Dear Clubs,
We are excited to announce that over 500 registrations have come in for the 2022 National Championship! We are also incredibly proud to acknowledge that athletes, coaches and clubs coming from 8 provinces and 2 territories making this the largest and a truly nation-wide combative championship!
The town of Aurora is excited to launch registration for our summer Recreation and Healthy Active Living Leadership High School Credit Course for females.
There is a need for more females in leadership positions in sports including coaches, officials and administrators. Through the work of the Sport Plan, Town of Aurora is committed to supporting more females to step into those roles and are excited to launch our Recreation and Healthy Active Living Leadership high school credit course. In collaboration with ASK Online Canada, Town of Aurora will be delivering a female-only hybrid (face-to-face and online) leadership course where students can obtain a grade 12 credit towards their high school diploma.
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I was speaking with someone this week and they mentioned that being patient affects how much they can enjoy doing something. Being patient helps them enjoy the process of learning.
A lot of times we’ll have students start their training and they have these HUGE expectations of themselves. Adults are the WORST for this. Their expectations are ALL over the place. Some think that they’re going to be great on day one and learn whatever they need to learn way too quickly. Others think that they’ll NEVER get it. It is very rare that the new student’s expectations actually match up with reality. When they don’t you can always tell they’re disappointed. Being disappointed is never fun and this really affects their experience of learning something new.
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A parent and I were talking this week and he said to me “Ah, once this is done, something new will come up.” He said it in an off-handed way, but it reminded me of the fact that if you are open to change, things will get better.
The reality is that no matter what you are going through, it will eventually change. If you are experiencing highs, you will eventually go through lows. If you’re feeling a little down right now, it will get better.
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Have you ever felt like you didn’t belong? I think we all feel that at one point or another. I heard a story about a wave and it reminded me that there’s a great way to overcome this feeling.
Once there was a tiny wave. He had heard stories about how when a wave travels across the ocean and eventually reaches the shore, they disappear forever. Well, this really concerns him. He’s travelling across the ocean, growing in size and eventually sees the shore. As he approaches the shore, he worries more about this but before he crashes into the beach, he realizes something. He realizes that the ocean is water and that he’s made of water. That even if he no longer exists as a wave, he will forever be a part of the ocean because he is water. Forever, people will come to the ocean, play and have fun. Fishermen will catch fish to feed their families. Water will evaporate, turn to rain and water crops, plants and trees. Forever, the wave will be a part of something that helps everyone. Without him, so much of this wouldn’t happen.
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I heard a story last week and it couldn’t but help remind me of how important it is to find your tribe. Without a tribe, you’re untethered and alone and that’s tough.
Once there was a yellow flower in a field of red flowers. Because the flower was the only yellow flower in a field of red, it felt really lonely. Sometimes when you’re special, or unique, you can feel lonely. Nobody understands your experiences and how you can feel when you’re a group of one.
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I had an interaction with a person last week and it got a bit heated. We definitely had a difference of opinions. We were far from seeing eye to eye with each other. The next day, however, something happened and it reminded me that we all have different versions of the truth. That we need to respect others’ opinions. What happened was, the person called me and we had the nicest conversation. It was as if our previous conversation had never happened. To me, it was SO weird. To them, it seemed like just another day.
How we see the world, how we experience the events in our day, are shaped by our past. How we were raised, our families, friends and so much more shape how we see the world. What is certain is that no two people see the world the same because no two people have had the same life experiences.
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A story about how accepting others’ differences can promote change.
A fox and a stork are neighbours. They’ve lived next door to each other forever. The stork is a kind-hearted fellow. He’s happy to see everyone and friendly to all. The fox is a sneaky guy, plotting and conniving.
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I was teaching class this morning and one of the students said to me “It’s easy for you to do that, you just naturally react that way.” He was right. Of course, what he forgot or neglected to mention was that I’ve been practicing it for twenty years! I should be good at it! That reminded me that people often expect too much progress too fast. They forget that progress is progress, no matter how small. That’s the key to making progress.
Setting SMALL, easily achievable goals is REALLY important. I think this is a key to setting and achieving goals. It’s something that we do in the Martial Arts all the time. We have a goal of achieving a Black Belt, but it would be ridiculous to expect to achieve it in a year…even a couple of years. So, we take that goal and we break it up into other belts and within those belts, stripes. We take a big goal and break it into small ones. We’re happy with a little progress at a time.
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Last week I said something to someone and it reminded me of the importance of choosing my words wisely. I didn’t mean anything by what I said, but after looking back, I certainly could have said what I said nicer. After thinking about it, it reminded me of a funny story that reinforces that everyone should choose their words wisely.
Hundreds of years ago, there was a monastery and it was very strict about talking. In fact, it was so strict that you could only say two words every ten years! Well, there is a monk there and he studies and meditates for a decade and at the end of that decade, the head monk comes to him and says, “You’ve been here for ten years now and are allowed to say two words. What would you like to say?”
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