My Off Season Win: The Prayer Playbook

HBO’s Hard Knocks: Training Camp is following the Seattle Seahawks—the reigning Super Bowl champions—as they prepare to defend their title. The series begins with three poignant moments: the Super Bowl ring ceremony; players arriving at the stunning, sprawling Virginia Mason Athletic Center (VMAC) in Renton, Washington; and, finally, the first team meeting of the year.

It feels like a Back to School moment. Players take their seats in the auditorium as the head coach, Mike Macdonald offers a warm welcome. "We're back!" he shouts. "Camp already?!" He adds. He changes the slide and says "a couple of wins." On the screen is the word WEDDINGS and underneath it are the photos of four players who got married in the off season. The team claps loudly. Next slide: New Seahawks. Two players had a baby and Macdonald adds that he and his wife are expecting, too. More applause. 

I hate the Seahawks. To me they share the title of chief division rival with the Los Angeles Rams—and still, I love this scene. It moved me so much that I have decided I am using it in Sports and Spirituality for my students first assignment. This is a creative, culture building introductory assignment. It is two or three slides and include a player profile and an off-season win.

But I will be qualifying what I mean by a win. My hope is that my students can share with me something they have accomplished and are proud of. Perhaps they set a goal for the summer and surpassed it. Maybe they learned or practiced something quite challenging and made progress. Although traveling to Turks and Caicos sounds enticing, I am hoping to steer them in a different direction.

My win is this my new website: The Prayer Playbook.

I wanted to create a resource that is attractive, easy to navigate, and genuinely helpful to student-athletes and coaches. As a coach and teacher, I turn to the internet for prayer resources on a regular basis. In my (very) humble opinion, many are poorly curated—listing too many prayers, including prayers that simply don't resonate with my students.

Then I realized I already had a treasure trove of prayers at my fingertips. My Sports and Spirituality students lead prayer every day! So I decided to review the prayers they posted and, just as importantly, recall how the class responded to them. Which prayers sparked conversation? Which ones made students pause? Which ones seemed to speak to their experience of sport and life? The result is what you will find here.

As written on the front page:

This website is designed to help athletes, coaches, athletic directors, team captains, parents, and sports fans develop their own prayer life. Whether you are a youth, high school, collegiate, or adult athlete, my hope is that what you find here will help you grow in faith. What you will find here has been already used by athletes; they are for athletes.

Through praying with her students and athletes, Anne became aware that certain prayers spoke to them in particularly meaningful and memorable ways. As a coach, she also sought to offer her teams a variety of prayer experiences. Over time, she came to believe that student-athletes, coaches, and teams deserve prayer resources that speak directly to the realities of their lives and experiences.

That is the hope behind this site: to provide a collection of prayers and prayer practices that can help you find what you are seeking—whether you are a student-athlete, coach, athletic director, or team looking for a way to pray.

The prayers are organized around the ways people in sports might want to pray: together or alone, before a competition or during a season, in moments of joy or struggle, and through a variety of prayer practices.

No student is required to use my website for leading prayer. If they do, great! But that is certainly not an expectation. However, I DO hope that readers of this blog will pass along this resource to anyone who might use it or speak the language of sports. I am excited to share my off season WIN and see where it goes.

I will also be sharing the loss I experienced this offseason with my students. I want to tell them a little about my mom and how a great loss can shape us, humble us, and make us appreciate people and past experiences even more.

Amidst my grief and sadness, I have wanted to channel my energy toward something life-giving. I believe that is one of the many lessons this offseason has revealed to me: even in loss, we can choose to create something that gives life to others.

I love the finished product—thank you, Stacey! (If you are looking to hire a talented, astute, and experienced web designer who was outstanding to work with, let me know. Thomas, you get the assist!) And, thank you to everyone who offered critiques, ideas, and input along the way. The work is not done. Please keep passing along your ideas and suggestions. Together, we can keep create something beautiful (Mother Teresa)—and maybe even score a few more big wins along the way.

Photo Credits
Team
Team in Auditorium
The Prayer Playbook

Lessons in Leadership: The Importance of The Table, Thank you, Aaron Rodgers

One of my favorite stories from the summer involves a conversation that I did not have with Aaron Rodgers at the American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe. After a brilliant shot out of the woods, the Jets' quarterback's walked up the fairway until he came to his ball. As he waited for his turn to play, he stood behind a bunker ready to get it onto the green. Respectful of his personal space, fans stood several feet behind and around him, including me.

It was totally quiet. I broke the silence when I asked him, "Can we talk about Hard Knocks?" He didn't nod or concede.  He didn't even pretend to hear. I know he did. 

I said, "that scene when you encourage the other quarterbacks to have lunch with different members of the team. I loved that. I told my students about it. I think it's great advice."

Rodgers shifted his weight, kept his eyes on the hole in front of him and said "It was good advice." And then he turned to make eye contact with me. "Thanks for saying that. Thank you."

Thank you, Aaron. In fact, I think this is information for schools and students, teachers and teams to hear and to remember. In the midst of a lot of change at St. Ignatius College Prep, it is something I am working hard to facilitate and formulate. The purpose of this post is to offer than reminder.

In Episode One of Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets, number eight said: "Find a conversation at lunchtime with somebody new, don’t always sit in the same little group. Get to know your teammates a little bit. That’s part of the leadership role." I agree.

For one, anyone can eat a meal with a friend or a familiar teammate. But how often do we sit with someone we don't know...or know yet? It can be a risk. It requires putting aside our natural desire to be with "our people." But Rodgers was speaking to the other QBs as team leaders. He was offering a simple, tactile suggestion for how they might lead. Build a bridge. Share a meal and maybe a story, too.

Second, I don't take for granted that anyone is willing to sit down and break bread with another person period. The work place and our home life is so busy, quite often we eat on the run. But this is not good for our bodies or our souls. We need to sit down and slow down. And the table is a good place to make sure this happens.

But this year at St. Ignatius College Prep, where I work and teach, this choice isn't a given. How? Why? Our building is under construction. There is no faculty dining room. While we have a faculty lounge, the space is not conducive to sitting at table or sharing a meal. This fact actually kept me up at night. I thought to myself "this remodel means two years where faculty are without a lunch room. I don't want to be in a school community where everyone eats in their classroom or their office." Rodgers' message prompted me to seek a solution.

As I wrote in Magnanimity and More: Lessons for the New School Year from Pope Francis and Hard Knocks

Those of us involved in Jesuit education believe that "education happens at tables." In Sports and Spirituality, my seniors quite literally sit at tables. At SI, where I teach, we encourage faculty to eat with one another because we learn about other students, our coursework, we disclose our challenges and laugh a whole lot over a meal. And most importantly, we gather at the Eucharistic table for the Mass as an entire school community throughout the year. We begin the year with Mass of the Holy Spirit and conclude it with the Transition Liturgy. The Holy sacrifice of the mass commemorates one of the most important meals in Jesus' lives. So too, it plays an role in our formation, our identity and more.

This teaching is repeated at the beginning of the school year—serving as a wonderful reminder of who we are and what we do. It is an image that all can carry and remember, understand and pass on. I never want it to ring hollow. And yet, I knew the loss of the faculty dining room meant that it might. Where could teachers go for lunch? How might we even sit with someone new let alone have a conversation to get to know others without a table on which to share a meal? 

My colleague Maria and I went to the faculty lounge and took a quick inventory. Inside this room we found four different tables with a mismatch of oversized chairs—none all that conducive to dining. One table was balanced by a stack of detention slips. Another one served as the dumping ground for everything from DVDs to last week's croissants. We cleaned up and cleared out. I knew the task was imminent. According to the New York Times article "How to Make New Friends," I had all of three weeks to get the job done.

One veteran teacher said "You need faculty buy in. Ask other teachers what they want. " We did. Three teachers rearranged the couches. Buildings and Grounds brought in a set of smaller chairs and put five to a table. People started commenting on the change of the energy in that room. "It's so much better! People show up! They sit and stay." We have tried to keep this space clear of packages and the plastic paper trays teachers no longer want or need. It's a work in progress—but it's the work of the Office of Adult Spirituality. Maybe we are the QBs.... I like that. I also like that it's not perfect or brand new. We have made the most of what we have and it's good. That's ground for all of us to sow the seeds of community.

As you enter this new year, consider: How might you invite others to your lunch table? With whom might you strike up a new conversation? How will you lead? What might you learn?

Photo Credits
Cigar
Hard Knocks

Five Thoughts from Hard Knocks: The Jets 2023 Opener

Now in it's 17th season, HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the New York Jets has taken flight. Though college football seems to have met a lot of turbulence, this NFL's season is ready for take off. 

Producers of the show must be thrilled with the addition of the future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers. For Jets fans, between the defect from Green Bay and plenty of youthful talent, there's so much to be excited about and reasons to remain hopeful. I offer but five observations from the season opener and look forward to what the show, and the season reveal. J-E-T-S.... Jets! Jets! Jets!

1. From the Flight Deck
Every season opens with the head coach offering a motivational speech, a unconventional cry to "wake up the echoes" and set the tone for the season. The Jets—veterans, rookies, coaches and those trying to make the team—are together in the film room. It's obvious they aren't sure where Coach Saleh is taking them when encourages them to take out their pens or pencils and reveals what brought him into deep thought. 

He names the only bird that can take down an eagle is the crow. After all, who wants to identify with a crow? #gross.

Instead, Saleh addresses what the eagle must do to prevail: climb higher and higher. He asks, 

What are you doing to find that little bit more to get us closer to being a great team...

You finish practice: Now what? You finish meetings: Now what? You finish lifting... a rep...

And if we come together and challenge ourselves to do a little bit more—everyday. The crows will fall by themselves. Let's embrace what we are capable of. Let's embrace that we're not the same Jets. 

Saleh made a good point. I love that question of "Now what?" It would have been better if the Jets were...well....the Eagles.

2. Fun vs. Fundamentals
Much like his teammates, I too am obsessed with Aaron Rodgers ability to throw the no-look pass. His talent only makes me wonder how good #8 must be on the basketball court. 

Rodgers mentors Zach Wilson, the QB the Jets took as the second pick in the 2021 NFL. As noted, it must be hard to be brought in as the new face of an organization only to be replaced by a legend. Regardless, from the looks of it, Rodgers and Wilson work well together. Especially in one of  two areas: fun and fundamentals.

Schreiber said "Today's lesson: no look passes are fun. Avoiding sacks? Fundamental." I love the distinction. Coaches, take note. Players, pay attention. Let's pronounce and practice both.

3. Pylon Game
Every coach and every athlete cannot and should not forget: keep training fun. This is essential as the hours are many, and the days are long. Fun need not be a mindset, it can be practiced and played through games. Enter in the pylon game. So basic, so simple, and so on point. QBs need to hit a target. Why not make it a pylon, points included. 

The psychological piece keeps it spicy. Noted.

4. DeMarcus Ware
One of the great joys in life is to be surprised by the gifts and talents of a friend or teammate—off the field.

A tradition at St. Ignatius College Prep was FML: Friday Morning Liturgy at 8:00 a.m. in Orradre Chapel. Many sports teams attended mass together during the season, before a big game, etc. In the fall, the football team sat together in shirt and tie every Friday, without fail.

I can still see the reactions of the squad, when one of their teammates Danny, came to the microphone. The fact that Danny had a great voice wasn't surprising, No. It's just that he was that good. 

He sang the lyrics for "Jesus Give Us Your Peace" solo. He invited the congregation to join in the refrain, which was easy to do. His teammates could not WAIT to contribute. He was confident and sharing his talent truly made mass better—more prayerful, more joyful, all of it.

Before the Jets scrimmage against the Browns, NFL Hall of Famer DeMarcus Ware takes the stage to sing the national anthem. Everyone is surprised. Where did that come from?! Does Ware have a Hall of Fame voice? Not really. Does he sing a tough song well. He does. Just another reason to respect the man.

Congrats DeMarcus.

5. That which does not disappoint.
If you're like me, you have a few people you can turn to to discuss your excitement and anticipation for Hard Knocks. Always my go-to girl, Haley said, "I can't wait for the music and Liev Schreiber." The "Voice of God" arrives via helicopter. It's overstated, yet Schreiber totally rolls with it.... and that bass line from  "Voices Inside My Head" by The Police keeps it going.

Indeed both the music and the narration are masterful. The usage of creative, often contemporary music only highlights what is taking place on the field. For example, the interview with Coach Saleh is Hard Knocks at its best when set to the music of Ed Sheeran.

He's asked: Aaron Rogers: What has be brought to your team?

Saleh: He's obviously the best Quarterback I've ever had on the team.

Press play on Sheeran's hit "Shivers."  The lyrics, the beat, capture what words cannot.

Back to Saleh: Everyone is chasing the top tier QB because they change teams, they change locker rooms. 

It's just so good. Hard Knocks—you don't disappoint.

In Conclusion
The Voice of God (in case you haven't figured it out by now, Liev Schreiber) said that 

Training camp is about getting better. Part of that process is discovering who you are...

Some teams can't handle the glare of bright lights, but a Future hall of Famer is leading these Jets, showing them the way and the young roster is responding.

I have questions that have yet to be answered: Is Rodgers just acting, or is he really this type of a teammate? Will I end up making the Jets my AFC team? Will Saleh succeed? 

From both the offensive and defensive Rookies of the Year: Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner to a dynamic coaching staff and a roster that has yet to be set, it's great to have an inside look into what motivates a team, the importance of leadership, how individuals can make a difference, why we love this beautiful, violent, demanding, team sport. 

Enjoy the show. I look forward to the soundtrack.

Photo Credits
Hard Knocks logo
Coach Saleh
Zach and crew
Liev and Aaron
Aaron sidelines

Back to the Basics: In School, Sports and Spirituality

Now in its 16th season, HBO's Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Lions begins in the film room. Standing 6'5" tall and weighing 265 lbs, the head coach Dan Campbell is an imposing figure. Pacing back and forth in front of 90 players, he declares his rules for the team.

He said,

1. Be on time.
2. Don't be overweight—which many of you have done a good job at...
3. Don't disrespect your teammates or the game.

That's all. 

Every time I hear a coach make a pronouncement such as this, I can't help but lean in. I want to know, What do they value? What's important to them? What do they stand by?

To be honest, I have yet to hear a coach offer an expectation is is surprising or unique. Most team rules are (and should be) self-evident. In short, they are "the basics," which is why when I heard a school wide commitment to go "Back to the Basics" I took note. 

The first official gathering of the year for the St. Ignatius College Prep faculty was not in the film room, but inside the chapel. The Dean of Academics did not pace the floor like Coach Campbell, but her message grabbed our attention. 

She said, "Our hope for the 2022-2023 school year is to emphasize the basics. The past two-plus years have required flexibility and patience from teachers and students. Given where we are now with COVID, we want to focus on these expectations for our students. They are: punctuality, academic integrity, quality of work." She elaborated,

1. Students need to be punctual and be on time. Let's do this.
   
2. Students' work needs to be their own and maintain academic integrity. 
3. During the past two years, we have been very accommodating. Excellence is the goal. Let's focus on the quality of the work our students produce and strive for better.

It was refreshing to hear an administrator call for a communal effort to raise the bar. Every teacher in that room recognize these basics are important. Not one of them is unrealistic or unnecessary. In naming them, we have provided our students with an awareness of what we expect and how we want to proceed. She was right, let's do this.

After thinking about the basics in sports and in academics, I started to wonder what the "basics" might be in the spiritual life. I said to myself, What should we do regularly. What ought we practice? What should we require of our brothers and sisters? This is what came to mind: prayer, gratitude, silence and service.

1. Prayer: Say the Our Father daily. This is the prayer that Jesus taught us. 
2. Gratitude: Pray Grace before Meals—once a day. Food nourishes and sustains us. So often it brings people together. Give thanks!
3. Silence: Take but a moment each day to be in silence. God is always reaching out. What might you hear or sense in the silence?
4. Serve: Every day. Yes, every day there is an opportunity to be of service to one another, our families, our community, and our earth. We can pick up trash, hold the door open for someone, listen generously or give our time to those in need.

Upon naming all of these basics—for teammates, classmates and fellow Christians—I have to wonder, how might our world be different if we just stuck to the basics. Perhaps that is my prayer for today—after the Our Father—that we do even more than meet these expectations. Let us work together to exceed them. 

You'll hear a report from me....

Photo Credits
Hard Knocks
Chalkboard

20 for 2020: Number 12—Hard Knocks Two for One

When is the last time you were the new kid on the block? No matter what your age, entering into a new community isn't easy. You are the newbie. We all must earn our stripes. Working through a rookie season or on a new team takes time; it's an adjustment. If you don't believe me, just ask Tom Brady. And I put myself in this position two years ago, in the Fall of 2019 when I started teaching and coaching at Saint Francis High School.

Thrilled by the actuality of being able to eat outside (there is no fog belt in Mountain View, CA) I saddled up to a table of six male teacher-coaches. I guessed this might be a safe space given that my colleague and partner—the JV golf coach—was with this crew. Everyone was welcoming and hospitable but this group of cronies were used to one another: their own six-pack. I listened, I ate my lunch and smiled. I am pretty good at those things. And then one guy started talking about the latest episode of Hark Knocks (Oakland). I could remain silent no more. I met a match, I found a friend and the first thing I said to him this fall as I returned to school is how much I enjoyed Season 15. Hard Knocks: Los Angeles is #12 on my 20 for 2020. 

In case filming during the strangest season in NFL history isn't enough, this season the HBO docuseries profiled two teams for the price of one: the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers. Since its launch in the summer of 2001, Hard Knocks has always kept the focus on a single team. In the post Hard Knocks: Los Angeles' preview: What to expect this year Dan Hanzus writes, 

For posterity, here's the full rundown: Ravens (2001), Cowboys (2002), Chiefs (2007), Cowboys (2008), Bengals (2009), Jets (2010), Dolphins (2012), Bengals (2013), Falcons (2014), Texans (2015), Rams (2016), Buccaneers (2017), Browns (2018), Raiders (2019). The Rams join the Cowboys and Bengals in the hallowed Hard Knocks two-timers club.

 And since they share a a respective home field—the state of the art, mesmerizing SOFI stadium—the double feature made sense and added to my enjoyment. Already a fan of compare and contrast, I appreciated observing the dramatically different personalities and coaching styles of Sean McVay and Anthony Lynn. And, I must add—coming from a COVID crazy compliance obsessed city, I couldn't stop critiquing the mask wearing styles (or lack-thereof)  between them. 

Hanzus added, 

Hard Knocks has a winning formula of beats we've come to expect, and so many of those beats are simply not an option in the current climate. Ken Rodgers, VP at NFL Films and the showrunner for Hard Knocks, said "this first episode to us is starting to become a look into an American workplace going back to productivity in the midst of the biggest story in the last 100 years in American culture," Rodgers said. "It just so happens to be the industry is football, but anyone who watches this is going to recognize what people are going through." He added, that even getting the show to production in light of logistics was "maddening but also creatively inspiring." Rodgers and NFL Films had to rethink how they did everything.

I'm glad they did as three memories stand out for me that speak to the moments we have lived through, reflective of our time yet revelatory about football.

1. COVID testing.

I have been tested twice for COVID (and tomorrow will be #3). One time, I self-administered the swab and the second time, I went to COLOR SF where professionals do this 1,000 times a day. I entered both tests with a reasonable amount of fear. Why? Because so many of the players—who are tested at minimum three times a week resist as seen here. 

They admit to their fear of the swab. They complain that it is entering their brain. Their technicians promise them it won't hurt. The squirm and squeal; they get it done. This cracks me up.

Football is undeniably physical and demanding. These athletes are hit and tackled, run down and hit again but another human being who weighs as much as 30, 80 or 100 pounds more than they do. That necessitates fear....or should!

When I had my COVID tests and didn't flinch, for the first time I felt tougher than an NFL player. Thanks Hard Knocks.

2. So Fresh and So Clean.
The proper placement of music in a documentary sets me over the edge. I can easily move from fan to fangirl in as few as three notes. Hard Knocks knows football, and Hard Knocks knows good music.

Life in COVID-19 means much more than quarantine. It means cleaning and disinfecting, wiping and swiping a lot. For several weeks on the show, the players aren't even allowed to make contact on the field. They walk through plays and schemes. They train and condition outside and on the field. And when they take it inside to the gym it's in a venue that is as Outkast once sang "So fresh and So clean." What a great beat. Keep lifting guys. (I cannot 

3. From Hard Knocks to Hard Hits
If you play football, you have to be okay with hitting and getting hit. My Dad yells "block you gotta block" more than any other charge to the players. Easy for him to say. However, as I mentioned, COVID prevented players from doing this in practice for several weeks. 

At certain points during the workouts the players vented their frustrations on the sidelines. Joey Bosa of the Chargers opined time and again about missing that physical contact. I thought to myself of the irony—hitting it what shortens every players career. It costs them quality years to their physical well being, and yet they miss it. 

The first day of full tackle football practice is noticeably different. There is a current of electricity, unseen before, The guys are smiling, they are focused and they are grateful to give and take their hits. Once again, the opportunity to compare and contrast, the before and the after...take a look.

Although I didn't return to that lunch table that often, I did enjoy checking in with my co-worker about each episode. He warned me about getting Hard Knocked. I wasn't sure what he meant until three episodes in to Season 15, I ordered a Chargers hat for my good friend Haley who is a longtime fan. When I ordered a second one for myself (hey! this is not a conflict of interest as I already have my NFC team), I knew exactly what he meant. I put that white hat on—so fresh and so clean—was met with a few questions on the golf course about my choice and was given yet another chance to talk about the show and my hopes for their seasons. Congrats to the LA Rams for their win over the Seahawks and I hope the LA Chargers keep building their team.

Photo Credits
Coach Lynn
Coach McVay
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