Alta vs Timpanogos

We have a couple things go differently and the game ends up 2-0 us. I'm not too worried about our ability to compete, we can, we just need to change how we think.

I grew up in a financially poor, but an experience-rich family. My father was a teacher and a great one at that. He was all-state multi-sport athlete. He was a fierce competitor.

My father sold some of our land so he could pay for a concrete basketball court. He could've done so many other things with that money. My father had a winner’s mentality and I believe he was wise beyond his years to introduce competition into our lives, albeit in our own back yard.

When I was in seventh grade the neighborhood and a bunch of kids from the junior high gathered at my house to play dunkball. Everyone put in $1 and the winning team of four took all. Although my team didn't win the tournament, I was changed forever by one play. My teammate stole the ball and passed it to me (the perennial cherry-picker) and I dunked it right in Derek Stephenson's face. Derek was two years older than I and had bullied me my whole life.

I couldn't believe what had happened. I never forgot what competition had given me - the ability to transcend my circumstances, the ability to succeed, the necessary confidence in myself, the sustaining power of victory and the power to forgive. 

I was lucky to be a part of many championship teams. My friends and I played every sport together. This was back when soccer was only in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the spring/summer. I don't think we did much different things from the other teams, we just had the winner’s mentality. 

All our pickup games in the neighborhood were just as important as the club, state, Vegas tournaments, etc. Tempers flared, fists flew, neighborhood battles raged, and from this struggle we all learned how to compete. My club games were much easier than facing the humiliation of losing to my friends.

So here’s the winning formula:

1. Work – work like everything depends on you, every play, every possession, every encouraging word, everything!

2. Faith – believe that you deserve the championship, you’ve put in the necessary work, your teammates will come through, you have the ability to succeed

3. Competition – necessary to show you your true potential, brings out the best in you, pushes you beyond what you think you are capable of doing, shows you that failure just makes you more capable

4. Forgiveness – forgive others and yourself for mistakes, not living up to their potential, falling short, having a moment unbecoming of yourself/themselves

5. Humility – others might have more insight into you than you think, others might know the game better than you, you can learn something from everyone, you can’t succeed without them

Now you know, now you’ll be. Text: "We win, we work, we have faith, we compete, we forgive and we are humble.” I can already see your smiling faces holding the trophy.

As an incentive, if we win out this week, you can eat sweets next Sunday. 

Player of the Game: JT Gardener - he made his time on the field count. Hustled, moved, talked.