Stay the Course

Chris Crevling. Photo courtesy of http://photos.lehighvalleylive.com/express-times/2014/01/chris_creveling_2.html

The Winter Olympics are starting in a few days and I am totally pumped! Why you ask? I get to watch my cousin Chris Creveling compete for the United States Speed Skating Team. There are not too many times in life that you are able to watch someone you know go for the gold. As an added bonus, Kyle Tress, a person I somewhat grew up with in Lambertville, NJ is on the U.S. Skeleton Team. Looking past all the glory and adulation is a common theme of perseverance. Chris and Kyle stayed the course and dared to succeed in order to get to this point in their lives.



Many parallels can be drawn with their stories of success to those of educators who have impacted so many lives. The reason people are able to have an impact on others is due to the hard work that was put in over a number of years. Looking at my own life, there were a number of times that I was ready to give up my dream of being a teacher and coach. Each time though, I fought through the uncertainty and kept focus on the goals I had set for myself. "Staying the course" in whatever you do requires a supportive family, trusting your gut, and surrounding yourself with positive people.



While watching the Winter Olympics these next few weeks, we must not forget what it took for these athletes to get to this point. Years of preparation, sacrifice, and "staying the course" through good times and bad. There is no doubt that the true heroes and role models that our children and students should be looking up to are people like Chris and Kyle. Because at the end of the day, people are judged based on how well they overcome failure. Over time, dealing with failure makes a person stronger and inevitably gives them a winning edge. This key to life is knowing how to stay the course and daring to succeed.



Good luck Chris and Kyle!

Kyle Tress. Photo courtesy of www.zimbio.com