PANYEE FC VIDEO

Thanks to John Carrier for the assist with the inspiring video that is shown above from his blog (blog link).  Take the time to watch it...there are so many great lessons and concepts from this video.  John offers some fantastic insights in his blog post as well.

URBAN MEYER'S MESSAGE TO PARENTS/ATHLETES

Image from:  http://cbssports.com/images/collegefootball/uspw_6775118111.jpg

Check out this article/video in which Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer offers some strong words for parents and athletes who are parts of teams everywhere.  Urban is speaking some strong truth in the article linked here

LESSONS FROM A DOG

From Coach Kopp:  This blog post might be perceived as cheesy, because I'm writing about lessons that can be learned from a dog, but we're writing it anyway!  This isn't in the same league as Marley and Me, but sometimes I thought our dog was really Marley, so at least there's a comparison there.  We recently put our long-time family dog to sleep, which was difficult and emotional, but as everyone knows, is part of having a pet.  Her name was Heidi, and she was a German Shorthair.  As I reflect on Heidi's time with us, I am reminded of five lessons that Heidi taught me, and I hope to improve these five aspects of my life, thanks to Heidi, and maybe you could take something from these lessons as well:

1.  Patience--Heidi was an extremely patient dog with our three young children (pictured above).  She allowed them to climb all over her without so much as a groan (although she would cast a long glance our direction, as if to say, "Get them off me," or "I don't want to wear this").  This dog's patience around our kids was amazing and won't be forgotten.

2.  Loyalty--Whenever I would return home late at night from a basketball game, Heidi was always there, win or lose, and often times she'd be the only one that was still awake and there to greet me.  She didn't care whether or not we won a big game or lost a heartbreaker (because she was a dog).  She was loyal no matter what.  Also, no matter how upset we we were when she would get into some mischief, she always remained loyal and loving.

3.  The Grass is Not Always Greener--As Heidi grew older, and as her health declined, we would talk about other breeds of dogs and what kind of dog we wanted to get after she was gone, not fully realizing how great of a family dog we had at the time.  Now that she's gone, we realize just how wonderful of a dog she was to our family and how much we miss her.  The grass might always seem greener on the other side, but that's not always the case...and sometimes you don't realize how great something was until it's gone.

4.  Empathy and Understanding for Others--Heidi had Cushing's Disease, which affected many things in her life, all of them out of her control.  As pet owners, it was important to empathize and understand what was going on with her.  In life, we need to show empathy towards others and understanding, especially when things are out of someone's control.

5.  Take a Good Nap--Heidi loved to take naps.  In fact, the latter stages of her life revolved around napping for long periods of time.  Never pass up the opportunity for a good nap.

These are the lessons that I will remember about Heidi, and I hope to improve on these lessons in my own life, thanks to my time with Heidi.  Our family dog is gone, but she's definitely not forgotten!

KURT WARNER ARTICLE

Image from: https://usatftw.files.wordpress.com/2015/01/ap_pro_football_hall_of_fame_69872322.jpg?w=1000&h=866 

Wow, what a fantastic piece written by former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner.  It's definitely worth the time to take a few minutes and read the entire article, linked here

HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES AND SOCIAL MEDIA ARTICLE

Here's a link to another article about how cautious high school athletes need to be with social media, especially if college coaches are watching.  Take a look at the link here

MULTI-SPORT ATHLETES AND USA WOMEN'S SOCCER

Image from: http://cdn.sbisoccer.com/images/2015/04/USATSI_8498705.jpg

The USA women's soccer team recently won the World Cup in dominating fashion.  Check out this fascinating article about the role that being a multi-sport athlete has played in the success of each member of the team, linked here

MIKE GESELL ARTICLE

Image from:  http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/8effe30e8bc8121b0774143247077dfb35684cce/c=144-0-2432-1716&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/HawkCentral/2014/12/11/B9315461380Z.1_20141211135015_000_GHM9CN66U.1-0.jpg

Iowa Hawkeye basketball player Mike Gesell is all class as he represents the University of Iowa, as well as South Sioux City and the Siouxland area.  Check out this article about Gesell, linked here

AVERY HUFFMAN

While on Twitter tonight, I came across several retweets of a Caring Bridge story, written by Brandon Huffman, who is a college football recruiting analyst for scout.com.  The story is about his daughter named Avery Huffman.  This is an emotional, powerful, and tragic story that brings out so many different emotions and thoughts...take a look at the story linked here