This is Why We Play the Games!

What makes the sporting world so special is that on any given night if the chips fall in the right places, an underdog can upset a favorite. As I started reading about College Hockey’s Frozen Four I noticed that many of the lower seeds were coming up victorious in the early round of the tournament. No more surprising of these teams is Bemidji State out of Northern Minnesota. Their path to the National Semifinals has not been a easy one as they had to defeat the tournaments overall number two-seed (Notre Dame) and then defeat the tournaments overall number nine-seed (Cornell).
I came across a good article in the Boston Herald that talks about these amazing accomplishments of the Beavers and the great support they are receiving. The article goes on to talk about all the national recognition this team is receiving and how they have changed this small Minnesota town into a hockey town. It is always nice to see from a coaching stand point, the little guys getting the job done. In a school with an enrollment of 4,729, it is amazing they are able to compete and beat some of the high-major teams. It is also spectacular for the Bemidji hockey program, as it brings a sense of pride into the program as well as rallies the community around a real feel good story. The greatest thing about a story like this, is it is great for college hockey but most of all it is great for some of the smaller schools competing at the DI level.

Defying the Odds

I was flipping through the channels last night and came across a great story on ABC News (click for YouTube link) about a very small person with a very large Heart. Tiffara Steward is 2009 V Foundation Comeback Award Finalists. When looking at Steward you might think it is strictly based on her 4’6” stature but it goes much deeper than that. Here are the reasons why Steward is such an inspirational story and great success:

Tiffara Steward stands at 4'6" and is thought to be the shortest collegiate basketball player ever. However, it is not her short stature that is Tiffara's greatest obstacle. She was born three months premature, weighed only two pounds, and underwent three surgeries by the time she was three years old. Tiffara still battles multiple permanent disabilities today; she is blind in her right eye, as she was born without a cornea, and has over 50% hearing loss in both of her ears. She has a leg discrepancy, and also battles severe scoliosis; her spine, to date, is still not completely fused. This was unknown to most of Tiffara’s teammates, coaches and administration until this year. She never uses her disability as an excuse in any aspect of her life; instead, she uses sheer courage and determination in the face of true adversity.

Many times as we go through our everyday lives we like to make excuses for ourselves and not give 100% effort because of minor stressors. Here is an amazing young lady that never looked at the obstacles she faced in her life as deterrent to do great things. The Next time you are having a hard day and want to feel bad for yourself think about others and how much worse you could have it. Try to go through every day with the attitude to brighten up someone else’s day!