Coach and Cato: An IWSG Post
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| Coach Bobby Pruett; my baby, Cole; Rakeem Cato At the WV All-State Banquet It's IWSG Time! Thanks to this month's co-host! C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo,Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner! |
Share your insecurities with the world, or at least the many, many fellow writers in the group ;)
Started by the ninja master, Alex Cavanaugh, the IWSG has grown to include its own website and Facebook group. Check out all the details HERE!
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Coach Bobby Pruett and Rakeem Cato. Marshall University fans will know who they are, for those who don't, here's a brief run down of their laurels:
Coach Pruett lead Marshall University to six conference championships, five bowl wins, and is responsible for recruiting such talent as NFL greats, Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich. He is a coaching legend.
Rakeem Cato Marshall University's current quarterback. As a Junior, he's already passed Chad Pennington's touchdown pass record in a single season. The big question at the end of this season was: would Cato come back to MU or move onto to the NFL?
At the All-State Banquet (Cole was an All-State lineman, did I ever mention that? LOL) Coach Pruett and Mr. Cato were honored at the banquet. As each took the stage and spoke, neither of them said, "I woke up one day and bam I was great!"
Nope. Coach Pruett mostly wanted to thank his family for supporting him while he chased his dream. He spoke of years of coaching, getting fired, and moving from one town to another. Finally he made it back to West Virginia to coach Marshall, his life goal. And boy what an excellent job he did! Before Bobby Pruett, few people knew WV had another university other than that one with the Mountaineers.
Cato, seriously one of the most humble men I have ever met, thanked everyone, credited all, and made no praise for himself. But there was a sport's writer who told the tale of his challenges. How he grew up in a hard neighborhood, his mom dying when he was thirteen, and his dad spending most of Cato's life behind bars. All Cato said was he wouldn't be there without the backing of his family, the one related blood and the one bound by turf, and by the help of God.
When you look at these men, you see where they are right now. On top.
It's easy to call them lucky when they are all dressed up and collecting trophies.
What you don't see is the work. The fails. The brushing themselves off. The tenacity to stay in the game.
*Taking a moment for some shameless self-promotion.
My first book in the Coulter Series is on sale all through June.
Buy it HERE!
Feel free to share and tell a friend, and their friends, and their friends....
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Coach Bobby Pruett and Rakeem Cato. Marshall University fans will know who they are, for those who don't, here's a brief run down of their laurels:
Coach Pruett lead Marshall University to six conference championships, five bowl wins, and is responsible for recruiting such talent as NFL greats, Randy Moss, Chad Pennington, and Byron Leftwich. He is a coaching legend.
Rakeem Cato Marshall University's current quarterback. As a Junior, he's already passed Chad Pennington's touchdown pass record in a single season. The big question at the end of this season was: would Cato come back to MU or move onto to the NFL?
At the All-State Banquet (Cole was an All-State lineman, did I ever mention that? LOL) Coach Pruett and Mr. Cato were honored at the banquet. As each took the stage and spoke, neither of them said, "I woke up one day and bam I was great!"
Nope. Coach Pruett mostly wanted to thank his family for supporting him while he chased his dream. He spoke of years of coaching, getting fired, and moving from one town to another. Finally he made it back to West Virginia to coach Marshall, his life goal. And boy what an excellent job he did! Before Bobby Pruett, few people knew WV had another university other than that one with the Mountaineers.
Cato, seriously one of the most humble men I have ever met, thanked everyone, credited all, and made no praise for himself. But there was a sport's writer who told the tale of his challenges. How he grew up in a hard neighborhood, his mom dying when he was thirteen, and his dad spending most of Cato's life behind bars. All Cato said was he wouldn't be there without the backing of his family, the one related blood and the one bound by turf, and by the help of God.
When you look at these men, you see where they are right now. On top.
It's easy to call them lucky when they are all dressed up and collecting trophies.
What you don't see is the work. The fails. The brushing themselves off. The tenacity to stay in the game.
*Taking a moment for some shameless self-promotion.
My first book in the Coulter Series is on sale all through June.
Buy it HERE!
Feel free to share and tell a friend, and their friends, and their friends....
You've inspired me with a great description of these inspiring men. You're right, Elizabeth, when we only see the shiny trophies and fancy outfits, we don't realize all the struggles and heartache it took to rise to the top. Thank you for pointing it out. Your son is a young champion too - with a great smile.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that we often compare ourselves unfairly to others. We never think of just what kind of sacrifice and toils people go through to get to the "top."
ReplyDelete"The tenacity to stay in the game." That truly is all we need, isn't it? To keep on going if we really want to follow our passion. Great post, and great examples! :D
ReplyDeleteBeing humble, thankful and grateful help to keep our feet on the ground. People who think they deserve the plaudits won't work hard enough for them! Off to work hard...
ReplyDeleteWhat a truly inspirational post, Elizabeth! You've made me want to go and get some writing done (and I haven't been motivated to do that in a while, sadly). xx
ReplyDeleteHey Twinny!
ReplyDeleteDang e-Sis, I'm like, "Put me in, Coach, put me in!!"
*Awesome post and so glad Cole (and family) were there to experience the whole evening :)
Would stay and chatter, but I have some post about top tens to finish :)
Great quote. I dislike it when people call me lucky, and it's always from people who don't put in the work and effort I do. It takes years of hard work and dedication to become a true success.
ReplyDeleteMay you get many sales and reviews with this promotion.
Great post! It's so easy to see a person's success and think it was effortless.
ReplyDeleteIWSG #215 until Alex culls the list again.
Oh, I really needed to read this today. Thanks for the inspirational and oh so beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteAnd congrats to your son! What a thrill this must have been for him.
Everything takes work. I don't know of anyone who has had success just handed to them. Luvd the post.
ReplyDeleteVery inspiring. I needed something like that today. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWell and with the writing, we don't have a ticking clock for when our physical capacity will start to deteriorate. With hard work, we can just keep getting better. It's a very good thought.
ReplyDeleteThat's right - all winners started at square one, and through hard work and support, got to where they are today.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Elizabeth! Sometimes we don't think about the huge amount of work others have put into their successes, we just get jealous of those successes. This is a nice reminder. :)
ReplyDeleteLove that quote! We all have to start somewhere. :)
ReplyDeleteI loved, Every Pro Was Once An Amateur! I love hearing this kind of pep talk.
ReplyDeleteFantastic post, and it's something we have to remember. I know lots of people dream of the endgame, but practically no one dreams about the long road to get to the top. It's good to remember that road. It is long. Thanks for the reminder (and the great post!)
ReplyDeleteVery true, it never just happens over night, there is always work put it, whether we see it or not.
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Elizabeth. No one wakes up and expert or a pro at anything. It always takes a lot of focus, hard work, and *fails* to teach the way.
ReplyDeleteGood reminder for writers. Writing is like any other career. It's takes determination to succeed, tough skin to wipe off the dust of the fails (and rejections), and having your eye on the goal.
Sia McKye Over Coffee
Go Cole! I know you're a super proud momma!
ReplyDeleteI've always believed that those who are successful and appear the luckiest have had to work the hardest. It takes work to make success look easy. Glad both men were so humble. That's a great life lesson for Cole!
Promote away! I just bought your book. :)
Happy Wednesday!
Thanks for sharing their story, Elizabeth. There's nothing wrong with dreaming big.
ReplyDeleteWonderful quote and excellent story. And I bought your book! (Sorry, would've done it sooner, but I was offline for a few days there.)
ReplyDeleteAwesome, a sports metaphor!!!
ReplyDeleteI was a college athlete, and I can say for sure that behind every win AND loss are hours and hours of hard work and dedication.
Goosebumps. Seriously. That was awesome. It's so true that those who make it to the top usually wade through a trail of tears. We just never see the trauma behind what makes a person great, eh?
ReplyDeleteExcellent post, Elizabeth. And so true!
ReplyDeleteGreat story and post.
ReplyDeleteA wonderfully inspiring post. Thank you! :)
ReplyDeleteMy dad has a quote about the men that are on top are generally working through the night while everyone else sleeps. It's easy to miss all their hard work if we're not paying attention, but I'm sure they were working hard.
ReplyDeletelove that inspirational quote - how cool to meet famous people who are humble and know that your son will be following their leads! incredible! congrats sweetie =) DREAM BIG! START NOW!
ReplyDeleteI've found that people who never have the struggle we writers encounter usually aren't really trying to do anything more than just exist from day to day. These struggles make us stronger. Were these two part of that movie that was made about Marshall? We Are Marshall, I think it was called?
ReplyDeleteWhat an encouraging post! Shared your sale on Twitter :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, Elizabeth....
ReplyDeleteThis is so true. There is often EXTREMELY hard work behind all the trophies and glamour of success. Life is always full of obstacles for us to challenge us. We just need to keep focused and determined.
Thanks for the reminder!
I guess it'd be wrong for me to then say, 'Let's gooooo Mountaineers.' :) People are so quick to judge these days. Often a lot of hard work happens before success.
ReplyDeleteHey Liz! Gosh I love that. It's so important to remember. And I think those failures give us a true respect for the prize, as well as an empathy for those who are also on their journey.
ReplyDeleteThat kind of people is very inspiring. The harder the work, the greater the victory, I've heard. :) Dragon Hugs.
ReplyDeleteI missed IWSG this month. D'oh!
ReplyDeleteIt's brilliant when you have people in your life who are more than enough inspiration, people who remind us what it means to strive for something great.
Congrats to Cole for being an All-State lineman! Love your IWSG post. Those two men and their stories are so inspiring. It is great to remember that success is often derived from hardship and failure. I'll just keep telling myself that... :)
ReplyDeleteWow this is so inspiring. Always a good reminder that everyone started in the same place as me. :-)
ReplyDeletePast Due looks so swoony. And what a great cover.
ReplyDeleteVery true. If you want to succeed in anything, there's no way around it but to put in hours, months, years of hard draft. No, it doesn't happen by accident! Great post!
ReplyDeleteBegin is a magic word. Love your attitude. Good point, "What you don't see is the work. The fails. The brushing themselves off. The tenacity to stay in the game." Aloha from Maui!
ReplyDeleteI do believe you have a wonderful family. My guess is they learned from some chick who is filling her shelves with books that have her name on them. Congrats to Cato, of course. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is something I never forget. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnna from Shout with Emaginette
Great post and good reminder. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteLiving proof that hard work pays off. And to stay humble through it all is truly amazing. That's not just awesome, it's incredibly inspirational, and that's for someone who doesn't even follow football.
ReplyDelete