Current Nebraska football coach Scott Frost tells the following story about a film session he experienced while a player at Nebraska in 1996. Frost was with his offensive teammates breaking down film of the next week's opponent when the head coach, Tom Osborne, stopped the film and asked the group the following question: "If you could trade places with anyone in the world, who would it be?" The players, as young men are inclined to do, answered by listing off the famous actors, musicians, hip-hop artists, and athletes of the time. Osborne restarted the film for 15 minutes, and then paused again and asked: "Who are the people you respect the most in the world?" This time, the answers from the players were not famous people they knew. This time, the players listed parents, coaches, teammates, teachers, and other people very close to them. Osborne asked the team about the difference in their answers. To a player, each person said the answer to the second question was somebody who would give or do anything for them for their benefit and well-being.
Athletics is a very important part of the educational programming at Concordia Lutheran High School. Many great lessons can be learned that surpass even those taught in a classroom. Chief amongst these lessons is the idea of sacrificing for the good of the greater team. In athletics, you are a part of something bigger than yourself and regularly are called upon to put others needs ahead of your own. While it is true that some sports lend themselves to this idea a bit more than others, there is no doubt that sacrifice is a part of each activity and endeavor. Our coaches continuously encourage our athletes to make every decision based on what is best for their teammates. Our sin-filled world will always be tempting our student-athletes to worry more about their own personal game as opposed to how the team is doing, but we do all we can to discourage this line of thinking and model our programs and play after Christ who laid down His life for all of us in the ultimate sacrificial act of love that through belief in Him we might have eternal life.
A British airman penned the following line in a letter to his mother during World War II: "The universe is so vast and so ageless that the life of one man can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice." We certainly hope that all students at Concordia take advantage of the athletic opportunities afforded them at Concordia by participating on multiple teams this year. By giving of themselves to something greater than they are individually, they will see athletic, social, and spiritual growth. They will become better leaders. They will make their school a better place. And they will more fully understand the concept of sacrifice and what it means to live and grow as a redeemed Child of God.
Tim Mannigel,
Director of Athletics