Charles Barkley once said he shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be looked at as a role model and I agree. Athletes shouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 be looked at as people to look up to because more often than not, they end up being some of the worst people to idolize.
But maybe thatSA国际影视传媒檚 at the professional level, I donSA国际影视传媒檛 know. TheySA国际影视传媒檙e still level-headed enough at the amateur/junior level that they perhaps havenSA国际影视传媒檛 been blinded by the money or the drugs or the extra-marital affairs and, yes, those vices are very much prevalent. I was good friends with a long-time National Hockey League player who spun some wicked yarns about life on the road.
Anyway, ISA国际影视传媒檓 now talking about a couple of young men who have either won or are on their way to something bigger than they ever could have imagined while playing in Yellowknife. I speak, of course, of Jack Works and Ethan Anstey.
If youSA国际影视传媒檝e read these pages over the past few weeks, youSA国际影视传媒檒l know Works and his Denver University Pioneers won the schoolSA国际影视传媒檚 ninth NCAA MenSA国际影视传媒檚 Hockey Championship in Boston earlier this month and it was WorksSA国际影视传媒� first. Not bad for a freshman, wouldnSA国际影视传媒檛 you say? He found success quickly and while it wonSA国际影视传媒檛 guarantee something like that happening every year, itSA国际影视传媒檚 something that can never be taken away from him.
It was a lot of fun covering Works and his teamSA国际影视传媒檚 run to victory. He didnSA国际影视传媒檛 see too much action down the stretch because of a mixture of illness and injury but he did get the chance to skate out onto the ice and jump into the pile of players after Denver beat Minnesota State for the title. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 every hockey playerSA国际影视传媒檚 dream and itSA国际影视传媒檚 something I always loved doing after winning a championship. Sure, thereSA国际影视传媒檚 the risk of injury but thatSA国际影视传媒檚 why thereSA国际影视传媒檚 the off-season.
For Anstey, heSA国际影视传媒檚 going to be playing in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League final with his Flin Flon Bombers as theySA国际影视传媒檒l do battle with the Estevan Bruins for the big prize. The championship series starts this week and itSA国际影视传媒檚 going to be a tough slog because Estevan is a really good team. But itSA国际影视传媒檚 the playoffs and anything can happen. Besides, the Bombers have been on quite a roll, winning eight of their last nine playoff games, which included a seven-game winning streak. The playoffs are where you want to get hot as a team and donSA国际影视传媒檛 think the Bruins donSA国际影视传媒檛 know that.
But the trip to the finals came with a rather big bonus prize as the Bombers will get the chance to play in the Centennial Cup next month. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 the Canadian Jr. A championship and theySA国际影视传媒檙e going because the Bruins are the host team. ThatSA国际影视传媒檚 great, but Anstey and company donSA国际影视传媒檛 just want to back-door their way in as lucky losers. ThereSA国际影视传媒檚 something to be said about being winners and if the Bombers can get that ring, that will be a huge boost of confidence for them and maybe even a bit of a psychological advantage.
I know ISA国际影视传媒檝e said this before but these are two more examples of what being a young athlete can do and where it can take you if you stick with it. In the case of Works, heSA国际影视传媒檚 parlayed his hockey talent into an education at a big school where he will get a chance to be successful. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 all fine and wondrous to be a star at a small school but Denver is an institution where success isnSA国际影视传媒檛 a hope, itSA国际影视传媒檚 an expectation. Works will become one of the big guys in coming years, which is how his junior career with the Okotoks Oilers of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) started out. Works wasnSA国际影视传媒檛 a star when he signed on but he was given the chance and by the time he became a 19-year-old, he was the go-to guy for the team.
For Anstey, itSA国际影视传媒檚 an example of how perseverance can pay off. When we were talking last week, he brought up the fact that Flin Flon is the third team heSA国际影视传媒檚 played for this year. It was a memory refresher: he started with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the AJHL before being traded to the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the B.C. Hockey League during pre-season, where he suited up with fellow Yellowknifer Sam Schofield. The Capitals dealt him to Flin Flon in January, and look where he is now.
I joked with him that he could still be with the Capitals and not going to the Centennial Cup (the Capitals were swept in round one of the BCHL playoffs). He laughed but got serious again when he said itSA国际影视传媒檚 all about the process and you have to stick with it. HeSA国际影视传媒檚 right. ItSA国际影视传媒檚 all a process. YouSA国际影视传媒檙e going to go through trades and adversity and Anstey could have simply told Flin Flon to stuff it. But he went and look where heSA国际影视传媒檚 at now: on the cusp of a league championship and getting to play for one of the biggest trophies in Canadian hockey next month.
All of you young athletes who think they canSA国际影视传媒檛 go anywhere or canSA国际影视传媒檛 get a shot, remember this: these guys both got their chance. Devin Hinchey got his chance in squash and became one of the best junior players in the country. Tye Hand got his chance and got to play in the Western Hockey League. So did Logan Cunningham. So did Jonah Bevington. So did Ryan Strain. So did Mirsad Mujcin. Ali Kincaid got a chance in womenSA国际影视传媒檚 hockey and played at Cornell University. Kiah Vail got her chance in womenSA国际影视传媒檚 hockey and is now at the University of Ottawa. Kyra McDonald got her chance and is with the womenSA国际影视传媒檚 hockey team at Trinity Western University. Mali Straker got her chance in basketball and is now at Laurentian University in Ontario.
The point ISA国际影视传媒檓 making is that you can get a chance and when you do, take it. We have several examples of what happens when you get a chance. So look up to them. Talk to them. Ask them how they did it, how they made it work, what they had to do, etc. YouSA国际影视传媒檒l find they are more than happy to talk about it and pass on any advice. My advice is take it seriously. I stole that last part from Kevin Koe, who told me that once, but you have to take it seriously. Play like you mean it.
And, you, too, could be like either Jack Works or Ethan Anstey or Ali Kincaid or Mali Straker or SA国际影视传媒�
