likely wouldn’t be Americans, because  the drug was never approved for use here.

Nowadays, doctors routinely perform ultrasounds on pregnant women. They can check the baby’s gender, monitor the heartbeat and even count the fingers and toes.

Well, I was born in an earlier time. And if doctors had  seen me  as  I  am  on  their ultrasound monitors, what could they have done anyway?
Mom was  suffering  from  hay  fever  during  her pregnancy. Maybe that had something to do with it.

There’s another theory we’ve done some checking into.  There was  a  child  born  in  Kentucky  30  years after me who has the exact same dimensions as me-a right arm that ends at the elbow, a left arm less than half that size and her legs are the same way as mine. When we visited her, we spoke with her parents in detail, trying to figure out if there was anything that would link the two of us together.

The best connection we could come up with was that her parents and my parents both raised horses and chickens. Both families used a certain chemical to rub on  their horses’ skin. And chickens carry something called Newcastle B Virus, which  causes  chicks  to  be
born without limbs.

These are just theories and have not been prove But maybe that’s it.
It probably makes no difference at this point. The most important thing that came out of that meeting in Kentucky was that the girl’s parents saw how we I have  tackled  the  challenges  in  front of me.  If  the
had any misgivings about having this child, our visit changed their minds.

But  getting  back  to  the  day  of  my  birth,  my parents were  a  bit more  nervous  than most would be.  They  already  had  lost  two  babies-one  through miscarriage  and  another  as  a  still-birth-and  here  I was being born two months prematurely. After Mom’s first contraction, she kept asking to be put under sedation for this delivery. The nurses said it would not be possible due to the dangers to her and
the baby. After her second contraction, they placed a mask over her mouth and she sighed with relief and shouted, “Yes.” She didn’t know  it, but she wasn’t  feeling better because of a sedative.  It turns out they were feeding her straight oxygen. The third contraction soon came
and out popped little me.

Seconds after I was born, I was whisked out of the room. Mom had her  eyes  shut  tight  because  of her fear of blood and guts. Still, Mom was scared. With her eyes tightly shut, she had asked a nurse, “What did  I have?” And was told, “I didn’t look at that.” It was the same response
she had received when Shawn was born. Another nurse came back in, and Mom asked, “Is the baby alright?” The nurse broke down and started sobbing. This made Mom think that I was dead. Person after person kept coming into the room to look at her and observe any emotional changes, and still no one would give her relief to the question, “Is the baby OK?”

The word  soon  spread  through  the hospital  that Mom had a baby with no arms and legs. All sorts of people were staring at her through the windows. She felt like she was in a science-fiction movie, but she still didn’t know why. At the same time these doctors and nurses were  rushing  in  to  see me.  I was  a  celebrity already.

Years after I was born, Mom found out the details from a nurse who was there that day.The doctor finally came  in and said, “You have a
baby boy. His heart’s good. His  lungs are good. But his extremities are not fully formed.” That final bit of information didn’t seem so important to her. She only wanted to hear that I was alive. The phrase “not fully formed” flew in one ear and out the other. Mom knew only that she finally had a baby  she could  take home. She knew  she could  love
me.

Out in the waiting room my dad knew something had gone wrong with the delivery. He’s always been a physical person-a hard worker, a handyman. He says it was a shock for him when he first saw me, without hands and feet.

Mom  recalls  how, when  the  doctors  and  nurses had cleared away, Dad came in with a face all droopy.He said, “This one’s going to be a lot of work,” and she said, “I don’t care.” And that, according to her, was the last time that they discussed it. They might have nurses crying, doctors probing around  trying  to  figure  out where my  fingers  and toes were  hiding,  and  friends  showering  them with pity, but in just minutes, they decided to accept me the way I am. Their lives truly were going to be “a lot of work,” thanks to me. Because the sequence of events were  so  similar  to when Shawn was born, they felt
that this was the hand of God to help them accept me the way I was.
But you have to think- whatever I’ve accomplished in my life, whatever inspiration I’ve been able to give to others-none of  that would have been possible  if my parents had reacted differently than they did.
Soon after, St. Joseph Hospital closed its obstetrics
department. Mom jokes that they probably had a hard
time getting over me.

Over  the  years,  people  have  said  some  really thoughtless things to her about me. Mom remembers one  trip  to  a  pediatrician’s  office when  a  little  girl saw me  and  started  to make  a  fuss.  The mom  just shushed her and said, “Just be glad you weren’t born
like that.”

The mother  said  it  loud  enough  that Mom and  I both heard it. Thinking back, she says, she wished she had turned to me and said, “Just be glad that woman isn’t your mother.” There are so many things she could have said so many times, but she decided to just let the
mean words go.

One of my favorite pictures is of my father holding me in one hand, all two pounds and eleven ounces of me, showing off his new baby boy.
And, as the story goes, he’s saying to his friends, “Look what I made.”
In his eyes, I was his perfect baby. I wasn’t missing anything.”

Brett Eastburn, from Chapter One of “I’m Not Missing Anything“ (Corby Publishing)

To get a copy or copies of ‘I’m Not Missing Anything’ click here

If you have any questions for Corby Publisher Jim Langford about getting the book, you can call him at his office at (574) 784 3482. For companies and organizations that would like to order multiple copies for their people, Jim can quote bulk rates.

Charlie Adams, Motivational Speaker

The last two years my son Jack and I have developed the tradition of running in the “I’m Thankful Four” Run/Walk in Nappanee. It is an amazing sight to see hundreds of people flock to NorthWood High on Thanksgiving morning to support this tradition and the memory of Kelsey Mikel.

So many people get up Thanksgiving morning and immediately get to work on preparing the big meals for later in the day (well, the men check the TV listings to see when the football games will be on later that day…), and that is a big deal, but these folks make it a priority each year to be there – snow, cold wind, or half-decent weather – to run or walk. Six hundred and thirty people came out this year. We hear negative things about young people these days, but I saw all kinds of teens that could have slept in that instead were there ready to run or walk.

I decided to do the 4 Mile Run. My son Jack, a college cross country runner, got up front with the gazelle-like beings, and they fired off like rockets. I stayed in the back of the pack with the lumberers and the walkers. If you have ever seen any kind of Dinosaur movie where the herd of brontosaurus’ get rattled by the threat of a T-Rex or something, and then start rumbling along – that would be an approximate image of me running. At 6 foot five and two hundred and thirty eight pounds, I ‘boom boom boom’ along.

Because it was chilly and the wind was pretty strong, just before the race start I put my hood around my face and asked Jack to tie it. Well, he tied it in a regular knot and not a bow. The race got underway and within half a mile my glasses started fogging up. As I ran/lumbered I tried to undo the knot, only to learn it was in a knot, tied tigher than a new boot. I couldn’t get the hoodie off. With the glasses completely fogged up, it’s a wonder I didn’t run into a tree. Have you ever tried to untie a knot that was so tight that it was practically impossible? Try doing that while running!!

As we made our way around that part of Nappanee, one of the special parts is venturing off course a bit and running around a special tree planted in memory of Kelsey with an engraved rock at the base.

Kelsey was a junior at NorthWood High School when she died in an auto accident in August of 2004.  She was an honor student taking three AP classes as a junior, the business manager of NorthWood’s yearbook, the Logue, and the manager of the cross country team.  Kelsey loved little children, and they returned the love to her.

Kelsey always had a kind smile and word for everyone.  Anyone who met her knew of her kind heart and love for others.

Strong believers in organ donation, The Mikel family continues to be active supporters of the Indiana Organ Procurement Organization. When IOPO celebrated its 20th anniversary in September of 2007, the Mikel family was given the opportunity to meet Audrey Babcock who had received one of Kelsey’s kidney’s.

As this years event went along, I got about three miles into the four mile run when we merged with the walkers, who were making their 2 mile loop. You know you are slow when you are running but people say, “Oh, there’s Charlie Adams, who used to be on the News. So glad you decided to come out and do the Walk this year.”

Glasses totally fogged up, I tried to keep from running over the women with strollers. The event ended at the NorthWood High School Track. A young man named Aaron Hoover won by running the four miles in twenty minutes. He is so dedicated to this event that he drives back from Colorado each year to run in it and defend his title. Jack was among the top as he ran at a six minute per mile pace, finishing the four miles in twenty four minutes. They timed me by turning calendar pages along the way.

Over $40,000 has been raised to help NorthWood High students with college scholarships through this special tradition. We have loved being a part of it.

Charlie Adams, Motivational Speaker

“The happiest people I have known have been those who gave themselves no concern about their own souls, but did their uttermost to mitigate the miseries of others.”
Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

The ‘Stoke the Fire Within’ message is often customized to focus on TEAM when I speak. Recently I was able to be a small part of one of the most powerful TEAM experiences of my life. Nappanee Missionary out in the cornfields on State Road 19 north of Nappanee, Indiana, took on the massive task of preparing 1.2 million meals for Feed My Starving Children. 18,000 children die every day across the world from starvation, so the need to help is critical. The Church raised the funds to purchase the food, then worked hard to get over 5000 volunteers from Elkhart County and beyond to help pack the food over three intense days.

Over 5000 people responded, and drove in from all over the area to do whatever it took to get that food prepared. I volunteered for two shifts Friday.

Volunteers were part of 13 shifts from Thursday to Saturday. The coordination was a remarkable example of how people can come together and accomplish great things. Upon arrival, the several hundred in my shift were given an overview in the Sanctuary, and then moved to the Church gym. There, everyone was given volunteer job opportunities and a brief description of what each role required. Then it was off to the ‘food preparing races!’

What amazed me was how quickly everyone found the right role and adapted to their job. Sherrill and Dave got into the assembly line at one table and helped prepare the rice, soy protein, dried vegetables and a chicken-flavored vegetarian broth filled with vitamins and minerals. A big guy like me (6′5″, 235 pounds) darted around the gym ready to pick up the prepared boxes filled with meals and quickly get them to the people who weighed them who got them to the people who taped up the boxes who got them to people like Tom who got them on trucks which then took them to ports.

Elderly people who couldn’t get around sat and helped to seal bags or put proper stickers on the bags. Strong, strappin’ men hauled the bins of rice and soy around to each table. Others hastily put the boxes together. It was an inspiring example of teamwork. You had black by white, an Elkhart County man by a Michigan lady. A Purdue fan working alongside an IU fan (miracles happen!).

Friday night after the High School Sectional championship Football games, the teens came roaring in and put the food together at lightning speed until past midnight. They shouted and challenged each other, as music was piped in from the speakers. I was konked out from hauling hundreds of boxes by then, but people tell me what the young people did was wonderful to see.

Over three frenzied days 1,205,280 meals were prepared. Due to the efforts of 5,200 volunteers it will now be possible for 3,302 children to have a hot meal every day for a year. Some of these children have been eating biscuits made primarily from dirt from the ground. Others have eaten rocks just so that they can get something in their bellies to make them fill full.

As we all know, it is such an incredible feeling to give. I was exhausted after hauling hundreds of heavy boxes, but the feeling driving up SR 19 on the way home made me forget about the aching back and knees!

Nappanee Missionary Church is going to take on this challenge again. If you would like to experience it, let Tom Edgerton know you would like to be a volunteer. Send him an email at tom@edgertonstravel.com

“This has been a life changing experience.” Tanya White, teacher, Wakarusa Elementary School.

“All these children out there starving is a heart wrenching thing.” Nate Yoder, Volunteer

“Let us give ourselves to service.” Romans 12:7

This is motivational speaker Charlie Adams. I am excited to be announcing some updates and changes soon regarding my motivational speaking and writing.

Watch for updates on this site, as I announce new Speaker Topics for 2012. One of the things will be more of an emphasis on Wellness and Fitness within the Stoke the Fire Within topics. As I approach 50, I am set on being in the best shape of my life. An objective will be to inspire others to rededicate themselves in the area of fitness.

I will also be doing more speaking on the passion of Customer Service. Having hosted over 25 group travel trips around the world for Edgerton’s Travel, I have a fire within for Customer Service, and want to spread that fire.

Charlie

Success leaves footprints so I always encourage athletes to listen to the greats. Any athlete wanting to play their sport in college should never underestimate the importance of motivation, and reading books and articles that have observations from the greats.

Another thing I suggest is to never miss an episode of “Homecoming with Rick Reilly” on ESPN. It is a 60 minute show that focuses on the steps great athletes took to success. It always has tremendous insights on the choices they made, their recruiting experiences, and what they did to become successful. Previous episodes on athletes such as Dwayne Wade, Joe Mauer, Chris Paul, Kurt Warner, Michael Phelps and Alonzo Mourning were packed with tools of success. Sure enough, Thursday night I was right there to watch the episode focusing on Emmitt Smith, the NFL’s all time leading rusher.

Emmitt spent his first years living in the trailer projects with his family in Pensacola. When asked when was the first time he thought he would be able to make it in the world, he revealed that it was when a High School teammate, a fullback named Sam, got a college football recruiting letter. Emmitt’s observation was, “They are going to pay you to go to college?!” Okay. That will be the first step.” The fact that Emmitt Smith was in High School and didn’t even know much about recruiting shows that everyone needs to get educated on the incredible possibilities that come from being a student-athlete capable of playing their sport at the next level.

Emmitt was just 5 foot 9 inches, and never was the fastest or quickest, but he was flat-out great at running the football. As he rushed for almost 9000 yards in High School, the colleges were all over him. He said every major college offered him. Most went by the rules, but back in mid 1980’s recruiting was somewhat like the Wild West in that there were some bigtime cheaters in recruiting. Emmitt’s High School football offensive coordinator, Jimmy Nichols, shared the story of one college coach handing him a check for $25,000 to give to Emmitt so he could buy a Nissan Maxima. The intention was for the coach to make sure Emmitt signed with that college. The coach refused it, saying, “I can’t do that!”

Emmitt’s High School coach, Dwight Thomas, also shared that Emmitt was the toughest kid he ever coached. There were some faster and quicker, but none tougher. He also encouraged Emmitt to write down his goals, which he did, and played a major role in his success. He said he always wrote Team goals first.

By Emmitt’s junior year at the University of Florida, he had set 58 school records. He went pro and was coached by Jimmie Johnson with the Cowboys. Emmitt revealed one reason Johnson made the Cowboys so successful was that he had them compete in everything, not just games. The weight room and practices were built around competition.

Emmitt said one of the reasons he never got all wound up in the end zone was that his Dad had raised him with the belief that “the great ones act like they have been there before” when they score.

One of the most touching moments was near the end of the hour long show when the host, Rick Reilly, observed that Emmitt had done a lot of study of his family roots and had discovered there was a white man way back in his family tree, most likely a slave owner. When asked if that upset him, he said it did not. He then looked out at his former High School teammates from Escambia High in Pensacola, who were in the audience. They were all in their mid 40’s, and it looked like every one of them was there.

“This is my family,” he said as tears streamed down his face. “They taught me to understand the differences in people, and that if you have a common goal it doesn’t matter what race you are.”

Struggling to keep his composure, Emmitt deeply thanked them for the role they played in his success. Emmitt then turned to the current High School football players.

“Take full advantage of every opportunity you have,” he told them. “There are doors of opportunity.”

Recruiting Observations

Living in the South Bend-Mishawaka area, I read the local paper each day (South Bend Tribune) and usually find recruiting analogies in it. In a story on Mike Mayock, the new color commentator for NBC broadcasts of Notre Dame football, he was asked his thoughts on new Notre Dame head football coach Brian Kelly. Mayock talked about the current talent difference between schools like Southern Cal and Texas and Notre Dame, and then said, “What I’d like to stress is that it’s not Brian Kelly’s job to get players into the NFL. His job is to win college football games. And if he does that, I think the rest will follow.”

As the school year begins, always remember it is not the job of the High School, Club or AAU coach to get your kids college athletic scholarships. As I always say, there are coaches that do a heckuva lot, but their main responsibility is to build athletic programs that are successful and filled with values.

I spoke at Sullivan High School Athletics Parent Night recently and had a conversation with their Athletic Director Otto Clements. He said the major challenge parents have in recruiting is they are not sure if the college coaches are to come to them, or if they are supposed to go to the college coaches.

Young people need to be proactive. It is vital they start as early as possible in the process developing relationships with college coaches, and not waiting. Too often families wait for the colleges to discover their kid, or for their coach to take the lead in the process. Remember what Emmitt Smith said? Take advantage of your opportunities. Well, opportunities don’t always announce themselves. In recruiting, you HAVE to get educated first before you have a clue about the opportunities out there.

Otto’s other main observation was that parents usually don’t understand how elite the Division One athlete truly is. He said he had been at the school for over twenty years and that they had not had a Division One football player.

There were over 250 people at my Talk, and I saw many of the athletes. My eyeball test was that there were many that could play at some level of college. A major difference would be understanding the recruiting process.

Do you need help connecting with scholarships to play sports in College? If so, contact me here at charlie@StokeTheFireWithin.com

When I think of Excellence, I love to share the story of a young lady who exemplifies the word.

I have interviewed thousands of college athletes at all levels. Vanessa Pruzinsky would rank at the top of the list.

Vanessa carried a perfect 4.0 grade point average her entire time at Notre Dame in CHEMICAL ENGINEERING! How hard is that? She was only the third person in the University’s history to do that, and the first female ever. At the same time she was also a starter on the powerhouse soccer team. Vanessa was the Rookie of the Year in the Big East Conference in 1999. She was a key player on a team that was consistently ranked in the top five in the nation, and that has won 2 national championships in the past decade.

She achieved excellence as a student and as an athlete. Vanessa was committed and determined. She had one brutally tough class that led her to tears. The librarian would often have to wake her up at 2 in the morning so that she could go back to her room for some sleep. As an athlete she had to have ankle surgery one season, but came back to lead a defense that allowed just 5 goals in one 19 game stretch.

She was excellence. Not excellent, excellence. It was her state of being. She was as close to perfection as any high achiever I ever covered in my broadcasting career.

My passion for educating families on how valuable it can be to become a true college student-athlete partially comes from having reported on people like Vanessa. This world needs more people with “fire within” like her. I passionately believe an answer for companies is to look to hire more college athletes upon their graduation – especially ones with high GPA’s from top academic institutions.

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.” Vince Lombardi