Teamwork!

Some of the most powerful, useful and timeless ideas are also the shortest. "God Bless America" is just three words, but three are all that's required. The lord's prayer has 71 words, the Ten Commandments have 297; the marriage vow just two and teamwork can be summed up in 5 words: "We Believe In Each Other".

As you prepare for the upcoming tournments here are some tidbits:

"If you don't have a dream, how can you have a dream come true?"
-Faye Lapointe


"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult."
-Seneca


"No one can whistle a symphony, It takes an orchestra to play it."
-H.E.Luccock


Silver Stars, you truly are the best. Go have fun and show your teammates off to the world of Basketball!

l.c.

Tidbits for the Stars!

Silver Stars,
As you continue the season here are some tidbits to keep your energy levels up:

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it. Autograph your work with excellence!"***

"Many...have done well, but you excel them all."
Proverbs 31:29

"It's one of the hardest things in the world to accept criticism...and to turn it to your advantage."***

"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11 NKJV

"Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine perspiration."***

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." James 2:26 NASB

Silver Stars, go sweat the small stuff and better your game!
You are our Best!


***Quotes from God's Little Devotional Little Book for Leaders
L.C.

An Open Letter from a Silver Star!

I did not play well in Fridays’ game and at the end of it I just wanted to lie down and cry…Ok! Ok! So I did cry, a little…maybe more than a little. I was heartbroken. I did not play well, I dropped the ball! I did, not once, not twice but several times. What was I doing? What was I thinking?

I was well-prepared. I had drank my half a gallon of water every day for several days. I had practised, I had read “Chicken nuggets for the Stars”, I had dreamt of a great game. So here we were in the tournament that we had all anticipated and trained for. I had played the whole game in my mind several times. I missed easy shots, I let them steal the ball right from under me…ok! Maybe that is “over me”. They were so tall. Wasn't this the “Under 13’s”. Why are they so tall? Anyways, here they were wreaking havoc in my well-thought out plans to win every game in this tournament.

I am the one who steals the ball from under every unsuspecting player. It is I who shoots hoops at a hundred miles an hour. It is our team that has developed steals, blocks and three-pointers that are a coach’s dream. We are electrifying. We are unbeatable. Lightening is our speed and star-quality is our performance. Our feet dance on the court and our hearts beat to the music of the hoops . We are unstoppable, we are capable and we love this game unconditionally. Win or lose a game here and there, we love this game.

So, we should have won all five games, but as I think about it…something dawns on me. The tournament was a meeting point for the best teams. THE BEST TEAMS!!! To play here we must be rated among the very best in our league. There were players who outwitted us, executed their positions with a precision that even I felt admiration for. Then there was the player who had so many steals and that was her little niche. She was good. I learnt a couple of things from her. I learnt enough to not let anyone steal any more of my balls. In fact I learnt how to perfect the art of steals myself. I like that. Yes, I do.

Would you believe there was this player whose sole purpose in playing this weekend was to continually shoot three-pointers from the center? Where did she learn that? That was something. Hey, ok! It was brilliant! Excuse me for not being subjective, I am just stating facts here. You know, I don’t believe she was born doing that so with practice I can do that and shock her Coach (and perhaps my Coach too) at the next tournament. In fact, look out for my three-pointers in a couple of weeks.

Now that I have calmed down, I get it: the other teams against whom we did not win raised the bar. Much as I would like for us to win in every match I think it would take the challenge out of the game. We needed to play smarter, move faster, anticipate their moves more diligently, follow Coach’s instructions and training more fully. They raised the bar, so we must aspire to be even better players. They raised the bar so therefore we, in rising to their challenge, shall have raised our own standard.

“Genius is divine perseverance!” God’s Little Devotional Book for Leaders

“…having done all, to stand. Stand therefore…” Ephesians 6:13-14

A Basketball Player's Prayer!

Dear Lord, thank you for my desire to honor you
Even though for a while there I did not know how
But with time in Sunday School my teacher,
Bless her heart for her patience with ten kids
Taught me that I can honor you even thru’ Bball
So Lord, I dedicate all my games, all my practice
Yes, my ribbons and my medals too, to you.

Lord, when I play on my school’s team,
When I excel on my AAU team
And as I dream of playing in the WNBA
It is to you that I lift up the my eyes
Because I know that you have lifted me up
With abundant talent, incredible coaches
And loving parents.

To you Lord, I pray for safety from injuries
For my team and for all teams that we shall play
May we be a beacon of great sportsladyship
That your presence in us may be visible for all
To those on the bleachers, the court and the TV, too
May our joy in you light up the world of basketball
Lord, bless our game and make us Stars for you!

Lord, I whisper this one to you from my heart
As we strive to be the best may we remember
To enjoy the journey and give you the glory
We expect great things from you Lord, we do,
Help us to attempt even greater things for you
That it may be our joy to be the very best players
But only if we honor and glorify you in our sport…Amen.

Go Silver Stars!

Silver Stars, you did us proud this weekend. Yes, you did. Now, granted, you had some missed shots, you had some fouls...ok!... quite a number of fouls, at least on Friday and Saturday morning's games. However, you were, overall, electrifying! The synergy between you all was beautiful.
You made unbelivable come-backs at times and had steals that left your opponents stunned.
You made us proud! Most of all, we were glad you put on a great performance and made your coach's dad proud of both you and him. Well done!

Here are some nuggets to nimble on this week as you practice, as you rewind the weekend play, ease your burns, soothe your sore muscles and dream of the great games ahead.

"There is no failure
Except in no longer trying" God's Little Devotional Book for Leaders

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He has promised He is faithful."Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

In 1894, a sixteen year-old found this note from his rhetoric teacher at Harrow, England, attached to his report card: "A conspicuous lack of success." The young man rejected the rejection and went on to become one of the most famous speakers of the 20th Century. His name was Winston Churchill.

Don't dwell on any games you don't win today. Go on and achieve real success!

Chicken Nuggets for the Stars

I know you all enjoy snacking on chicken nuggets. Indeed you enjoy those more than the large platter of macaroni and cheese...maybe, at least more than a platter of mashed potatoes, gravy and spinach.

I also know that while you are all good listeners to coach and your parents, sometimes we pack so much into a discussion that you might not remember most of it. So here are some nuggets of wisdom for your mind to "snack" on as you prepare for the tournaments ahead.

"It takes time to succeed because success is merely
the natural reward of taking the time to do anything well..." Joseph Ross

"People seldom improve when they have no other model than themselves to copy..." Olivia Goldsmith

So let's be thankful to our coaches and other players who have been our heros and let us also strive to be the best so that we too can fill that gap for others.

"No one can make you feel inferior
without your permission..." Eleanor Roosevelt

Stars, don't ever walk onto the court accepting that the other team is better than yours.

"To accept ourselves as we are
means we value our imperfections
as much as our perfections..." Sandra Bierig

We admire you for your dedication to practice and improve your sport.

"Once you qualify,
people can justify..." Grandma

People watch Tiger Woods and justify that he was born to be a star. In reality, his father had a vision and a dream, Tiger shared that dream and learnt this lesson:
"Dreams don't work
Unless you do!"

Go forth and paly your hearts out. You are the SILVER STARS!

L.C.

The Milky Way!

I heard it on the grapevine
I heard of the Silver Stars
They came out of the blue
They came out in force
A streak of real silver
High-lighting each number
One after the other
Every one of them

They struck their opponents
With the precison of lightning
Swift on their feet and light as rain
They moved, they ran, they flew
Back and forth across the court
An offence they displayed
Enough to floor an army
Unstoppable, what an apt description!

Shoot, rebound, defence,
Movement, speed and flair
A remarkable performance
This Basketball tournament
The unpredictable, breathe held
Nerves, free throws, sweat, Coaches
Running clock, referees, hoops
Shooting Stars, SILVER STARS
A Milky way if I ever saw one
Well Done Silver Stars!


Impressed...
Life Coach

Let's sweat the small stuff!

The famous quote by Abraham Lincoln sums it all up, "If I had five hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend four hours sharpening the axe".

Watching the State Championship game I cannot help but think of all the hours the players dedicated to the long and winding road that led them here today.

Go on, sweat the small stuff!

L.C.

Live the dream!

Today I enjoyed the luxury of daydreaming as the soft February sun warmed my face. Down Future Boulevard my mind went. The beauty of daydreaming as opposed to nightdreaming is that the dreamer can edit the show and keep only the happy clips.

I watched the crowds applaud you at stadium after stadium, city after city. I marveled at the love your fans expressed with standing ovations. I was impressed as your names scrolled down in lights at Times Square, a tribute to Team USA. I was ecstatic when they played our national anthem to salute your success at the world's most acclaimed basketball court.

The phone rang and I had to put my daydreaming on hold. Then I thought to myself that maybe we don't. We can live the dream. I look at each one of you and I can see your thirst for the taste of success. I see
the enthusiasm and the drive and I know that my dream was not so farfetched after all.

However, it is my sincere hope that even with the eye on the goal, you will enjoy the game. Even with the thought of the scoreboard on your mind, I hope you will have fun for the sake of fun itself. Your parents, coaches and I wish we could write the script of your lives so there would be no pain. If it were up to us we would leave out all the games you will lose; we would make sure there were no heartaches and no injuries; all your jerseys would be retired at the college of your choice and any hurts would be taken care of with a barbie band-aid.

Day dreams aside, we know we can prepare you for basketball by joining the best clubs and gyms, signing you up with the best coaches and cheering you on no matter what. But most of all, our prayer is that we will prepare you for the game of life.

It is our hearts' desire to prepare you to lead a life that is blessed so that when we meet our Lord and He looks over what we did with you, the gifts He gave us, He can say,
"Well done, good and faithful parents..." (word parent substituted for 'servant').

Thought for the week:
What you are is God's gift to you...
What you make of yourself is your gift to God!


Life coach