Not Good Enough
January 1, 2016
Good is never good enough.
When Frank Lloyd Wright was asked to choose his best project, he replied – in his 80s – “My next one.”
As we turn the page from 2015 to 2016, we are content that 2015 was a good year when several large, even transformative projects were initiated and some completed.
But 2016 must be better. The challenges to educational athletics will be tougher, and the needs for serving and supporting school sports will be greater.
Good will not be good enough in 2016. Our next year must be our best year.
Rocket Science
January 5, 2015
I have always been fascinated by space exploration and in awe of all that is required and must go right to send a space vehicle atop a multi-stage booster rocket from a moving object like Earth, and land it softly on another moving object like the moon or Mars or most recently a massive rock, after a journey of many months and millions of miles. How can people figure that stuff out?
There cannot be a problem of school sports that is more complicated than those of space exploration, except for one feature – which is that our problems deal with people, who are far less predictable and dependable than the laws of physics.
Making matters worse is that we are working with people in a competitive arena, and in an emotional setting, where the objectivity which characterizes the scientific method of rocket scientists is generally if not universally absent.
As long as potential problem-solvers view potential solutions through the lens of what does or does not benefit them in terms of competitive edge, our efforts to make good changes will never launch or, if launched, will miss the target.