It hasn't been difficult at all to find the right passages to help inspire my athletes, nor has it been difficult to connect the messages to our program's virtues. The Word has resounded into my heart, and I hope I've been able to do it justice to convey it to my wrestlers.

Every year at the state tournament, we have a tradition in which we climb to the top of the arena as a team and sit at the highest section, looking down on the arena floor, the mats, and the wrestling and coaches moving about. This is where I deliver my "State Sermon" each year. 

Joshua writes, "Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do." (1:8).

A coach's primary objective is to communicate the game plan to his athletes. His secondary objective is to teach them how to execute the game plan, and this is done through hours of practice and repetition. 

Author John Irving, who spent time at the University of Iowa during the legendary Dan Gable era, wrote, "good wrestling is a matter of redoing -- repetition without cease is obligatory, until the move becomes second nature" (Trying to Save Piggy Sneed, 1996). This is what we do every day, all season. 

Remember, I tell my athletes, if you EXECUTE the plan, you have your best chance to WIN. Caution must be taken, however. They must be aware of the CHAOS of the match that is inherent in the sport of wrestling. They must be aware of the EMOTIONS that so often overpower the moment, the PENETRATING thoughts that distract them. Because of these things arising, the game plan may unravel. If the athletes have failed to study and learn the plan, the process is TENUOUS at best. 

I try not to get into my specific faith when talking to the team, but it is often unavoidable. I can't help but tell them to remember God's Word, as It is filled with promises. Here's where I step away from my "preaching," and I try to take a more worldly and lay approach with my lesson. As one applies God's truths to life to find happiness and salvation, one should learn that this is true in everything in life. 

I challenged my wrestlers to find time today, at the state tournament, to separate themselves from the crowd, the noise, the excitement. I asked them to write down their plan, to type it, text it, or scrawl it on the back of a program. I asked them to talk about it with a coach or a teammate. They need to reflect on their strengths, and if a weakness has entered their minds, they need to use their strengths to counter it. 

I led into the conclusion of this year's State Sermon by reminding my wrestlers that as they've studied the sport, they've practiced the moves, they've made sacrifices, and they've dedicated their faith in the process, it is now time to collect that payment. 

All season long, we've been weaving the term relentless into our program philosophy, and now I've added the word execution after it. Think about the word execute, an old Latin term meaning "to carry out."

That's just it. It's time to execute the plan. A plan that one chooses not to execute is just a dream. These young men set their goals a long time ago. they made action plans a long time ago. They bought into the process and sacrificed too much... You're ready for this, I told them.

Today, transform your weaknesses into strengths and pursue competitive greatness. Make this day a step toward your best defining moments in your life. 

Be thankful, be fearless, be relentless.

KSHSAA 4A State Championships @ Salina, Saturday, February 27, 2021