Best of The Best

Authors Note: This theme piece is on courage, bravery, survival, coping with loss, determination, perseverance, overcoming adversity, choices, decisions, and the struggle for power.


If it is worth the time,  then it is worth  more effort than the other team, player, and coach. Your 
wish to become an outstanding athlete will not come true without  dedication and effort. The more effort you show,  the more you will get out of it, then you become more confident, and most importantly determined. Quitting is failing and continuing is rewarding.  In the poem “Anything is Possible”, by Melissa Underwood, she shows readers that anything can be achieved if you put your mind to it.

Quitting is never the option by a top performer especially Dan Gable who Said that, “The first period is won by the technician. The second period is won the by the person in better shape. The third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart.” The person with the biggest heart is the one who doesn’t give up in the third period or overtime because this is his match and this is his fight.

Being good means a lot, being the best means even more. Dan Gable had said,” No matter what opponent you have he shoots I score, I shoot I score.” The best put more time, effort, and determination in than everyone else. One important part is being able to rest, without rest your body will be sore and it will be very tough to compete compared to someone who got rest and feels great.

Many athletes get themselves worked up and nervous when they don’t need to. Most people occur to lose when they lose focus because they don’t think that they can do something. Dan gable said, “ Right out of high school that I never had the fear of losing, which is how most athletes lose.” Don’t focus on records or championships, focus on what you can do to have a better record or more championships.

Challenges will always occur in life which why you can’t dodge them. Overcoming challenges is the easy part dealing with them is the hard part. Cael Sanderson said, “There will be many challenges ahead, and I’m looking for them.” It will be a rough road ahead but these challenges and goals are reachable.

Practices are usually boring if you are a know it all so you decide to slack off because you are ahead of everyone else. Well the other guy getting ready is getting in shape and preparing to destroy you. Vince Lombardi gave a speech one time during practice when his team didn’t enjoy the time of the practice, ”Practice doesn’t perfect, perfect practice makes perfect.”  No matter what sport it is and what set of skills you have compete with an attitude of being the best, practice the best, work the best, act the best, and be the best.

Survival can be tough especially with a target on your back and when everyone is looking at you like you’re the number one guy. Now with that happening you have two options enjoy by wasting time and not training because you don’t want to. Now the other option would be to be the best beat the guy in front of you.

Dan Gable, Cael Sanderson, and Vince Lombardi resemble what is need to be great and respectable. Anything is possible symbolizes survival, practice, challenges, determination, excitement, effort, and being the best. Through all the activites that any person competes in, this is what puts them ahead of the rest. What would you compete in to be the best?

Battle of The Bay

Authors Note: This is a point of view piece about the quarterback change in San Francisco. We will see Alex Smith's point of view as well as Colin Kaepernick, Michael Crabtree, and Coach Jim Harbaugh.

Heading into week thirteen for the 49ers, the 49ers coaching staff had a decision to make stay wit the number one overall pick, Alex Smith or go with second stringer, Colin Kaepernick. In Colin Kaepernick’s point of view this is his chance to shoe head coach, Jim Harbaugh what he can do. In Alex Smith's Point of view he has to get it together after he comes back after an injury. San Francisco 49er’s head coach, Jim Harbaugh named young gun Colin Kaepernick starter. From Harbaugh’s point of view he believes that Kaepernick can lead and make bigger plays than Smith can. Alex Smith is probably thinking that he got screwed out of a job because he was injured and now is a backup. For Colin Kaepernick he is happy now he gets to show the NFL what he can do and how he can make a team better.

From what I had observed, I saw Alex Smith ready to come back and take the 49ers back to the NFC title game. For head coach Jim Harbaugh, he had been seeing himself lose again in the NFC title game. Now in this situation most of the time the coach will choose to pick the experienced guy over the inexperienced kid.

In the monday night start for Kaepernick, he had started off shaky. Once things settled down he had no fear, of the cherry red, hot Bears defense. 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree had talked to the San Francisco Chronicle about who the starting quarterback was going to be for the monday night game. According to ESPN, Crabtree commented and said,”Who’s the starting quarterback.” If I were John Harbaugh, I would have quarterback Alex Smith and wide receiver Michael Crabtree in a room until they can have good chemistry with each other and work together at a high level. Alex Smith said that his coach made the wrong move and he will regret it. Colin Kaepernick said that Coach Harbaugh said it is best for the team.

I think that Harbaugh should have split the two into different formations, so that they would get the best of both worlds. Now everybody had their own opinion on the change and who should start. When the news was released, Harbaugh said it was the best for the team and that their was going to be a change.  Would the news had been different if Alex Smith had been the first one to have a press conference? If Colin Kaepernick had sent out a tweet about him getting the job and thanks for the support, would the fans have supported Kaepernick?