Liked this article from Jim Caviezel, star of the fantastic film When the Game Stands Tall (read DYM’s review right here). It is a great piece on the significance of coaches in the lives of teenagers. If you haven’t downloaded the When the Game Stands Tall Conversation Starters for free yet – grab it today!

In my own high school years, I once sat with my basketball teammates and coach in a Saturday matinee of the movie Hoosiers — a story about a small-town Indiana high school team that rallies to win the state championship. That night my team went on to upset a bigger, stronger team to get into the state finals. Yet, as with Coach Lad’s kids, what I learned didn’t stop there. I took with me into life that movies, also, can be role models. How many ways can sports affect a life? The coaching staff at De La Salle High School once received a package from a former player, now a Marine, sending several of his medals. The card said something like, “You taught me how to earn these.” Coach Lad is the winningest coach in all of sports history, in any sport, any team, yet the school posts no “winning streak” banners or signs. Not one. (Winning also can teach humility.) When he heard about the Marine’s package, he said, “OK, that’s success.” From peewees to the pros, sports is life. The lesson that starts with socks and shoes winds through coaches, teammates, opponents, practice, victories and defeat. They come to life as we do life. Or maybe I put it this way: we make the team, and then the team makes us. Actor Jim Caviezel plays the role of high school football Coach Bob Ladouceur in the new movie, When the Game Stands Tall.

Read the rest of the article here. JG