Are You A Champion of Life?

Below is a modified piece that I just finished writing for the Illinois Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team who lost in the National Championship Game yesterday. Please keep in mind that the vast majority of the piece was written to a team that just had a major disappointment.

Before I begin I would like to congratulate first year head coach Jeremy Lade on winning the national championship. Jeremy is a year older then me so we had competed against each other for six years over the course of high school and college. Even though he was a far superior player to me he never belittled me. He is a gentleman and a gym rat. Even though I love orange and he loves purple we are both champions of life.


I would like to congratulate you on a valiant effort yesterday. My scouts in the crowd (my parents) told me I should be very proud of my alma mater. Sometimes having a winning attitude doesn’t always result in a win; it is one of those intrinsic challenges in life that so many don't understand.

This is a detour, this is a choice, are you going to allow this to make you bitter or better?

I ask that you take a couple days to answer this question. Flush out the emotions of disappointment first. I know there were times when I wanted to cry after a loss and forced myself not to. Emotions are not good or bad; they are just emotions. Something in your brain chemistry wants you to feel that way. When I'm sad or angry I like to think of it as little gremlins dancing around in my head. If I hit them or try to force them down they're going to get angry and stick around longer. If I hug the gremlin all the sudden it is subdued and leaves me alone.

The only way a 40 minute competition defines you, is if you let it. Be bold! Erase the bad elements of yesterday and remember the good ones. Set your mind for what you want today and everyday.

Have the courage to set your mind to what you really want and do not accept anything less. Boldly proclaim what you want and share it with whoever will listen! If you are consistent with your thoughts and TREAT PEOPLE WELL the universe rewards you so, so well. Don’t worry about what is cool; worry about what is right.

It’s up to you! Do you have the courage to lift up somebody else that other people perceive as weak? During my years in Champaign I had the lowest function on the team and it was definitely not cool to be associated with me. Many of my teammates would help me out when other people were not around, but only one person would help me out no matter who was around, Pat Anderson.

When I was a freshman I had horrible balance and a chair that was way to big for me. A typical day for me was six falls between missed transfers and hitting cracks in the sidewalk etc. In my first few weeks in Champaign, I fell while many of us were hanging out at the gym. Many laughed at me, some made wise cracks, but only one person helped me back up on that day. I thought to myself “Oh my God, why is Pat helping me? He has a gold medal.” Pat has gold medals because he is a great person, not the other way around.

Pat was also not afraid to be associated with me. Back in my early years at U of I we traveled in 15 passenger vans. They are a fine way to travel unless you sit in the middle seat in the middle row. Because of my low standing on the team I got that spot for many trips early on in the season. I felt like a sardine, but I was still an Illini!

My hips hurt badly sitting in this seat, but that is not what bugged me. What really bugged me was my inability to get my balance therefore making it very tedious to read. I have no idea what possessed Pat to do this, but one early morning at rehab as we were loading up Pat requested that I sit up front with him. That became my spot for the rest of the year. Pat's generosity allowed me to get at least an extra 40 hours of studying in during the rest of the season. What makes Pat special is not his physical attributes, but his tenacity, his practice habits and his confidence. Pat is the exact same person whether he's talking to a movie star or a homeless person. He offers himself to the world and doesn’t worry what others think.

Being positive and having true confidence are paramount qualities for a championship heart and mind. Know you can do it and raise the bar as high as you possibly can. If you set your mind properly the right things just seem to happen. Eating right, sleeping more and studying more just become routine, not obligation.

When you lose you tend to get angry. I ask that you never practice in anger, only practice in love. Love allows you to get better. Fear might work in the short run, but never in the long run.

Please learn from my mistake. I attempted to make Beijing in field events. There were long stretches of last year I worked out 10-12 times a week and I feel confident in saying there was stretches I was the hardest working athlete at Lakeshore for any sport. I had a fatal flaw though. I worked out angry and scared. I was jealous of fellow athletes. That had no bearing on my life, but I was weak and a BIG gremlin was born.

Since I worked out so angry it should come as no surprise that I hurt myself. I made myself train through it and ended up pulling my C7 vertebrae out of alignment. I hurt myself so badly it took 8 whole months to heal. I found out in June 2008 that I was not going to Beijing. There was part of me that was so defeated, but I tried as hard as I could to stay positive and work on other aspects of my life like writing. When people left Lakeshore to go to staging in Colorado I was relieved. As far as I was concerned Beijing was over. A couple of days later a member at Lakeshore asked me if I was going to Beijing. I said no and had to explain how I did not make the team. She asked me if I plan to go to London and instead of saying my typical response of hope so, I flat out said yes I am going to London.

If you want something bad enough set your mind for it. If you're consistently working hard and helping others I promise your dreams will come true!

Just to let you know I practice what I preach this is what I set my mind to everyday. I will be a successful writer who will eventually help millions of people. I will go to both the London and Chicago Paralympics with the highest aspirations. I will do everything in my power to continue the Lakeshore dynasty. To me it's not about being good, it's not about being great, it's about being legendary.

So you have a choice to make, are you a champion? It’s up to you. Can you keep your head up when something goes wrong? I know you all have the capability to be champions because you are at Illinois. You have the right stuff, but are you willing to set your mind right, to stop wondering and start knowing you are champions before it happens? I loved basketball and I love rugby even more. It is the vehicle I choose to express myself in, but it does not define my life. I know I am a champion in life because of how hard I work and how well I treat other people.

So I ask again, are you a champion? Are you willing to do the hard things when you know they're right? Are you willing to be nice to anybody, no matter who is looking? Being a champion isn’t easy, but man is it worth it! I am so proud to be an Illini! Winning games is fun, but it's not what's most important. Being a champion of life is what is most important. I know Illinois has produced more life champions than any other program. Please keep up the tradition. Don't wait until you graduate, start today! Set your mind, work hard and be good to everybody and the rest just sort of flows.

Life is beautiful, enjoy the ride!

Thanks for reading
Chris