Be The Ripple

We had a football player at one of our schools several years ago that was pretty unique.  He wasn't very big, a trait not really favored among football players.

A decent athlete, he wasn't that fast-at least not fast enough that would get a little guy on the football field.  He never gained a starter's spot.  I do recall that he was on a couple of special teams.

But what he had was an enthusiasm that was infectious.  He was inspirational and dedicated and never let the fact that he didn't play much affect his attitude.

To watch him around the locker room, you might think he was one of the stars of the team.

Nope.  Hardly ever played.  But he was a leader on that team.  He had a positive impact on his teammates.

Do this.  Find a quiet body of water.  Toss a small stone in the water and watch what happens. 

What you see are ripples that start when the stone hits the water.  Those ripples keep going out, further and further, until they meet an obstacle. 

That's what this kid did.  He was the stone that created the ripple that extending much farther out than you would expect it to.

A lot of talk on team sports centers on the Team.

Things like there's no "I" in team.  Coaches always asking their players to put the team first.  Lots of emphasis on being a good teammate. 

And then there's the kid that doesn't play much.  Like this one.  Maybe they made it to the second team, never quite making it to a starting position. 

At that point, that athlete can do one of two things--either continue working as hard as possible, keeping a good attitude, being ready in case they are needed--in other words, being a good teammate--or they can begin the blame game and lose all that other stuff. 

I saw it not long ago with a little twist.  The starter gets hurt and the backup comes in and does a great job.  Then after the starter is well, that starting spot is not necessarily theirs.

So they can sulk and have a bad attitude, which helps no one.  Or they can support the new starter and the team, keeping a positive outlook even helping with advice.  That's what this kid did. 

And when he regained his starting job, nothing changed.  Not his attitude.  Not his body language.  Not his words.  He was still that same person.  That spoke volumes to the kid's character.

That consistency and commitment to be a good teammate defined who he was and, I truly believe, will serve him well his entire life.

We never know what affect those things that are so tiny as to be hardly noticeable will have on the big picture.  We never know what ripples that small stone will create.

But the affects can be life changing. 

Be the ripple.