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Two words of advice for athletes: Have fun
An Easter-time message for my high school athletes: With better weather hopefully coming on, you'll be competing this spring and summer and I have some advice for you.
And that is, after seeing the Spring Fling showcase in basketball at the old Field House in Iowa City last weekend I got the idea that most of the players there were on exhibit with the idea of obtaining a college scholarship, and that included the parents.
I came away with the idea that high school athletics should be fun, and the lessons you learn from competing are just acquired as part of the payoff for having fun. Yes, you want to be as good in your chosen sports as possible, but if it's not fun, if it becomes work or drudgery, you're missing out on the benefits of an athletic experience.
So I would tell you at this Easter time to take stock of how much you're investing in your athletic experience and what you're getting out of it. And if it doesn't come out in a positive way, just put a smile on your face when you're competing and you'll reap some rewards that you probably never thought about.
Let's go back to the NCAA line that only 1 percent of college athletes ever become a pro at their chosen sport, and I would suggest the same total of high school athletes get full scholarship rides. So at this Easter time, smile a bit, enjoy what you're doing and compete to the best of your ability. And remember the word sportsmanship.
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