By now, most of you know that I am a purple and gold bleeding fan of he University of Washington. Things have been a touch on the gloomy side since about the second game of the 2002 season. Reached all time lows last year as the Dawgs, at 0-12, painfully found that they had neither the pot nor the window. It was a sad time for Husky fans. But we, like others before us, have been here before. It is only hopeless when you abandon hope. It is never over until you quit. If you keep trying, keep pushing, keep at it, make the necessary changes and WORK HARD, the doom and gloom might just turn the corner into the light of success. And victory will follow.
We saw that happen in 2009. We won five games. 5! One more and there would be practice today at 4 pm in preparation for a bowl game. That is a huge swing, a tremendous turn of events. I am proud of these kids and happy that I had a chance to see them live and follow their saga. Certainly motivation was an important component of this surge. And motivation, dear VBA, is a precious commodity. In short supply, an endangered species. How we motivate is of particular interest to me. It has always amazed. What is it that makes something that someone has said create a positive emotion in them? What stirs in us the heroic? What makes us our best? And, perhaps most importantly, why can't we seem to make it last?
Here are two transcripts from two football coaches speaking about, and to, their respective teams. One is fictional, one as real as it gets.
I get motivation from both.
PS. I decided yesterday that when I grow up I wanna do triathlons the same way that Jake Locker plays football.
Sarkisian Opening statement: "I'm really proud of our football team. We've been challenging these guys for 365 days now. Our first team meeting was a year ago this coming Monday and thinking back on that time and where this program was and where those kids were mentally, to where they are tonight in that locker room, it's really something pretty special as a first year head football coach. I'm proud of our staff for continuing to battle and I'm proud of these kids. This was not an easy season by any means. There was a lot of adversity that came our way and a lot of excruciating losses that these kids had to deal with. They could have easily folded up the tents and reverted back to what they were before and they just battled every single day. They battled day in and day out and got better every single day.
Tony D'Amato: I don’t know what to say, really. Three minutes to the biggest battle of our professional lives. All comes down to today, and either, we heal as a team, or we're gonna crumble. Inch by inch, play by play. Until we're finished. We're in hell right now, gentlemen. Believe me. And, we can stay here, get the shit kicked out of us, or we can fight our way back into the light. We can climb outta hell... one inch at a time. Now I can't do it for ya, I'm too old. I look around, I see these young faces and I think, I mean, I've made every wrong choice a middle-aged man can make. I, uh, I've pissed away all my money, believe it or not. I chased off anyone who's ever loved me. And lately, I can't even stand the face I see in the mirror. You know, when you get old, in life, things get taken from you. I mean, that's... that's... that's a part of life. But, you only learn that when you start losin' stuff. You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game - life or football - the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late or too early and you don't quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second. On this team we fight for that inch. On this team we tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch. We claw with our fingernails for that inch. Because we know when add up all those inches, that's gonna make the fucking difference between winning and losing! Between living and dying! I'll tell you this, in any fight it's the guy whose willing to die whose gonna win that inch. And I know, if I'm gonna have any life anymore it's because I'm still willing to fight and die for that inch, because that's what living is, the six inches in front of your face. Now I can't make you do it. You've got to look at the guy next to you, look into his eyes. Now I think ya going to see a guy who will go that inch with you. Your gonna see a guy who will sacrifice himself for this team, because he knows when it comes down to it your gonna do the same for him. That's a team, gentlemen, and either, we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals. That's football guys, that's all it is. Now, what are you gonna do?
