Trojan Shield Weekly Update: July 30, 2018
Greetings from Trojan Country!
Ready or not – here they come! By this time next week, the student-athletes from the Trojan Volleyball and Soccer teams will have returned to campus, checked into the halls and will probably have already hit the practice field a few times. I know the coaches are excited to get started, but it also is a real reminder that the start of school is just around the corner. I hope everyone is getting registered for classes and is ready to go.
It was a busy week for Trojan Cross Country coach Lauren Masterson and our new Assistant Athletic Director Kyle Masterson. They helped with the annual distance camp at ASU, where they served as guest speakers. They were in great company, speaking to the over 150 high school runners and their coaches, as also speaking were world champion mountain runner Pablo Vigil, legendary coach Joe Vigil and Dr. Brian Zuleger. Lauren and Kyle then participated, along with my wife Melissa and a couple of past and future Trojan runners, in the 8K race to recognize the 50th Anniversary of the 1968 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials which were held in Alamosa. It was a great event held in the valley on Saturday, and Lauren and Kyle did a superb job representing Trinidad State all week long. By the way, I want to welcome Kyle onboard as our new Assistant AD, he does a tremendous job with our athletes at the Valley Campus and I am excited to work with him on improving an already great experience for the student-athletes in Alamosa. He will be working on some sports information duties as well as fund raising, all while continuing to help with the Cross Country and Track teams. It is great to have him officially on the team!
Summer Camp Schedule
- June 5-8 – Boys Basketball Camp (completed)
- June 20-22 – Girls Basketball Camp (completed)
- August 7-9 – Volleyball Camp
New outlook on a new academic year
I wanted to bring an inspiring message to our athletes as they returned to campus last fall, following the success of the year before it seemed important to focus on continuing to move forward and to get better. I was a little worried that we would sit back and rest on our laurels. Whether it was because of the pep-talk about striving for excellence I gave at our annual Athletic Department meeting last fall, or because of the incredible work our coaches put in and the response of our student-athletes, we did have an even better year and continued to stride forward.
Okay, so I know it was not the pep-talk, although some of them remembered it about halfway through the fall sports season. The success was certainly due to the hard work everyone in our department puts in. So, this year I felt like the message could change a bit. I read Urban Meyer’s book, Above the Line, over the Christmas break and was very impressed with the program they have in place at Ohio State. The more I looked into it the more I heard the names Tim and Brian Kight. They are a father/son duo that are behind much of the philosophy taught at OSU. I began watching their videos and reading pieces they put online. Through this, one piece really stood out to me as the message we would look at this year. Our new hashtag will be #DMGB. That stands for it Doesn’t Matter, Get Better!
Tim Kight, in explaining this says “If there is an outcome in your life that you want, but you’re not getting, the answer is because you’re not good enough. Doesn’t matter, get better. You can improve your situation. You can improve yourself. You can improve others around you. There is always a reason to look ahead and be optimistic about what you get to do next and that what you do next matters. Some people say you’re not defined by your past. Maybe that’s true. But once the past is over, even five minutes ago, it is over and gone. There is nothing you can do about it. Win or lose, success or failure, progress or setback. Doesn’t matter, get better.”
Last year I challenged the student-athletes to #StriveForExcellence and they did just that. This year we will encourage them to continue to work hard to get better in everything they do. No matter the circumstances. It doesn’t matter, get better #DMGB
Volleyball Fundraiser
Trinidad State Volleyball coach Melissa Hardman announced a volleyball specific fundraising event online this past week. Fans can go online and purchase a volleyball t-shirt to support the Trojan team.
Volleyball set to host 2018 Youth Camp
Trojan Volleyball will host its annual summer camp the week of August 7. The camp will be split with sixth through eighth grades in the morning and high school students in the afternoon. Cost is $65. Instruction will be provided by the Trojan coaching staff as well as the 2018 Lady Trojan squad.
Learn more at - http://trinidadstate.edu/xyz/athletics/camps/camp_vb_2018.pdf
Softball to host Prospect Camp
Coach Steve Swazo and the Trojan softball team will host a camp for area youth on Sunday, September 23 at Southside Park. The camp will be split with ages 8-12 going in the morning and ages 13-18 in the afternoon. The Lady Trojan softball team will be helping to instruct at the camp. Cost is $30 per athlete.
You can learn more at - http://trinidadstate.edu/xyz/athletics/camps/camp_softball.pdf
Some photos from the week
Quote of the Week -
"Never say never because limits, like fears, are often just an illusion." - Michael Jordan
GO TROJANS!
#DMGB
Mike Salbato
Athletic Director
Trinidad State Junior College