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Ok.. getting ready for second leg of trip to Switzerland….listening to classical music – I know it’s not Mick and the lads Jo Anne….nor is it Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley – John Cordova.  But I kind of like it.  Especially when I here variations on a theme.

Actually went to college and heard “Variations on a Theme” -Haydn either composed it or played it – then the other side is this –  Brahms either composed it or played it – well why should I know who it compose or play ed it?  I got a “D” in that music class!

Here’s why……there is music that is “variations on a theme…then there are beer cans that are variations on a theme…..here they are:

A “Variation on a theme of beer can stacking!”  Brahms..Haydn…Beethoven…Jagger….Jefferson Airplane who really cares?  Beer Stacking is important to me!

But anyway these pictures are a variation on a theme…the theme of a beeramyd.  Notice Rob……the labels are all forward!

Here is the awesome Frank Zappa playing Gumbo Variations….not Variations on a Theme but pretty good (I see you Dave Novogratz and my brother “Insane” Steve.)!  They loved Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention!

A whirlwind going here.  Third time writing this blog – lost it twice as the internet was sketchy on campus Monday.  But that is the way things are  at Moravian at different times.

I think we have kryptonite in many of our buildings (lead and asbestos as well???)  Yikes Batman I hope not – we were established in 1742, so maybe.

Let me tell you this……..I love our team at Moravian.

But have to skip across Pennsylvania….up thru Ohio….then 80 miles more to my house in Michigan.

Our guys (your friends….sons…teammates) they are awesome young men!

Win, lose or draw….give them to me!  Can’t wait to see the men they will become.

OK….now here in Michigan.  Hop on jet to JFK – then zooming across the pond to Switzerland.

You should have seen the edition I wrote before this one – it was really great.  Well maybe not.

OK – the sad reality of the season to this point is that we are 0-6.  I guess many people would say pack it in and let’s just give up.  Not so fast….you talk to our guys after the game and you do not see an ounce of quit in……any of them.

I look out on the field and see Vinny Caporrino – La Ron Smith playing as hard as they can….being everything we want  student athletes to be.  Just two tremendous kids (men) we have.  Connor Rooney and Aaron Hudson or Aaron Brown stepping up to lead our team.

Honestly there are many others…but just want to point out some things I see and hear while working  with these guys.

These guys aren’t stepping back – why would they?  Really….come on – really….these guys have labored for four years making Moravian football and Moravian College better……they are fully vested in Moravian football.

That is the just the tip of the iceberg…these guys are just a few of the 80 or so guys we have.  The “troops” as I call them.  Guys who don’t know how to take a back seat.  Young men who will be leaders in whatever field they enter after graduation.  I truly can’t wait to see who these young guys become.

Speaking of icebergs……well maybe mountains with ice and snow on them.

But…back to the guys…the troops.  These guys really get it.  They realize who we are as a team.  Yes, we have some shortcomings right now.  But, these seniors are the guys who we will build the future of MC football on.

There is a tremendous group of underclassmen lined up behind our seniors.  They are learning from their older teammates.  They are seeing how to stand up and fight thru tough times.  It’s not easy.  But, a few years from now when we see the fruits of our labor pay off they will have this group of special seniors to thank.  They are an awesome group.  (I will say occasionally a few of them have given me a headache and a reason to build a beeramyd like you saw earlier…but how could you not love this group??)

To our team – and the seniors in particular.  We have a few weeks to go in the 2017 season.  How will we write our story? What will be our final score be….. how will this team be remembered?

Judging by the guys we have I believe this.  We will get right back to work….right back to studying the video of our opponents….right back to practicing.

We need you all……everyone who makes every class…..every meeting…every weight lifting session.  The troops who do it without a second thought.

Thank you guys for who you are…..thanks to all of our guys….the players….the troops.  You are an amazing group who will be astronauts, teachers, presidents etc.  Where will you end up – does it matter?  You will be awesome!

I see the players I was privileged enough to coach over the years and see what they have become – trust me they have effected our world.   The group who sits in our locker room right now will be the same!

Where will our guys be a year from now?  Who knows….but they will be fantastic people.  No doubt about that.

We have a lot of football in front of us.  There are many days  – from the game we will have at Juniata two weeks away til the season ending day at Muhlenberg.  After that last game we will be different – all of us.

How we handle the next several weeks will shape who we are as people –   where we go and who we become.

Wow – that is some pretty heavy stuff there!  Well I had to read poetry you know….after all I was an English major.

Football is one of the best things we will ever find.  The best friends in your life are sitting across from you in that locker room.  Trust me when I tell you the biggest  lasting impressions will be of the guys who line up with you for the next several weeks.

OK – gotta let this go right now.  Have to pack for a two day trip with my pals in Switzerland.  Prepare for a meeting in Detroit tomorrow.  Find my passport…Delta awards card etc….well OK have a beer!

This is going to be a really wild next few days.  Switzerland and back at MoCo Monday morning.  Well there is a reason they call me the assistant Ambassador to football behind may pal Giorgio Volpe in Lugano Switzerland!

There is a great saying out there “You bring your own weather with you.”

I first heard heard this back in the 90’s while coaching in Detroit.  A coach who I have mentioned many times used it throughout the ’94 season.  Frank Gansz did more than coach – he truly educated the player – not only about football, but life as well.

I have stolen  “You bring your own weather” from my late friend and utilize it constantly.

When he used this phrase he was obviously referring to how handle yourself and the attitude you bring with you on and off the field.   (Heck it’s the attitude you bring anywhere!)  He tried to get us all to see that as individuals we can control that how we feel about ourselves can truly effect the entire team.

Obviously without getting too much into philosophy this is extremely important when you are coaching.  How do we help the troops to improve – not only physically but mentally and emotionally as well.

It is imperative to have mental toughness and confidence in your own abilities when it comes to everything you do.  But in our business it is our job to infuse this into the troops in reference to football.

So the “weather” that we bring with us as coaches directly effects how players will act as well.  I know that the staff really is excited about our team.  We can see the daily improvement – when this is reflected in the win column – well who knows.  But every day we get a little bit better.

Just watching the video of yesterdays practice (Tuesday) the difference in individual players is clear.  We have worked hard and it really jumps out at you when you watch the guys at work.

It is imperative in our world that we are positive.  This doesn’t mean that you don’t correct and get after your players when they make errors.  No….you always fix what is wrong because it is a commitment we have  made to them.

We are in the improvement business.  So, in search of excellence we need to put the players in uncomfortable positions.  Obviously there will be errors made – there are a lot of moving parts and playing football happens over a large area.

But, as a coach it is important how you address the mistake.  You never attack the person – you attack the problems.  Never make it personal.  If we don’t address the errors we are actually letting the individual down – not to mention the team.

We have all strived and excelled at various points in our lives – other times we have failed.  How you handle those highs and lows molds who you are – basically it  develops your attitude.  Your “weather.”

How you choose to present yourself is completely up to you.  Do you want to look at the positives and build upon them – or do you continue to stumble around concentrating on failures and missed opportunities?

As a coach it is our commitment to the troops to get them to develop the positive side of the equation.  To continually improve and build the confidence of the troops.  To influence the “weather” as it were.

Then there is this thing called “Grit”

HOP ON THAT TREADMILL!

The players we have are reselient – for the most part they are quick to volunteer and are willing participants.  Every Monday we start up the old treadmill and get back on it.

Early morning meetings….weight training……practice. .

In the meetings we  learn from are mistakes – correct them and move on.  Hit the weight room and maintain  physical strength.  Practice everyday and improve overall techniques and skills.

Oh yeah and that is just for the football end of it.  Well then there is the thing called school they have to worry about as well.  The guys actually do have to go to class, listen to lectures, write papers, study and take tests.  Being a college athlete is not for the faint of heart!

A typical day might find a player up and about before 6:30 preparing for the day with the actual end of the day as practice winds down around 6:30 in the evening. (Remember then there is that schoolwork thing that has to be taken care of after they eat dinner.)

No doubt that this is a long a strenuous day for most of our guys.  But they press on every day looking to improve and find a way to win.

But, the guys are serious about the team and are eager to improve.  With this attitude permiating the group we will soon begin to see some real progress.  We have a lot to look forward to down the road.

This group has the work ethic and tenacity to develop into  a championship team.  I have said this throughout the season – it is a great bunch to be around.   It is easy to coach this team because of their attitude and also because they take care of each other.  It is impressive how they interact with each other.

We started with a smaller group  than normal and have lost some of our number along the way.    Some losses are attributed to our many injuries.  Our injured players remain a vital part of Greyhound football and are a big part of our future.  We need them to rehab and prepare to get back on the field for us.

There are those that decided to leave the program for various reasons – well that is fine.  We just close ranks and move onward.  Everyone has to follow the path that they see as the best for them.  There are never any hard feelings.

But the team members who remain have never wavered in their commitment and they continue on stronger than ever.  These men are the core of Greyhound football.  Those who have the dedication, the talent, the energy, the effort, the grit and yeah the proper “weather” to carry on.

GO HOUNDS!

Not to make light of our situation but there are times you have to look into the days that are coming.  Eddie Kendricks might have it right:

Yup….this is what we have to do!

There is nothing as empty as losing….you can look for silver linings and moral victories.  But when it is all said and done we look at the win-loss record and we sit there with a big fat zero in the “W” column.

Well as lousy as you feel – tomorrow is going to come and we are going to have to review the game video and fix the mistakes.  It is a never-ending process of studying and correcting.  But, that is the beauty of the game as well – the constant repetition allows you to slip into a routine and drive the demons out of your system.

In fact we will start that process tonite (Saturday) individually.  We will compare the call sheet with the execution of our various plays and schemes in all three phases of the game.  Obviously we will spend a great deal of time working thru this process of self evaluation.

Although we are very frustrated as players and coaches we have to look at each game individually as they play out.  We need to see if our corrections are bearing fruit as we work our way thru the 2017 season.

I know that our hard work is playing off because there has been significant improvement in individual players.  I don’t know who or which team started using the phrase “you have to trust the process.”  Although I think this is an overused and trite phase it often applies.

As coaches we have to be aware of a very big fact – we have so many young and inexperienced players in starting or key roles all over the field.  This is a hard situation to live thru – but that is what we need to do.

Coaching requires patience and also confidence.  We have to continue to be patient in our teaching and our development of fundamentals.  At the same time no matter what happens we must maintain our confidence in the fact that the team will emerge as a much better unit thru our coaching.

Again, I know we are down….but now is not the time to feel sorry for ourselves.  Now is not the time to look to pass the blame on to someone else.  Now is the time to believe in who we are and what we do.

For me personally I really feel for the troops.  I have seen a lot of teams practice over the years.  I would be hard pressed to think of another team I have coached that comes back day after day and works so hard.  I have used the word “resilient”  about this group several times this year.

But, we have to look down the road and realize that we are going to be a good team.  It is going to take “sun ups and sun downs” for our guys to grow up and assume roles that allow them to be successful.

We need to stick to our beliefs – ignore the naysayers  – and trudge on.  I know that the troops will continue to do what we expect of them.  Get to all of their classes – make their assigned meetings – in short be a great teammate and a HOUND.  It is what we do!

I know you have been waiting to learn about the OODA loop.  Many of you have been thinking about bringing this up to me…I just know it.  OK, maybe not.  But this is something I learned many years ago and it actually came up in a conversation I had just yesterday (Sunday).

I have mentioned my late friend Frank Gansz who was one of the most inspiring and knowledgeable coaches (people) I know.  Frank was one of the original Special Teams coaches and to this day acknowledged as one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Frank taught me many things about the great game of football – but in his own way he taught me about the OODA loop.

The OODA loop is something that everyone can use in day to day life.  (Actually you may already use it and not even know why or what it is). It is especially effective when utilized in high stress decision making situations.  Trust me it is very effective.

OODA stands for Observe, Orient, Decide and Act.  It was a system developed by a USAF Colonel – John Boyd.  Now John Boyd should have  attained a rank of higher than Colonel, but apparently he just could not get along with his superiors.

He must have been a stubborn guy who stood by his work and his assumptions.  This got him crosswise with leadership and  put Colonel Boyd on the “shit list” with many higher ups.  He was known as the “Mad Major,” and “Genghis John” due to his strong stances about warfare in the sky.

None-the-less his theories are used throughout the world today.  Colonel Boyd had a dramatic impact on aerial warfare and he is credited with helping to develop a critical part of the plan for the invasion of Iraq during the 1991 Desert Storm.

The OODA loop is a practical theory that allows for rapid and accurate decision making when time and clear thinking is imperative e.  Naturally this can be applied to athletics and football in particular.

Here is the way it works in a picture:

But in real life (Football??) It applies to everything we do – from studying the game video – to teaching the players to the actual execution by the players on the field!

Just think of video study by coaches.:

You OBSERVE (watch) the video….then you ORIENT (develop your thoughts for a game plan from your observations)…then you DECIDE (actually formulate your plan of action from those thoughts)….then you ACT (You create the plan and implement it with your team from those decisions).

Now, think of it as a player who has been through a week of game plan meetings and practice.  You have experienced all of those things mentioned above in the OODA loop as a student in the classroom of football.

Now, you are playing the game against the opponent you have studied all week.  You are a Safety (that is a defensive position for some of my friends who aren’t interested in football)….the other team comes out in a certain formation:

You OBSERVE (see this specific formation). You ORIENT (this formation triggers the key points you learned through video observation, coaching meetings and practice sessions during the week).  You DECIDE (take an alignment you learned during the practice sessions to counter this alignment – perhaps you make a specific “Call” to adjust your teammates positioning or assignments as you have been instructed by the coaches).  Then the ball is snapped and you ACT (you execute your assignment as you were taught during the week of practice).

Then you clear your mind (another great technique to learn as an athlete) and start over as you prepare for the next play.

https://youtu.be/aXrpmN6hHqc

This is how the OODA loop works.  Perhaps you know it by another acronym or you just do it in your daily life.  But – like a hammer, wrench or saw – it is a valuable to keep it in your toolbox.

Colonel Boyd took this further however.  He added that the fighter pilots who could do cycle thru the loop the fastest were destined to be the best warriors.

So, the more you you work on the OODA cycle the better you become at your profession (real life as well I guess).  The more you can Observe in your realm – whatever that may be.  will allow you to Orient yourself faster.  This in turn spurs a quicker Decision and then a faster and more effective Act.

If you think about it…this is what we are trying to do on every play.  The team that executes their fundamentals the fastest in the heat of the battle…well that is the team that is successful!

Alright maybe you weren’t interested in the OODA loop – but you have to admit it is some pretty cool stuff.

There are a lot of things that you take away from games – win or lose.   Many great teaching moments present themselves.  As a coach (players as well I expect) first you must get the bitter taste of losing out of your mouth.

After you get past that disappointment you can dig thru the video and review your notes to find things to help your team improve.  That is what makes coaching such a great profession – you are always searching for better ideas and techniques to give to your guys.

Oh yeah – sometimes you can overthink things as well. See things that really aren’t there.

From the outside looking in – it may seem like there is so much futility when teams are struggling as the Hounds are right now.  There is obviously frustration to contend with, but when you have a group like we have right now – it is different.

Our guys are very resilient and they quickly rebound.  Believe me no one is happy with our record at this point….but there is a lot of trust within our brotherhood.  As coaches we believe in the troops – we know that before this group is finished they will achieve some really great things.  I think that the guys are understanding this as well.

The players are willing to work and learn new concepts –  and each week we make progress as a football team.  I think that it is just a matter of time until we see the results on the field.

Interestingly, I ran into two former players who saw us play at Kings and then again this weekend at Homecoming.  They both agreed that although we have a ways to go – the team is much better right now.

Obviously it is good to hear this from guys who have worked within our system and know how we approach football.  They have lived it with us and they have achieved success as Hounds.  Their input is very valuable to a person like me because they are honest to a fault.

They don’t need to hold back because we have walked on the field and thru the locker room together.  We are connected and understand that truth is one of our core values and sometimes it might hurt….but to improve and achieve excellence we have to be clear.

So – as a team we continue to hammer away to build a  better Greyhound unit.  Like every week for the past many years on Sunday we go through our post game routine.

Coaches get together and review the video – then compare notes and brainstorm on how we can manage the next week.  It is a grinding process that allows us to lay previous game out to the bare bones.  You have to check your ego at the door because we have to be completely honest in our evaluations.

This can be an uncomfortable process.  But to improve in almost any business or profession you understand that getting out of your comfort zone allows for growth.  Anyway that is how we start every Sunday win or lose….it is what you do as coaches.  (By the way it is a long day – but it is what we do – and yeah it is pretty much done all across the country by football staffs everywhere…..we aren’t the only ones doing it.)

The players first go to the trainers and have a medical review – this is so we can find out how we made it thru the game.  How are the injured players from the day before?   Also – have any of the bumps and bruises that seemed minor after the game blossomed into problems?

Then….we meet with the players and watch the special teams – usually a half hour or so.  Then the players go to the weight room with Coach Long and get the  kinks out.

Now Coach Long is one fired up guy…….  He is going to get the guys going……he is going to push them – work them – encourage them etc.  Tom is going to get every last drop out of them.  The players really respond to him.  What happens in the weight room will be a big key in our future as a team.

After that we have group meetings with our players.  For instance Jim Newhard takes the defensive line, John Harrison will meet with the QB’s,  Chris Leavenworth grabs the offensive line (for fu**ks sakes).  Those meetings are where you really get things squared away.

Corrections are made….notes are taken….egos may be bruised.  But, we all come out of these meetings better prepared for the next week’s game.  It can be intense, but it is really a very cleansing and enlightening experience  because you walk out of the meeting knowing that you have put the previous days game to rest.  Time to move on to the next game.

That’s where we are now….moving on the the next week.

Go HOUNDS!

Nic visiting with many former players and friends for the Homecoming weekend.  Always a good experience for everyone involved.  I can vouch for the troops having a few beers.

Although I couldn’t join them at Roosevelt’s across from the stadium – I’m sure a good time was had by one and all!

Homecoming!

Big weekend for any school – high school or college.  Always a fun time as alums come back to visit with old friends and relive their glory days.   The waistlines expand, hair either goes away or grays,  stories get more colorful,  tales get taller (get it – “tall tales.”). Hangovers hurt a little more etc….etc.

Usually the date is later in the fall.    Personally I have never seen a Homecoming date in September – but what do I know?!?   But, for whoever (whomever?)  is  in charge here at Moravian they felt an early date is the best – probable interfered with their vacation days.

Well, the trees won’t be a colorful and there won’t be need for a blanket or a flask in your pocket.  OK the flask is still permissible!

I am looking forward to seeing some of the troops from the past.  Always nice to visit with the guys you have spent so much time and shared so many experiences with.  It is going to be a nice weekend on the Bethlehem campus.

Ursinus will be our opponent for this weekend.  They enter the game with a 3-0 record following a back and forth game with Juniata last weekend.  This is the first time in many years where they have started off with three straight victories.

The Bears are a very solid team with one of the better QB’s in  the Centennial Conference – sophomore Thomas Garlic.  He is a big (6-4, 195) strong armed thrower – completing 60.6% of his passes with four TD’s and a pair of interceptions..

Their top runner is sophomore Stacey Gardner (70 ATT. 406 YDS and 3 TD) and he has a 57 yard scoring run to his credit.   The QB does a good job of spreading the ball around to his receivers and he  has hit junior  running back Asa Manley with 11 passes and senior WR Carmen Fortino with 7 (he has a 20.1 yard per catch with 2 TD’s)

Averaging 35 points per game the Ursinus offense as been pretty steady but  their defense has been very opportunistic.  They have created eight turnovers over their first three games while giving up just one per game.  The Bears’ +5 margin leads the Centennial.

These turnovers have been very instrumental in each of their wins.  Stopping a drive inside the 10 at the end of the Juniata game with an interception by Danny Freeman.  In the Gettysburg game Tyler Gordon had an interception to stop a potential scoring drive early in the game.

So, as always we are preparing for a physical game.  Defensively we will stress our fundamentals such as tackling and having hard pursuit to the ball.  Nothing new for the Hounds, but we cannot take anything for granted – need to emphasize it and practice it so that it happens in the game.

I really felt our practices were spirited and we got a lot done.  Since I spend so much time really impressed with how some of our younger guys (whoops – they are all really young guys out there this year – hell do we even have a senior?) ran around.

Offensively our offensive line will take on a heavy load as we continue to improve up front.  Our young group (Tackles Zach Cregar, Jason Barish and Tyler Maxsim, Guards PJ Weierbach and Matt Shields, Center Brett Poling) has to counter the Ursinus front seven that has been up and down this season.

The Moravian future is bright since all of those guys are sophomores except for PJ who is a freshman.  They continue to improve each week with Chris Leavenworth working with them – we all know he won’t put up with any shenanigans out there.

We have been pretty effective over the season, but the stress this week will be on consistency and maintaining ball possession.  So these big guys will shoulder much of the load.

Every game is important and this will be another test for our young bunch as we continue to grow as a team.    They really are a great bunch of guys who show so much promise.  I keep reiterating that the future is bright – it really is.

Wasn’t there a song in the 80’s – My future is so bright I wear sunglasses at night?

Well I was kinda close.  You millennials and whatever is next have no idea about good music.

Oh yeah shot up to Northampton and the Hungarian Hall Thursday nite…..the dart league (A-League) kicked off – or shot off  guess.  Captain Saturn on a new team.  Looking for a new championship ring.  Old crew looks great.

Andy Onkotz still running a tight ship in the old hometown hangout – need some more members.  Cannot go wrong for 15 dollars a year!

OK many people ask Hungarian Hall???  Well much of Northampton’s heritage (Moravian guys – there’s that work “Heritage” again) is from Eastern Europe – Czechoslovakia (Czech Republic or Slovenia), Russia, Germany, Poland, Austria and of course Hungary.

The home church right behind the Hungarian Hall – well of course “Our Lady of Hungary Roman Catholic Church!”

GO KONKRETE KIDS!
GO HOUNDS!

Tuesday as Coach Puksyzn talked with the team after practice he spoke about taking care of your business as a football player.  Like many other things football parallels life off the field.

We had several players who skipped their obligations as far as doing their weekly weight lifting.  This is a vital part of our program.  To maintain strength during the season is imperative for safety and success.

Plus we have one of the best strength programs in the country headed up by Tom Long with his interns Amanda and Laurie.  These guys are in our complex by 5:00 or 5:30 am every weekday and often here after 7 or 8 at night.  Oh yeah here on the weekends as well.  You don’t see many cars in the faculty parking lot at these hours by the way.

Amazingly enough you can see a common thread here.  There were eight or nine of our 85 or so current players who decided it was just to difficult to do what their teammates could do.  (My father, the electrical engineer, would be proud to know that I figured this to be a little more than 10% of the team.)

I know – this is Division III athletics and no one is under scholarship.  But that doesn’t mean we don’t do the necessary things to develop a strong and successful program.

Right now we are playing with young and inexperienced players so it is essential that we develop championship habits. These are traits that will enable us to move forward and be successful on the field.  But, these are also the things that carry over into our lives off the field.

Now I’m not telling anyone anything earth shattering here- the guys who miss our “voluntary mandatory” work are the same guys who miss meetings (“Just can’t get out of bed – I’m not a morning person”)  Skip class although they tell you they are going (“Honest coach I was there”) – this is after an email where the prof alerted us to the absence.  Or missing weight lifting (It’s pointless..I don’t play that much anyway”) – yeah you’re  a senior and have been dodging everything for four years – can’t get on the field – imagine that!

Listen, with my outstanding 2.25 grade point average I don’t have a lot of thick ice to stand on here.  I was certainly a screw up that found his way (somewhat anyway) eventually.  I’m sure I was a handful.

But after years of working with young people you hope they can learn from experiences you can pass down to them.  It gives a coach tremendous satisfaction to see the players around him succeed in whatever they choose.  So, it is our obligation to have some conformity with the guys within the program.

But, what the seniors in this group of wayward football players will find out when (if) they graduate – the cruel cold world doesn’t care if you are not a morning person or if you had your latte with espresso shot to get your heart going.

To the underclassmen who are finding the easy way to their liking – just look at what that path has gotten those seniors mentioned above!?!

Coach also touched on the emphasis on doing the small things that are necessary to be successful on and off the field.  Paying attention to the details that are so vital to being not only a successful athlete or student but a productive member of our campus as well.

Hey…just do what you are supposed to do -go to class…..do your job on the field….. be a good teammate……don’t be late……don’t embarrass your family, yourself or the program.  Just to name a few.

He cited a quote from one of the best books you can read (“Legacy” by John Kerr) about successful organizations.  “Sweeping the Sheds” is a statement about how even the best players help clean the locker rooms after a practice or game.  No one is above doing the smallest and dirtiest jobs on or off the field.

This is a fantastic and easy read about how the New Zealand national rugby team – the “All Blacks” builds their organization and creates such a successful team on and off the field.  They have been World Cup champions several times and have won more than 85% of their International tests (games) over the past twenty or so years.

I have and would encourage everyone who is about team building to find a copy and give it a quick read.  I have spent time with one of their coaches and another of their associates and I will tell you this is an amazing bunch of people.

Many of you have seen the All Blacks perform the haka  before they play.  If you haven’t:

Trust me it is an unnerving display of testosterone used to fire up their team and intimidate the opponent.  I think this might a good exercise for a Zumba class!

So we will continue to build the Greyhound football program.  We will continue to help the athletes realize how much they can learn from a simple game.  Yup, we will get un their collective asses if they screw up as well!

GO HOUNDS!

Oh yeah how about some darts this week with Captain Saturn and the lads at the Hungarian Hall in Northampton this Thursday.  Seems like a great idea to me.

Perhaps a quick stop at Mario’s Pizza for a snack.  Yeah that does seem like a pretty good idea.