I had the opportunity to return to my home town to watch a football game this past Friday night. My old high school team played very well. The team has been down in the years of late, with a combined 2-16 record over the past 2 years. However, this year they are 3-1, and playing fundamentally sound, passionate football. I mentioned they played well and earned the victory. I was, however, not very excited about their victory, mainly because I was a coach on the opposite sideline.
This past summer has been very stressful for me. I, full-time college student, took a high school football coaching job at Oswego High School, which is approximately 40 miles away from Pittsburg. I took the job because I missed the game and wanted to find a place where I could possibly return to it. Oswego is that place.
I am also a recent alum of Humboldt High School, located in Humboldt, Kansas, the small community that I spent my entire childhood growing up in. Humboldt is very special to me. When I stepped foot onto my high school field, my "old stomping grounds", I was rushed with emotion. Every vivid memory that I have oppressed came back to me. It was a very emotional time for me and my family. The past icon to the people of Humboldt, the poster child to the community turned arch enemy seemingly overnight. I had that game circled from the moment I signed my contract. I was going to have to return home and face the community that shaped my character from the innocence of my youth.
As the weeks passed and the game grew nearer, I began to get more calls from back home. Some were out of competitiveness, but most were out of excitement. They were excited for the opportunity to play against me. I have known the kids on the high school team since they were very young. I have coached them in baseball and football. Our baseball team even made it to nationals when they were in the 8th grade. They were no longer just kids to me, they were friends of mine, which made this game much larger than football.
Like I said earlier, they came out victorious, and honestly I couldn't have been more proud. After the game I was swarmed by the fans, players, and coaches from Humboldt, all congratulating me on my success at such a young age, and telling me how proud they are of me. In my mind I couldn't help myself but think, "This is what it's all about." I looked at my parents getting congratulated by school board members and city council members. I had finally realized what I had done. I had left a footprint. I had left a legacy, even if in one of the smallest corners of the world. I had set an example and been a role model for the youth of a community that has been hurting for quite some time now. I have done my job in the town of Humboldt, I have accomplished what it was that I had wanted for so long. It's not about the games, the wins, or the losses, it's about how you carry them, and what you do with the glory that comes along with it.
Signing off,
The Sports Guru
Monday, September 24, 2012
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
In the beginning...
Hello all! I am Jake Manbeck, and I am the Sports Guru.
I am currently a junior at the great Pittsburg State University, and am majoring in English with an emphasis in Technical and Professional Writing. Some of you may ask, "Jake, why do you consider yourself a guru? You're still in college and have barely been alive for two decades!" My reply to this is that I have been "through the ringer" or "around the block" or any other puns that are used in this context.
I was born and raised in the small town of Humboldt, Kansas. In a town of less than 1,200 people, there isn't much to do, so our community thrives on sports. From an early age I was fascinated with the competition, the traditions, and the camaraderie that correlates with the world of sports. While other kids my age were watching Barney, I was watching Sportscenter. Some kids had Tonka Toys, others had coloring books, and I had my footballs and baseballs. Sure, there were others with the same interests as me, but I was hooked. I wouldn't just play, I would analyze, watch numerous hours of ESPN to memorize stats from Major League Baseball and break down film from NFL and NCAA football games. When I was a kid, I would research the histories and traditions of programs and professional teams. From the best of baseball like Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Mays, Rose, and Ryan to the greats of the gridiron: Unitas, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Lynn Swann, and Dick Butkus, I know everything there is to know and ever was to know about sports. This theme has carried throughout my entire life.
I played all of the sports from elementary school through my high school days. It was my life. I had extracurriculars like FFA, StuCo, and FCA, but athletics was where I found true happiness. I worked hard enough to become an two-sport All-Conference player as a sophomore, and by the time I was a senior, I was a two-sport All-State athlete in football and baseball. "The reasoning for my success?" you ask. My answer is in my understanding of the games from such an early age and my work ethic. I am in love with sports because it teaches that the more a person works, the better he or she will become. We can take this idea from sports and insert it into any one's life, and the theory remains constant.
As an ex-college football player and a current high school football coach, I have been and still am around sports every waking second of my days. In this blog, I will write about some major topics in the world of sports, yes, but at the same time I will write about the morality and the lessons learned in athletics. This blog is much deeper than just the games themselves. I will dive into the importance of discipline and how it is distilled in the minds of young athletes, and how competition in athletics is beneficial to the success of the person off of the various playing field. Sports, in their purest form, can teach us alot about life.
Signing off,
The Sports Guru
I am currently a junior at the great Pittsburg State University, and am majoring in English with an emphasis in Technical and Professional Writing. Some of you may ask, "Jake, why do you consider yourself a guru? You're still in college and have barely been alive for two decades!" My reply to this is that I have been "through the ringer" or "around the block" or any other puns that are used in this context.
I was born and raised in the small town of Humboldt, Kansas. In a town of less than 1,200 people, there isn't much to do, so our community thrives on sports. From an early age I was fascinated with the competition, the traditions, and the camaraderie that correlates with the world of sports. While other kids my age were watching Barney, I was watching Sportscenter. Some kids had Tonka Toys, others had coloring books, and I had my footballs and baseballs. Sure, there were others with the same interests as me, but I was hooked. I wouldn't just play, I would analyze, watch numerous hours of ESPN to memorize stats from Major League Baseball and break down film from NFL and NCAA football games. When I was a kid, I would research the histories and traditions of programs and professional teams. From the best of baseball like Ruth, Gehrig, Mantle, Mays, Rose, and Ryan to the greats of the gridiron: Unitas, Marcus Allen, Jerry Rice, Lynn Swann, and Dick Butkus, I know everything there is to know and ever was to know about sports. This theme has carried throughout my entire life.
I played all of the sports from elementary school through my high school days. It was my life. I had extracurriculars like FFA, StuCo, and FCA, but athletics was where I found true happiness. I worked hard enough to become an two-sport All-Conference player as a sophomore, and by the time I was a senior, I was a two-sport All-State athlete in football and baseball. "The reasoning for my success?" you ask. My answer is in my understanding of the games from such an early age and my work ethic. I am in love with sports because it teaches that the more a person works, the better he or she will become. We can take this idea from sports and insert it into any one's life, and the theory remains constant.
As an ex-college football player and a current high school football coach, I have been and still am around sports every waking second of my days. In this blog, I will write about some major topics in the world of sports, yes, but at the same time I will write about the morality and the lessons learned in athletics. This blog is much deeper than just the games themselves. I will dive into the importance of discipline and how it is distilled in the minds of young athletes, and how competition in athletics is beneficial to the success of the person off of the various playing field. Sports, in their purest form, can teach us alot about life.
Signing off,
The Sports Guru
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