Connor Determination Skit

come in with Beastie boys blaring... You gotta fight, for your right,... then connor on court banging balls shouting   TO RALLY!!!

 

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TITLE: Determination — Remember kindergarten.. First story.. I have a little one now myself.. cracked out the Story of the Little Red Engine  "I think I can, I think I can" (show the book) culture teaching us about determination right from the start

Determination. Its everywhere   Rudy, The Mighty Ducks, heck, even the Fight Club, we just not allowed to talk about it

rudy   mighty ducks  the Fight club.. just can't talk about it 

Determination. Has many terms. Fight. Grit. Resiliency

 Its baked into our human condition. Without it, we'd still be living in caves. Without it, you'd be hitting with this (ancient wood racket) instead of this puppy (brand new stick)

Determination did that.. To improve our lives, to improve our sport

That little engine story is a metaphor for the fighting spirit within all of us. It doesn't matter if you're Undersized or overmatched,,, It wasn't his size and strength that saved the day, it was his determined fighting spirit that never gave up

We have determination all around us..That figting spirit...Sc Trojans   Fight on... ( i can get Peter Smith to give us a Trojan Fight On cameo here)

Notre Dame and their The Fighting Irish (beware the pugnacious leprechaun)   Michael Kosta and his Fighting Illini.. they could have used a little more fight to beat my mighty Buckeyes   (be awesome if we could get him to jump in for a cameo here)

 Its not the size of the dog in the fight, its the size of the fight in the dog  

 

So what is determination?

If being Motivated is “I'm into this, I feel like it.” Determination is “I'm not into this. I don’t feel like it, but I’m doing it anyway.”   

determination is the resolve to keep moving toward something meaningful, like our tennis goals, even when the dogs are barking, i just want to cut my arm off at my tennis elbow, every part of you wants to tap out, yet you keep fighting.

That's determination, that's the fighting spirit, that's having guts.... is there anything more beautiful in sports when pure guts beats pure talent? 

And what does it sound like... Like we're a little fired up   a little Lleyton Hewitt Come on, a justing henin Allez, or a shout and scream from our favorite Dan-Yell Collins.. Why scream, why make noise? because we're announcing to all within earshot.. I'm still here, I'm not going away.. You wanna beat me, you're going to have to carry me outta here

Determination feels like an extra gear.. you're already revving pretty good, but you have more, a secret tank, a little nitro, a little turbo.. You dig in, you dig deep.. 

Why is determination important? Because the tennis journey is long. A marathon run at a sprinters pace. Its impossible to be our most fired up all the time There will be lulls. And our Careers.. they aren’t built on your best day—they’re built on your really average Tuesdays when you'd rather be doing anyhting else. But you put your time in, you do your reps. Determination keeps you grinding when the thrill is gone, its what powers you through injuries, slumps, plateaus, and those stretches where the return on investment feels borderline insulting. 

And here’s the EQ piece: determination is what keeps emotions from hijacking your career.
Because you’re going to get frustrated. You’re going to doubt yourself. Tennis can be very unforgiving, making us question the choices we make with our lives.. A Determined player doesn’t allow those feelings to overtake. 

If I need to bust out my karaoke classic... Nothing's gonna stop us now!!

How to keep determination strong and active in your tennis life?            

Always remember your why? Your purpose.. Tennis is about challenging yourself at levels unimaginable.. the determined player never gives up.. He pushes on through

But don't take any of this for granted.. That little engine we all have has a limited warranty. our fight will run out someday if we don't tend to it properly