Category: HERO BEAR AWARDEES

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Coaches as ‘Mentors’

Coach Ron Allice of the Southern California Trojans... Head Track Coach & Mentor
Recently, Laura and I went back to a couple of high school track meets … it is always fun to see ambitious young athletes striving for perfection. What struck me very odd was some of the old feelings of foreboding. Then I saw some familiar track coaches and I realized why. They think the sport is all about them. As ‘Maranda’ said, “Don’t be silly, everyone wants to be us!”

Sports — contrary to folks like Florida’s Urban Myer –should be about athletes and at the high school level should be as much about their future beyond athletics as their future as an athlete.

Coaching should be as much about mentoring and personal development as about athletic performance. I have always respected coaches who can do both… they employ the power of positive coaching and work towards the personal development of the athletes in fields other than their sport. Just like the late great Coach of Grambling University, they are loved by their athletes for reasons beyond their sport.

I see Head Track & Field Coach Ron Allice of the Southern California Trojans in that rare breed of ‘mentoring’ coaches. He definitely has his ‘eye on the prize’, he wants to win, but he supports his athletes to be all they can be in life. 

Roger Freberg

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LATEST NEWS: Is College for Learning or Indoctrination?

give the man a bananaI
t’s no secret what goes on in college campuses today… who gets hired… who is tenured and promoted… and whether or not you can speak freely on campus is always a question. Evan Maloney has put together a film that discusses what is really going happening today… it’s called “Indoctrinate U.”  After you watch their trailer… check out their site… then think carefully before you write that check or donate to the university of your choice.Roger Freberg  

 

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300 Spartans over Critics & Islamic Fundamentalists

Spartans meet with islamic fundamentalist Iranian... er...

 

It is always interesting to see who and what people read into today’s movies… no sooner than the ‘300’ was released did an outpouring of criticism and political posturing grace our film season.

The ‘300’ — for those of you who are visiting from Endor — is a true-to-life movie about how 300 Spartans ( read: the present day Western Civilization or the Greek City State of Sparta that defined the word ‘macho’) held off the invading armies from the east ( read: today’s fundamentalist Islam or Persians from the same locale). The Spartans died to the last man but not before stretching the invading armies supply lines and creating great spirit among the Greeks of their time.

Needless to say, the current Iranian leader is most upset for reasons that are easy to guess. Obviously, he wants Western powers to stay impotent and hopeless… this movie offers the opposite.

The story of what became the Battle of Thermopylae is fascinating. Leonaidas ( one of the two kings of Sparta… yep, two kings) picked 300 of his toughest soldiers with one additional requirement… that each man was already a father. The ‘Persians’ wanted the Greeks to surrender and the exchange went something like this…

…Then Xerxes I asked him more forcefully to surrender their arms. To this Leonidas gave his noted answer: Μολών Λαβέ (pronounced: /molɔːn labe/), meaning “Come take them”.

Movie Critics are upset for a number of reasons … although they are not upfront about it. My guess is that although they are pleased that the heroes all died, they are not happy that any good came from it. Historical lessons sometimes do that to us… point us to what is real and what needs to be done. There is a lot we all can still learn from the Spartans.

By the way, don’t look for the ‘300’ to be on the ‘Oscars’ short list… the Academy is full of weenies. However, this a must see movie.

Roger Freberg

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Accenting the ‘Positive’ in Psychology

Being Married to a Psychologist is interesting, entertaining and educational.

An area of Psychology that has an appeal to me is “Positive Psychology.” Too many times, folks dwell on the negatives, whereas, investing the same amount of time looking at situations from a ‘positive’ point of view is more fruitful.

a great textbook on Positive PsychologyI just picked up a book that covers the subject…. “Character Strength and Virtues” .

From Wikipedia… Positive Psychology is defined:

“The development of the Character Strengths and Virtues (CSV) handbook represents the first attempt on the part of the research community to identify and classify the positive psychological traits of human beings. Much like the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) of general psychology, the CSV provides a theoretical framework to assist in developing practical applications for positive psychology. This manual identifies six classes of virtue (i.e. “core virtues”), made up of twenty-four measurable character strengths.

The organization of these virtues and strengths is as follows:

  1. Wisdom and Knowledge: creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective
  2. Courage: bravery, persistence, integrity, vitality
  3. Humanity: love, kindness, social intelligence
  4. Justice: citizenship, fairness, leadership
  5. Temperance: forgiveness and mercy, humility and modesty, prudence, self-regulation
  6. Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality

Practical applications of positive psychology include helping individuals and organizations correctly identify their strengths and use them to increase and sustain their respective levels of well-being. Therapists, counselors, coaches, and various other psychological professionals can use the new methods and techniques to build and broaden the lives of individuals who are not necessarily suffering from mental illness or disorder.”

Roger Freberg

 

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‘Mason Weaver Day’ at Cal Poly!

Mason Weaver and his booksYears ago, Mason Weaver came to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to speak…. and there begins a tale.

Mason’s talk was exactly the same as the title of his book…” It’s ok to leave the plantation.” His appearance at Cal Poly resulted in the threatened expulsion of a young college student Steven Hinkle, national media discussion on the value of ‘free speech’ and finally the vilification of Cal Poly and much taxpayer money given to Steven Hinkle.

Mason describes his book “It’s ok to leave the plantation”:

“Wisdom does not come from surviving but from thriving. This book discusses some of the family and environmental contributions that led to my change from liberal to conservative. It also discusses how Black Americans came from slavery to freedom.” “It’s OK To Leave The Plantation examines the ‘Plantation mentality’ that still plagues us today. The Plantation Mentality is a system that discourages independence and character and encourages reliance on masters or appointed tribal chiefs in our community.”

Mason may not change your views… but he may give you a new way to look on what really is ‘help’ and what really ‘works’ in our society.

Mason returned to Cal Poly last night after a number of years in what could be called his ‘triumphal return.’ It was ‘Mason Weaver Day at Cal Poly’… an annual event.

Roger Freberg