"Sign Ups"

A friend told an army ranger recruit, "How bad can it be? 62 days. And the first day is check-in." 

The recruit arrived, exited his car to hear, "drop and give me twenty." 

You don't have a choice whether to take American History or English. You choose whether to study. Volleyball is voluntary. What are you signing up for?

The sign in the UNC Women's Soccer locker room reads, "EXCELLENCE IS OUR ONLY AGENDA." The Tarheel recruits know they're in for the daily 'competitive cauldron' brewing a chance at a national title. 

What are you signing up for? 

• Model excellence. Sacrifice comes with the program. If a nine or ten year-old asks how to become an MVB player, what's your answer? "This is who we are. That is how we do it." 
• Fitness. "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Don't get in shape; stay in shape. 
• Habit formation. Win the morning, win the day. Do the hard things first. NBA star Kevin Durant wakes and asks, "How am I going to get better today?" 
• Academic excellence. Do the work. "How you do anything is how you do everything."
• Coaching. Are you coachable? What is your commitment level?   

It leaves a mark when Coach Scott Celli tells me about a player. "She listens. She wants to improve. She wants to play." 

Lagniappe. "Did you push yourself to be great today?" 

"It's so easy to be average.
It takes a little something to be special.
It takes something special to be a great player.
Did you push yourself to be great today?
If you didn't do it, you lost a day today.
If there is a touch of greatness in there, how cool would that be?" pic.twitter.com/jl3RNkM2ub

— The Winning Difference (@thewinningdiff1) December 20, 2023

Lagniappe 2. Work on your serve at home.