By Rob Ficiur

Albertans like to make jokes about our neighbours from Saskatchewan.  During the Alberta boom years I am sure Saskatchewanians got sick of hearing “Will the last one out of the province please shut the lights off.”

There is a loyalty that people from Saskatchewan have for their province.  One way this loyalty shows is in the team’s faith and celebration of their football team (win or lose).

This summer I spent a day in Regina and saw first hand how our neighbours honour and celebrate their own.  At the RCMP training barracks there was a sunset flag lowering service, a local band came to play a song.  When their music ended they added "Go Riders Go!"  which didn’t fit the song but fit the location.

In attendance at the sunset service was the president of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Mr. George Reed, the great running back that set many CFL records in the 1970’s.  Even though George Reed has not played football for 35 years, they honored him that day in Regina.

George Reed was the superstar CFL running back of his time.  George won the league’s Most Outstanding player in 1965.  Reed and quarterback Ron Lancaster were the best 1-2 combination of their day.  When George retired in  1975 he held the records for career rushing yards -16,116, most touchdowns - 137 and most touchdowns rushing - 134.  Since that time Mike Pringle has broken the first two records, but George still holds the rushing TD record.

George Reed was honored with his own day.  In 1973 Saskatchewan declared October 34 as George Reed day (after his football number).  As you check your October calendar you won’t find the 34th on it…which shows how the Roughrider faithful will go all out to honor their own.

Driving in to Regina from the west there was a sign with a picture of George Reed indicating that the sign was 16,116 yards from Mosaik Stadium where Reed rushed that many yards.  Coming in from the east there is a sign honouring Ron Lancaster how many yards he passed; and coming from the north how many yards Ray Elgaard caught for in his year with the Riders.  Putting up these signs is one way that Saskatchewan Roughriders have celebrated their past.

This year is the 100th anniversary of the team in Regina.  In the local stores there are Roughrider shirts and books prominently displayed.  (Can’t recall seeing too many Stampeder or Eskimos books or shirts this year).

Rider nation does a great job in helping their young people celebrate their shared history.  While at the RCMP event, I saw a young cadet ask to have her picture taken with George Reed.  George Reed retired years before this young cadet was born…yet she knew who he was.

A lady in attendance that night showed George Reed a mural she was painting of him.  He was honored that at the work she had put in.  The art and celebration are among the ways that Rider nation is celebrating the 100th anniversary of their team.

Not big issues – but a celebration of a shared history, even for those who weren’t born yet.

Centennial celebrations don’t happen every year.  Celebrating the Rider past and the heroes of their team is an important part of being a community.

In 2012, Bow Island will be celebrating its 100th anniversary.  We don’t have a CFL team to honour.  But every family and every town has quiet heroes who built their community.  Some of these heroes could be the homesteaders and settlers who were here on and before 1912.  Other quiet heroes lived their lives in quiet service to their community without the Hall of Fame and portraits that George Reed has in Regina.

Bow Island’s centennial celebration is two years a way.  Organizers are already collecting ideas of how to best celebrate our centennial.  If you have ideas, large or small that could be used to celebrate our centennial pass them on to the Commentator staff.  Maybe I should say contact the town office - there's a committee, I just don't know when they meet

Two 2 Historic history trivia facts.  #1 - In 1910 the village of Bow Island was formed, so we have reached the 100 year mark with that already; in 1912 Bow Island was made a Town.  Fact #2 - most of us won’t be around one hundred years from now (in 2102) to celebrate Bow Island’s bicentennial, so if you’re going to share your ideas, better do it for 2012!

By Rob Ficiur

Last week I wrote about some of the coaching beliefs of high school rugby Larry Gelwix.  When a coach has a record of 404 wins and 10 losses over the last thirty five years, he must be doing something right.

Coach Gelwix’s foundation is the character development.  He cares more about developing the character than if the team wins.  One time he suspended a team captain for cheating in school. Character was more important than the game.  Coach said the suspension was a pre-determined consequence for a choice the player made.

This column allows the reader to do a Character Self Test; to find out what you are really like.  Good news you are the only one who will mark the test.  Better news, part two of the article is Coach Gelwix’s Champions’ Challenge – a simple formula everyone can use to improve.

Self Test  Question #1

How do I treat people I don’t need?  To get by in life I need to get along with  my spouse, boss, friend and even my children.   This question does not ask you how you treat the people you need – or can get something from.    There are two other ways to refine the question:

a)  How do I treat someone “lower” than me?  Since this is a self test, don’t bother saying no one is lower than you because in our mind we probably have a pecking order of where people rank.  Whatever your occupation, there is someone below you in society or in the eyes of society.  How do I treat the person who is lower on this social ladder than I am?

b) How do I treat someone I don’t know?  In our rushed lives we meet store clerks today that we know we will never see again.  How do I treat the store clerk (especially when things aren’t going well).  How do I treat the stranger I pass on the street?

Self Test  Question #2

What do I do when no one will know what I am doing?

When no one will ever know what you are doing…when there is no way you can be  “caught” how do you act?  Here are some examples of questions you can ask and answer for yourself.

-If I get too much change from the store do I take it back?

-Will I tell a lie as long as no one will know?  What if it is a white lie (is there such a thing?)

The answer to what you do when no one will know what you are doing tells you who you are.

Coach promised that these two self tests NEVER FAIL to identify who you are.

The following challenge gives change to each of us instead of you and me a challenge; two specific things you can do every day to improve your character.

Seven Day Champions Challenge:

For seven days in a row do these two simple tasks:

1.  Every day consciously identify someone you don’t ‘need” (or someone who is lower than you) and step up how you treat them.

-Thank you

-Show dignity to someone you don’t need; and or elevate how you treat the people you already know.

Elevate how you treat others, so that ideally you would treat the homeless person with the same kindness and dignity you would your best friend or your boss.

2.  Seek out and do an “It is not my job / not my thing to do” task.  Do this Daily.

Anonymous service is best, because it purifies our motive.  Whether it is anonymous or not – do some act of service every day for someone.

The key is to take this Champions Challenge with a friend or do it as a family.  Talk and report daily to someone else who is taking the Seven Day Champion Challenge.  Share what you have done…Do it for seven consecutive days.  If you miss a day, start tomorrow again as Day #1.

After seven days; re-enlist and do it again for seven consecutive days.  Your world will change because your character will change.

By Rob Ficiur

Two weeks ago I was able to hear Larry Gelwix share his philosophy of coaching.  If you are wondering who Larry Gelwix is, don’t worry, I didn’t have any idea who he was either.  He is the most successful American coach in the world’s second most popular sport.  If those clues don’t help you, they wouldn’t have helped me either.  Larry is the high school Rugby coach on whom the movie Forever Strong was based.

In the 35 years that Larry has coached rugby at the Highwood High School in Salt Lake City, he has accumulated a record of 404 wins and 10 losses.  That 97.5 winning percentage would be unimaginable at the professional level.  An NHL team would have 160 points.  Today the best team in major league baseball has a 62.6 winning percentage.  In modern history the highest winning percentage in baseball was the 2001 Seattle Mariners who had an enviable record of .716.

Coach Gelwix listed several keys to his success as a coach.  Some are obvious; others took some explaining.

1.  Have good players.  (At first I thought that this was obvious).  He said that his players do not always come to the team as good or great players.  However, his coaching staff can take an average athlete and put them into the team’s system.  Once the player buys in to the system, they play beyond what their normal abilities would be.

2.  Coaches and Playbook are essential.  Coach Gelwix and his 22 volunteer coaches have put together a playbook that works on the field.  However, his insistence on character development pushes his players to become a well-rounded respectful person off the field. as well.

When Hollywood approached Larry about doing a movie about his successful rugby career, Larry said no.  If they were to make a movie it had to accurately portray the players, because the team’s success is not all about the coach.

Larry went on to share the character development ideas that have made all the diference.

1. Choose what team you are going to play for.  That one seemed pretty obvious at a high school or professional level.  Once a player signs a contract he is on that team.  Then I thought back to the dozens of players who have held out because they wanted to renegotiate their current contract.  Ottawa Senators’ former captain Alexi Yashin thought he was so good he should have his contract renegotiated. When Ottawa would not comply, Alexi sat out a season.  Even though Yashin later played for the Islanders, he was never the superstar he could have been, at least in part because the team he chose to play for was Me not the Islanders or the Senators.

Recently there were allegations that Chris Bosh and Lebron James did not give their all to their respective teams last year.  While it would be hard to prove a lack of effort in these situations, there are certainly times when fans can see that a player does not have his heart playing for a certain team.

2.  Don’t Play with Snakes – Larry told the story of one of his 15-year-old rugby players who found a snake in his driveway.  The player picked up the snake by its neck and showed it to his friends.  Everyone was entertained by his antic and scare tactics…except the snake.  As the player entertained his friends, one neighbourhood kid asked a question.  As the boy answered the question, he unconsciously loosened his grip on the snake.  Loosening the grip for a moment was all the time that snake needed to bite his captor.

Coach was not very sympathetic to the snake bitten rugby player.  He said “You knew it was a snake when you picked it up…what did you think was going to happen?”

In sports (and in life) we all have rattlesnakes that can bite us.  Coach Gelwix said “What separates the chumps and the champs is how they handle the temptations (snakes) that come their way.”

3.  Hit the Road Running – How many teams and athletes are slow starters in a game by game basis.  You can’t continue to spot your opponent a lead and then expect to catch up, even if you are a more talented team.  In a lengthy professional season, we have observed teams that get off to a slow start; who then struggle to catch up all season.

4.  Focus on the Final Score – Whether the team is winning or losing half way through a game is irrelevant.  The focus must stay on the final score.  Too many teams relax their play and suddenly find themselves behind.  Likewise other teams see that they are ‘too far behind’ and coast the rest of the game.  Just like Coach Gelwix wanted his players to start the game strong – he insists that they play until the game is over.

Next week I will share Coach Gelwix’s Character Self Test.  He said the answers to his two questions will define a person’s character.  He said his test never fails... So study for your character self-test for next week.

By Rob Ficiur

A few days ago I saw a grandmother who was tired and worn out by a two-year-old grandchild.  Those grandbabies can wear a person out…but I recently found out that 10 and eight-year-old grandchildren, who move faster, can  tire grandparents out much faster.
During our recent trip to Colorado we had a chance to visit with, be entertained and yes tired out by our grandchildren.
One day with our grandkids we drove to the Old Hundred Gold Mine in Silverton, Colorado (an hour’s drive from the grand kids home).   It was an interesting experience as four generations of family shared the unique experience of panning for gold.  As the tour guides showed us how to pan for gold, (in the troughs provided) I noticed that great grandma (my mother-in-law) and grandsons were equally entertained by the activity.  While the museum had provided a few specks of silver, I think it was unrealistic for any of us to expect to find a huge gold nugget…but on the off chance that I was wrong everyone in our group of eight was on task determined to strike it rich.
Touring the mine itself was entertaining to people of all generations.  When our tour guide gave all the details and facts about how the gold mine operated us older folks were entertained and educated.  The temperature inside the mine was 48 degrees Fahrenheit.  What was more interesting is that he told us the temperature in the mine varied two degrees the entire year, (while outside the temperature could easily vary from 100 degrees to -20 Fahrenheit).
When it came time to demonstrate how some of these things would have worked, the guide brought the children in to “demonstrate”.  Dynamite was the way the gold miners blasted away the hard faced rock to get to the seams of gold.  After our tour guide showed us where the sticks of dynamite were put in a circular pattern he asked out eight year old grandson, Alex, to come and push down the dynamite lever.  When he pushed and nothing happened.  The eight year old learned the meaning of “role play.”
When the tour was over, Alex was very interested in the items at the gift shop.  There was a big rock of fool’s gold (and you would be foolish to pay that price for it).  After searching through the gift shop he finally asked our tour guide if the gift shop sold dynamite.  Fortunately Colorado has many rules about who can purchase dynamite and eight year olds are not on the list (even those who have  ‘worked’ in gold mines).
Back home, keeping children busy and involved is a major commitment on the part of parents.  Another day we followed the grandkids as they participated in their sports.  When I heard we were going to watch an eight year old do gymnastics, it didn’t sound entertaining.  The first few minutes we were there, I was right…as they spent 15 – 20 minutes stretching.  In the next hour as they did their jumps and runs I realized how essential the stretching routine was.   As he climbed up, hung from and spun off of the circular arm rings…my arms and wrists began to ache.  None of the children in the gym seemed to be in pain but subconsciously my wrist, arm and shoulder were telling me “Don’t even think of trying this…not once.”
Jason, the 10-year-old grandson is involved with a competitive swimming club.  A few days after he left his mother was ‘looking forward’ to getting up at 5 a.m. to get the boys to the swim meet in a distant city.  The Monday we were there we watched Jason swim back and forth; lane after lane.  After doing one stroke for a period of time, his coach talked to him and he worked on a different stroke.  Watching swimming practice is not an entertaining sport.  However our daughter assured us that come the meets, there is great excitement for the few seconds that each heat lasts.
Life isn’t all about sports.  During the afternoon our son-in-law took all us men folk to shoot off rockets while the women reluctantly went shopping.  While we broiled under the clear Colorado sky, the children’s energy level peeked.   Every time a rocket went off they chased after it.  I said I was taking pictures…therefore I couldn’t run.  Sitting in the sun for two hours can drain your energy.
It was a great day to watch and do some of these entertaining activities with our grandsons.  I “knew” that with so many activities they would be eager to go to sleep right early that evening.  “Grandpa, can we go swimming after supper?”  I was surprised at the question.  I used all my skills of persuasion? to assure these energetic boys that they were tired from all they had done that day.  Their enthusiasm made me realize that the only one that was tired was me… So we went swimming for an hour…