Tag: New Normal

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Be The Best.

Langley Advances to Gold Medal Game!

Langley battles Richmond during a Saturday afternoon tilt.

I love seeing the CF 2 stickers on the helmets.

I love seeing the Be The Best patches on the jerseys.

More than anything, I love seeing guys play as a TEAM.

That was clearly evident today as Langley beat Richmond and then beat a Vancouver Island team to claim a berth into the Gold/Silver showdown tomorrow (Sunday, July 18, 2010).

Langley didn’t start strong at this tournie, but they’ve turned it up a notch or two.  The opponent will be Coquitlam who are always a strong team and an association that has incredible depth and talent.  Should be a great match up.

Good luck to both teams!

Win or lose, my hope is that these experiences will help develop these young athletes into young men ready to change the world!

A little Saturday evening 'get together' on the floor.
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Be The Best.

Quilt Story 2

You can see a whole movie franchise here…Quilt Story 5, The Stitcher Returns…but I digress.

You see that ‘C’ square in the quilt?  That’s a story all of its own.  Brett Dobray, one of Chris’ Langley teammates and buds, wanted to bring something to the funeral and leave for Chris.  He had his Grandma make this square with the ‘C’ for Captain and the stars.  This was an amazing thought from a young man and one that will be treasured forever.  It wasn’t planned, but I don’t think it was a fluke at all that this square ended up right beside the Iroquois Lacrosse square.  Along with Josh Beasley, Ryley Brown, Ryan Gladiuk and Will VandenHooven, Brett and Chris were all Langley boys who played together on the Bantam Team BC Box team that won a bronze medal in Ontario in 2007.  The Iroquois were amazing to watch at the tournament and many of the boys exchanged shirts and helmets to bring home a memory. Brett, I want you to know how much Chris loved playing with you.  It came down to a very basic reason.  You have a passion for the game and you want to win.

As Langley’s Midget A1 Box team and teams from around the province prepare for weekend battle at the Provincials this Saturday and Sunday, I think it’s important to think about Be The Best.  It’s really about 1+1=3.  Personally, leave nothing on the floor.  That means 110% every shift.  Then do something for a teammate…an extra hit, an extra effort on a pass, a full sprint to the bench on a line change.  It’s those little things that you do yourself (that’s 1) + what you do for others (that’s 1) that when added up make the magical 3.  Think about it.  That’s what Be The Best is all about.

Young men like Brett get it.  Leadership is not always the loudest guy in the room, it’s the loudest person through his or her actions.

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Be The Best.

What’s your DQ?

Summer was made for ice cream or gelato or frozen yogurt or something like that right?

Ingrid had the great idea of heading down to Dairy Queen for an old school dessert. With a dinner time that finally worked for the three of us at home, we hit the drive thru post kitchen duty and a little basketball challenge to enjoy that taste of summer.

Max and I played a game of basketball called ’21’ in the backyard.  The Old Man schooled the Kid in game one before he woke up and won game two.  We probably should have played the tie-breaker, but I was a little nervous about the impending outcome…

The reason for this post?  This evening felt like an old school summertime evening where work (boys or ours), lacrosse, or other activities did not get in the way of just enjoying some evening sunshine and time together.

Chris played basketball like he played lacrosse, ready to knock anyone getting to the goal on their behinds.  His shot was a little ‘unrefined’.  Whenever he lost a game he would take the ball out for a ridiculously long shot and say, ‘If I score this I win’.  Without thinking about it, Max said that same thing tonight and we laughed as we remembered Chris’ antics in the backyard playing bball.

Then we had ice cream.

An almost perfect summer evening working our way to the new normal.

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Be The Best.

New Hope, Poem Night and Robert Frost

New Hope is a not for-profit-group in Vernon that was founded by my sister Grace after she suffered the loss of her husband (my brother-in-law) Andy some 15 years ago.  Not one to back away from a challenge, she faced and formed her ‘new normal’ head on and New Hope has helped hundreds of windows and widowers (and their families) over the years.  Now remarried to a fantastic guy Steve, it is a great example of honouring your past and also not giving up on the future…far from it.

Remember ‘giving is a part of grieving’?  There’s a lot of that in Grace.  You can check out more from New Hope here.  I was on their site tonight and they had the poem from Robert Frost called ‘Lodged’ on the home page.  It is similar to Invictus in some regards and when I researched Frost’s personal life I understood why.  Wow.  He had a lot of reasons to be bitter, questioning and angry.  Instead there appears to be a quiet resolve to persevere and explore the future as the Captain of his soul.  This is ‘Lodged’ by Robert Frost.

The rain to the wind said,
'You push and I'll pelt.'
They so smote the garden bed
That the flowers actually knelt,
And lay lodged--though not dead.
I know how the flowers felt.
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Be The Best.

Ok, this was last night’s blog.

Wow.

I think I went about 80 straight days and then it all fell apart last night.

What did you do without a blog?  What did I do?  Well, I fell asleep watching the Slap Chop infomercial.  I just hope I didn’t ‘sleep order’ 5 of them or something.

This may seem minor, but I wanted to blog daily through the end of June and then ease up a little through the summer.  It’s one of those things…when you have a goal and you don’t quite meet it, do you quit?  That’s how most New Year’s Resolutions end.  Miss one day of exercise (busy), miss two days (tired) miss three days (work) and you’re done.

The best way I’ve learned to change habits is a very simple technique called Do It Now, Do It Now, DO IT NOW!!

Max and Chris heard this 1,000 times.

I remember as a kid going to the PNE and signing a form with my name and feeding it into a ‘handwriting analysis’ computer.  For the late 70’s this was a big deal!  The report came back with a number of things including that I had a ‘propensity for procrastination’.  Turns out that was right…along with about 99% of the world’s population.  Most of us tend to put things off…myself very much included.

So, when I deviate from my goal or don’t quite hit the mark, the quickest way to get going is DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW.  Your ‘it’ may be different, but the result is the same.  Another great example is push-ups.  Since Chris’ passing, I’ve worked my way up to 50 push-ups per day.  I aim to do these every day, but don’t always succeed.  It is incredibly easy to forget one day, then two, then three and then look out!!  DO IT NOW is about forgetting that I’m running a little late and getting down on the floor and pounding out 50 push-ups.

Have a great Canada Day!!

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Be The Best.

Kids these days.

A gang of dudes (and Hope!) came by tonight for a little ping pong and socializing.  Talk about a great group of kids…again!  I have been so incredibly impressed with all the young people that Ingrid and I have met over the past few months.  It makes me very excited about the future of our community and country to know we have such a great group of young minds ready to take a leadership role in the years to come.  Of course we were just playing ping pong, talking about Chris, sports and catching up, but I know good character traits when I see them! btw, any employers out there in the Langley area, a few of these students still need some summer employment, so send me a message and I’ll set you up!  (no, they didn’t ask me to write that bit)

I know as a parent, you are never sure if the things that you say and model actually are absorbed by your children.  Since Chris’ passing we have heard story after story of what he was like and I have to say it has meant a huge deal to us to hear about how many of the things we taught him (and hopefully role-modeled) came through in his life and with his friends.

I know many parents reading this probably wonder if it’s happening with your own kids.  Are they really listening?  The short answer….YES.  You probably just won’t hear too much about it!

Hope, Chaz, Beau, Ingrid, Cooper, Devon, Some Old Guy
Devon smashes a return.
Chaz goes backhand Michael Jordan style.
Cooper muscles a forehand serve.
Beau tactically places serve.
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Be The Best.

Lacrosse action

I was able to take in a Langley Thunder Midget A1 lacrosse game last Thurs.

They are in playdowns vs. Port Coquitlam.  The winner will be going to the Provincials to be held in Mission July 14-18.

It is a best of 5 and Langley is up 2-0 after Thursday’s win with a big game in Aldergrove on Tuesday at 7:30 (I believe!).

It was great to see a game as the past few weeks had been way too light on taking in lacrosse action!

I wish both teams good luck on Tues.

Obviously lacrosse brings back many memories of Chris.  This is one of the first videos I had put together from a trip to Florida to watch Chris play.  He’s in a couple of the pics (#32), but the highlight is actually the Long Pole (defensive big stick used in field lacrosse) and the bend and torque on the stick as it is applied to the offensive player’s jersey!  I just saw it tonight in my list of vids, and decided to share it here as I’m just missing seeing the kid play lacrosse.  This video has been seen over 4,700 times so a few lacrosse players out there still like it.

Although watching lacrosse reminds me about Chris, I also LOVE to see all the players Chris played with over the years getting better and better (that includes Langley and many opposing teams!).  Keep striving to Be The Best!  I know you will.  Ultimately, lacrosse is a way to learn how to work hard, be a great team member, strive to win and develop into incredible young men and women.

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Be The Best.

The Elephant.

You know that expression, the elephant in the room?

Today is sort of one of those days.

Many people close to us know that today is 3 months since Chris’ passing.

Many have expressed their awareness and support and many have silently acknowledged that they know.

Yes, it is 3 months to the day.  That’s the elephant.  It’s ok to say.

In three short months we’ve (that’s all of us) built a fund at SFU that will live forever in Chris’ name.

In three short months we’ve all aimed to Be The Best! in some personal endevour.

In three short months we’ve all questioned why, but have learned to look forward by proceeding with one decision at a time.

In three short months, the new normal is slowly forming.

In three short months our worlds have changed forever.

In three short months we have identified with William Ernest Henley in his poem, Invictus.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

In three short months, we’ve learned that CHOICE is the secret weapon to our amazing futures!

In three short months, we’ve learned how much we still love Chris and miss Chris and wish he was here.

We know that won’t change, but we’ve learned that we will honour him and his memory forever by our actions, choices and how we treat people.

That’s a lot to learn in three short months.

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Be The Best.

Chris Friesen Inspirational Award

Chaz Williams is a student from Brookswood Secondary.

He was the very first recipient of the Chris Friesen Inspirational Award given out by the School last week.

With permission, this is from a message that Chaz sent me.

Chaz…this is awesome.  This is Be The Best!  This is inspirational.  Great work.  We are all proud of you!!

—————

Chaz – I was the first recipient of this award given out from Brookswood. This was the speech. He says many great things about Chris so I thought you would like to hear it. It was written by our weight training teacher.

Teacher – I feel privileged to be able to give out the Chris Friesen Inspirational Award because we get to remember a student who was an inspiration to students, teachers and his community. As well, we get to recognize the recipient who demonstrates many of the same qualities that Chris showed. As a PE student Chris was one of the best. He arrived to class with a smile on his face, and he had a laugh that was contagious.

When it came time to get down to business, his commitment to fitness was second to none. Chris always worked to achieve excellence in athletics and academics. If he missed a class due to his Lacrosse schedule he would take the initiative to find out what he had missed so he could get it done and keep his “A” average. What I most admired about Chris was how he carried himself amongst his peers often joking but also knowing when the joke was over. He was very outgoing in the hallways and was well respected by the entire school.
Much like Chris, the recipient of this award has demonstrated the following characterisitcs:

-a dedication to fitness

-a drive for high academics

-kindness and compassion

-a sense of social responsibility

– accepting others as equals

The recipient of this award was not a hard person to find. He is the guy walking down the hallway with a smile on his face stopping to talk to someone before making his way on to another friend. His commitment to fitness has allowed him to be one of the most well conditioned students in the school.

This year he made up his own workout program which included 20 mins of continuous skipping and 40 mins of core strengthening. I asked him what his goals were in fitness and he said that it just makes him feel good. This past Friday at 4:00, I saw him as he was doing extra credit work to try and get an “A” in his English class. This student is truly a great inspiration to all of us.

Please join me in congratulating the winner of the Chris Friesen Inspirational Award, Chaz Williams!

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Be The Best.

Lions, Eskimos and Fathers

Ok, perhaps a weird combination but I can explain.

Max took me to the BC Lions home opener today against the Edmonton Eskimos.

It was a big deal for a few reasons.  First, anytime Max and I can hang out together is cool.  It was also great to see so many father and son and father and daughter combos at the game today.  Great stuff for creating those memories!  Additionally, this was the first game at Empire Field, the new temporary home of the Lions and the home of old Empire Stadium which had so much history.  It was great to share some memories and build some new ones with Max today.

Thanks Bud!

Here’s a quick vid from our adventure.  The Lions have done a great job with the PNE folks.  The stadium puts you right on top of the action.  Make sure you check it out this summer!