Great Day To Be a Sports Fan!!

What a great day to be a sports fan! First USA Soccer's last minute (injury minute) goal against Algeria lets them advance to the second round of the World Cup where either a loss or a tie would have eliminated them from competition. Then the Isner/Mahut singles match at Wimbledon became the longest tennis match in history and it's not even done yet. The match, which has already lasted 10 hours, was delayed because of darkness and will resume tomorrow. The fifth set is currently tied at 59 games EACH!

I must admit that I'm not the world's biggest tennis fan but I was/am fascinated by the amount of focus and physical and mental toughness that it takes to compete 1 on 1 for that length of time. I'm especially impressed with France's Nicolas Mahut who has never had the lead during the entire 118 game fifth set. I'm really curious to see who can recover physically and then maintain the necessary focus when they start playing again tomorrow.

It looked to me like USA Soccer ran the perfect fast break to score the game winning goal. The ball was outletted perfectly up the sideline by the goalie and off they went. The ball was dribbled up the sideline, passed first to the middle and then to the wing. The initial shot was stopped but a trailing Landon Donovan put in the offensive rebound for the win. How many times each practice do we demand that our players never give up on the fast break whether it be an uncontested layup or a 3 from the wing? This was the perfect example of "why!"

Be in great shape. Concentrate on the now. Never give up on the play. Remember the game's not over til it's over. Whether it's soccer, tennis, or basketball - the success principles are all the same!!