Play Like a Champion Today!

Most of you have probably read or heard about that famous saying.

A couple of Septembers ago, I traveled to Chicago with my wife and 16-year-old son on a wonderful trip.

On the Saturday of the trip, I'd have to say I experienced one of the top 20 things in my life. My first reaction was the top 10, but after thinking about the birth of our 4 kids, my marriage to my wife, starting the BioForce Baseball Academy etc., the top ten filled up pretty quick.

After arriving in Chicago Friday night, we went to a local downtown Chicago pizzeria called Giordanos. A tip from a friend who grew up in Chicago. Authentic Chicago style pizza. Very good!

Our plan the next morning was to get up early and drive the 95 miles to South Bend, Indiana, and visit the Notre Dame campus. My son Craig has had a strong affection for the University since he found out that his cousin plays for their football team.

Of course, this was the Saturday that No. 2-ranked Notre Dame was playing No. 12-ranked Michigan for bragging rights to the all-time best college football winning percentage.

The stage was really set for a big showdown. TV cameras, Goodyear blimp, sellout crowd, etc.

Yes we did have tickets to the game. My good friend and neighbor Tim scored us some incredible tickets to the game. I was sitting on the 47 yard line, 26 rows up from the Notre Dame bench. An incredible view! Tim, I owe you big time!

Back to the "Play like a Champion Today!" headline. If you don't know, the Notre Dame locker room has a sign over the door as you leave. The sign says "Play Like a Champion Today." The tradition is that the players touch the sign as they leave the locker room with the intention to play like a champion. This day, Michigan played more like a champion than Notre Dame did.

What I noticed about everything and everyone at the Notre Dame campus is that everyone there plays like a champion. Even the tailgaters.....more on that another time.

The grounds were meticulous, the people working the parking lot did their jobs with enthusiasm and pride. The people taking my money for the Notre Dame hat did it with a smile. (Seems sacreligious that I have a Notre Dame cap when my older son attends another University).

I'm always looking for an opportunity for life's lessons to share with the BioForce family. This weekend was full of them.

What does it mean, Play Like a Champion Today?

In my mind, it means have the attitude you are a champion. Most of us can recall a time when we were a champion at something. What a great feeling.

A feeling of confidence. An eagerness to get it done. The ability to know you are the most prepared.

What if we had that attitude going into our daily lives....like the parking lot attendants? Would we perform better? Would we enjoy the activity more?

My guess is yes.

So from now on, we are adapting the saying "Train Like a Champion Today!" To me, that means be the most prepared. Have the most knowledge and the best plan.

With that, the opportunities are limitless. So many of us put limits upon ourselves.

I hope this helps a little.

Going to a Notre Dame football game in South Bend is an incredible experience. The tradition and pageantry is incredible. The passion of the fans....especially the tailgating happening 5 hours before the game... is amazing.

Imagine a wild party of 80,000 people wearing green and gold......with a few Michigan fans mixed in.....very wild.

Good thing I don't drink very often.

Let's all go out there with our training and Train Like A Champion Today. Don't leave anything in the training facility. Work hard and smart.

Train Like a Champion Today!

Coach Bill Mooney