February 2012 Update

January 2012 CHAMP Athlete of the Month

CHAMP is proud to recognize CJ Rithner, as the January CHAMP Athlete of the Month.  As high school wrestlers head into the championship season, CJ Rithner has been a four year wrestler and has played a critical role at Rocky Mountain High School tradition of wrestling excellence.  CJ was recently nominated by Principal Tom Lopez and Coach Hargraves for the Lobo of the Month award that goes to a student in each class that exemplifies “The Lobo Way”,  a theme that recognizes those students that exemplify outstanding character and attitude while attending RMHS.

Besides being an exemplary student role model, CJ is a senior wrestler who has wrestled varsity for the last two years and lost a challenge by a younger wrestler for a varsity spot this year.  Athletic Director Wayne Moddelmog quotes, “Many athletes in this situation would quit as a senior.  But CJ is not your typical athlete in that he chose to continue working hard as a senior leader and member of the team and supported his teammates and his younger challenger by pushing them every day in practice and supporting them during matches.” Understanding his role,  and by persevering during the season, CJ wrestled exhibition matches during the JV portion of duals and waited for an opportunity to wrestle varsity which came at the last dual match of the season against Poudre High School.   CJ was asked to fill in for an injured teammate and help his team win the dual match as well as the city championship that night by winning his weight class.

CJ is an outstanding representative of the CHAMP Athlete of the Month award by demonstrating perseverance, patience, and willingness to serve others by his unselfish attitude. CJ Rithner brings out the best in all his teammates and classmates at RMHS.

New CHAMP Board Members 2012:

CHAMP would like to recognize Dean Barber and Jason Burkett as our new board members for 2012.

Dean Barber

Dean has been on the McWhinney team since 2002, and he has over 15 years of experience in the real estate development industry. As the Vice President of Development, he oversees all facets of McWhinney’s commercial vertical development along the front range of Colorado, primarily focused on projects in McWhinneys’ Centerra and North Park communities. He has experience in multiple building delivery processes including build-to-suits, leasebacks, turnkey, condominiums, and joint ventures. Since joining McWhinney, he has developed over 30 projects which total over 1,250,000 s.f. of commercial space. His experience in product types include build-to-suits, multi-tenant office, medical office buildings, retail campuses, and light industrial business parks.

Jason Burkett

Jason is a Financial Advisor with UBS in the Fort Collins, Colorado office. He was born and raised in Fort Collins, CO and is a graduate of Poudre High School and Colorado State University, majoring in Math with an actuarial science concentration. Jason worked as an Actuary in Chicago and Denver before moving back to Fort Collins in 2004 to raise his 3 boys, Triston, Llayon and Brady in wonderful Northern Colorado. Jason and his wife Julie love being part of the Fort Collins community. They enjoy spending time together and try to take advantage of all that Colorado has to offer; including hiking, camping, biking, and skiing. Jason also loves sports and enjoys coaching his son’s sports teams including youth football, soccer and track.

Coaches Counsel breakfast for 2012 will continue in February/March/April if you are interested contact Coach Parry for more details.

Col John Boyd, USAF

To Be or To Do?

Col John R. Boyd, USAF

John Boyd associated with many junior officers during his Air Force career, there were a few, perhaps half a dozen, that he had such respect for that he invited them to join him on his quest for change. Each one would be offered the choice: Be someone – be recognized by the system and promoted – or do something that would last for the Air Force and the country. It was unfortunate, and says something about the state of American’s armed forces, that it was rarely possible to do both.

Boyd’s biographer, Robert Coram, collected the invitation from an officer who got it and selected the “to do” option, and he confirmed its essence from several others. CR]

“Tiger, one day you will come to a fork in the road,” he said. “And you’re going to have to make a decision about which direction you want to go.” He raised his hand and pointed. “If you go that way you can be somebody. You will have to make compromises and you will have to turn your back on your friends. But you will be a member of the club and you will get promoted and you will get good assignments.” Then Boyd raised his other hand and pointed another direction. “Or you can go that way and you can do something – something for your country and for your Air Force and for yourself. If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference.” He paused and stared into the officer’s eyes and heart. “To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do. Which way will you go?

To be or to do. Which way will we go?

Are we teaching our players this lesson through athletics?

Quote from Joe Paterno

“It is the name on the front of the jersey that matters most, not the one on the back.”

Joe Paterno

Thanks for Attending the CHAMP Community Breakfast-January 25th 2012

The CHAMP board wishes to extend to you our heartfelt thanks for attending and in many ways contributing to The CHAMP Community Breakfast held on January 25^th, 2012 at The Marriott.

If you are still interested in Dr. Scott Stoll’s presentation material given on Tuesday night, he has made that available to you regarding nutrition and healthy lifestyles both for the athlete and for people of all ages. Please contact us by email for this material.

Highlights from the breakfast:

Coach Scott Westfall Boltz Middle School Football Team

Colorado Women’s Sports Foundation grant recipients

Cliff Buchholz Keli McGregor Service Award

Recognition of our yearly CHAMP Athletes of the Month

Scott Nelson Heart of a CHAMPion Scholarship

Coach Craig Luckasen accepting the Sonny Lubick Character Award

For those that attended, President Craig Moddelmog mentioned a speech from the late Coach Jim Valvano that went something like this, “Today you will laugh a little, we hope to make you think more, and perhaps bring you to tears.” Judging from the tremendous response from the breakfast attendees, that was accomplished.

Now as Paul Harvey would say, “Here is the rest of the story” you might have missed.

Did you know the rest of the story? Coach Westfall encourages his football team at the start of the school year to be the type of individuals and role models that look for those students in the lunchroom that are eating their lunch alone and perhaps have not connected yet with peer groups. They come alongside those people and be a friend to them during lunch, while sitting with them and engaging them in conversation. As parents, we all know what that can be like for new students during the first new days of school.

Did you know the rest of the story? Cliff Buchholz was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame as well after receiving this award.

Did you know the rest of the story? So many men and especially women in attendance were moved by Lori McGregor’s remarks about her late husband and by her courage to do so. Thank you Lori.

Did you know the rest of the story? Coach Luckasen’s story about his discovery of a discrepancy in the scoring of a cross country meet to award the correct team was actually at the State Championships?

Did you know the rest of the story? Dr. Scott Stoll speaks on a radio show in Pennsylvania regarding nutrition and diet and rehabilitation of injuries for the 21^st century athlete. If you are still interested in his book, please let us know because CHAMP purchased a few more that are just coming out in print.

Did you know the rest of the story? CHAMP Athlete of Month for December, Jenna Jordan had lost her father in an accident recently and CHAMP thanks her for those inspirational words during the Channel 5 broadcast.

For you Nebraska fans, did you know the rest of the story? The interview with Tom Osborne congratulating Coach Luckasen (who was born in Nebraska) was perhaps a lifelong dream for the CHAMP video producer Tim Petersen. As Tim put it, “That was something I will never forget and will remember for a lifetime.”

Did you know the rest of the story? Dr. Stoll helps improve recovery in reversing the effects of disease in the body, that is why the breakfast was geared towards healthy food. And now for the rest of the story: Whole Foods donated $200 dollar gift bags for groceries to two people that attended the breakfast, and 50 books were given away signed by Dr. Stoll! Thank you Whole Foods and Dr. Stoll!

Did you know the rest of the story? CHAMP is searching Northern Colorado for women who have left similar coaching legacies on their teams during their coaching tenure. Please contact us by email if you want to nominate a woman who has made a difference in Ft. Collins.

January 2012 Update

This month for CHAMP we are hosting our Community Breakfast and Fund Raiser. This year Dr. Scott Stoll will be our keynote speaker. We will also present The Keli McGregor Service Award along with The Sonny Lubick Coach of Character Award.

This is a great event and many people look forward to it including the coaches we recognize and the athletes that attend. We look forward to seeing you on January 25^th.

December 2011 CHAMP Athlete of the Month :

Once a month CHAMP (Character in Athletics – Make it a Priority) selects one student athlete from our community to be recognized as the CHAMP Athlete of the Month (CAM). This individual displays character, discipline, and leadership on and off the competitive field and by doing so have become a student-athlete role model for character in athletics.

CHAMP is proud to recognize Jenna Jordan, a softball player who plays club softball for Triple Crown Sports, as our December CHAMP Athlete of the Month (CAM). Jenna has demonstrated through her actions and words the definition of being an athlete of character and is a role model for her teammates and community. Due to her work ethic, positive attitude and strong faith, Jenna is every coach’s dream, according to Coach Krista Judge.  “Jenna is extremely coachable, puts forth 100% in everything she does, is a great teammate and is a top notch role model off the field.” At her softball practices, Jenna displays discipline and unselfishness by putting in the extra time to improve herself and her teammates. “She is willing to sacrifice, by coming in early or staying late for her pitchers and she will go with any of them to their pitching lessons” say Coach Judge. Off the field, Jenna is a family person who values the time she has with her family.  Jenna is compassionate and is very involved with her church.  “Anyone who associates with Jenna is a better person because of her. It has been an honor to know her”, states Coach Judge.

CHAMP is honored to present Jenna as the December Character Athlete of the Month for her dedication and her hard work in softball, and with her skills and generosity to be a role model for youth in Fort Collins.

CHAMP is a Fort Collins based non-profit organization serving as a catalyst in our youth athletic and education organizations. Requirement, is demonstration and recognition of good character in youth athletics.  Please visit CHAMP at www.CHAMPFC.com.

Ettiene De Grellet Quote, New Year Update

“I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again.”

— Ettiene De Grellet.

During this month is The CHAMP Community Breakfast. The theme this year is “The Legacy You Leave”

Greetings!

New Year’s has always been a time for looking back on the past, and more importantly, forward to the coming year. It’s a time to reflect on the changes we want (or need) to make and resolve to follow through on those changes.

As a coach maybe a suggestion for this New Year could be:

Stay informed about the changes in your sport, the rules, and the new ideas being developed each year. We all know that the basic principles remain the same but the methods do change.

Engage your assistants more. Perhaps if you have done so already, it is time to create an environment that encourages more input and discussion with your athletic director all the way to your assistants and invite them to think about strategy, not just tasks.

If you are the typical high profile coach, and this is your off season, spend more time with family and friends. Recent polls conducted by General Nutrition Centers, Quicken, and others, show that more than 50% of Americans vow to appreciate loved ones and spend more time with family and friends this year. Tough to do if you are in the basketball or wrestling season. March does come up quickly though.

A poll was taken by some older coaches that had retired from coaching for some time and in looking back they made reference to this question, “If you could live your coaching career over again, what would you do differently?”

The 3 most common answers were:

I would reflect more

I would risk more

I would do more things that would live on after I am gone.

The Elephant Rope

The Elephant Rope

As a man was passing the elephants, he suddenly stopped, confused by the fact that these huge creatures were being held by only a small rope tied to their front leg. No chains, no cages. It was obvious that the elephants could, at any time, break away from their bonds but for some reason, they did not. He saw a trainer nearby and asked why these animals just stood there and made no attempt to get away. “Well,” the trainer said, “when they are very young and much smaller we use the same size rope to tie them and, at that age, it’s enough to hold them. As they grow up, they are conditioned to believe they cannot break away. They believe the rope can still hold them, so they never try to break free.” The man was amazed. These animals could at any time break free from their bonds but because they believed they couldn’t, they were stuck right where they were.

How do our beliefs impact us?

What self-imposed limitations have we put on ourselves and our players?

How are we teaching this concept to our players?

How must we change our thinking to break free from being stuck where we are?

Leading is Doing- Andy Andrews

Leading is doing. To lead I must move forward. My activity will create a wave of success for the people who will follow. My activity will be consistent. This will install confidence in my leadership. As a leader, I have the ability to encourage and inspire others to greatness. It is true: an army of sheep led by a lion would defeat an army of lions led by a sheep.

From “The Traveler’s Gift”

By Andy Andrews

Holiday Season Update

“There are many outcomes in athletics besides the score.”

Deep within the CHAMP organization and board of directors is a

carefully-put-together organization whose pulse beats for coaches and athletes that are developing and reaching their potential. The things that coaches struggle with daily touches us deeply. We (CHAMP) listen when coaches call us or want to meet on a regular basis.  We pay attention to what coaches have to say about connecting to their teams and organizations (especially parents).  That is what makes CHAMP unique compared to other non-profit organizations in Northern Colorado. Everything has a price tag, including CHAMP. We could not provide services to coaches and athletic directors and recognize programs were it not for some very faithful financial supporters.  It has been an outstanding year for CHAMP, and as we look back over it with gratitude, it sets in motion the ideal mental attitude to carry us through into next year. We approach the end of the year with a humble spirit of gratitude. During this holiday season let’s pledge not to let ingratitude become our creed or cynicism or stumbling block. CHAMP hopes the holidays will become a special time of enrichment, personal renewal and genuine gratitude for you and your families.

·         “But things of quality and this is what I know you know in Fort Collins, and this is why Fort Collins will always be special, things of quality are built slowly.  Character is built slowly, character is encouraged slowly, the qualities of organizations are built slowly, and good communities are built slowly, one layer at a time.”

·         “One thing that holds true, is that sustainable success is something that we all desire; sustainable character ultimately defines sustainable success.”

·         “If you’re all about is winning, it’s not really worth it, I’m after things

that last.”

Keli McGregor

Warm wishes this Holiday Season,  see you January 25th, 2012 at the CHAMP Community Breakfast.

Bob Parry

CHAMP Director

Two New Board Members Have Joined CHAMP

Two New Board Members Joined CHAMP:

Dean Barber

CHAMP is honored to welcome Dean Barber as part of the board of directors. Dean has been on the McWhinney team since 2002, and he has over 20 years of experience in the real estate development industry. As the Vice President of Development, he oversees all facets of McWhinney’s commercial vertical development along the front range of Colorado, primarily focused on projects in McWhinneys’ Centerra and North Park communities. Since joining McWhinney, he has developed over 30 projects which total over 1,250,000 s.f. of commercial space.

EDUCATION

* Bachelor of Architecture, California Polytechnic State University

* Master’s in Science, Construction Management, CSU

AFFILIATIONS

* NAIOP Member

* Northern Colorado Economic Developer Corporation, Board of Directors

* CSU Everitt Real Estate Center Advisory Board

* Adoption Dreams Come True, President, Board of Directors

* C.H.A.M.P. – Board of Directors

Jason Burkett

CHAMP is honored to welcome Jason Burkett as a member of the board of directors. Jason was born and raised in Fort Collins, CO and is a graduate of Poudre High School and CSU, majoring in math with an actuarial science concentration. Jason worked as an actuary for Deloitte and Touche in Chicago, IL and Denver before moving back to Fort Collins to raise his 3 boys, Triston, Llayton and Brady in wonderful Northern Colorado. Jason is a partner with the Northern Colorado Wealth Management Group at UBS Financial Services and has worked as a financial advisor since 2004. Jason is married to Julie, and they love being part of the Fort Collins community. They enjoy spending family time together and try to take advantage of all that Colorado has to offer including hiking, camping, biking, and skiing. Jason has passion for sports and enjoys coaching his boys’ sports teams.