WHAT IS A SPARTAN (DE LA SALLE HS)?

What is a Spartan? By Bob Ladouceur

The public's perception of what we do or what we stand for is drastically different than
what actually takes place. I can imagine that this is probably true for many organizations.
This is especially true for our football team. People are constantly writing the local
papers questioning the integrity of our program. They say we cheat by recruiting the best
athletes, give out athletic scholarships, actually pay money to players and occasionally
buy a car for a superstar. M y opinion about this is usually," Someone's got too much time
on their hands - or they need to get a life." It's upsetting in so much that it questions the
integrity of school officials and coaches sworn to uphold the ideals of our founder St. La
Salle. What's worse, it completely nullifies the hard work, sheer grit and determination of
our student athletes at De La Salle.

Society has its share of pessimists and skeptics. Many believe that success cannot be
achieved without dishonesty. It's hard for them to see our success and not assume that is
was achieved by cheating, stealing, or just blind luck. But I don't care what society
believes. I know the truth and I sleep every night with a clear conscience.

You see, success is in the eyes of the beholder and is most certainly relative. Many
measure success in wins accumulated and titles won - we don't. Don't get me wrong, we
are very proud of break the national record for consecutive wins and being ranked in the
USA Today. But wins and titles are just an outcome generated from true meaning of
success. It's what got us those titles that we are most proud of. Winning is just a byproduct
of many, many short-range goals that must be accomplished along the way.

To explain the experience of a team sport and pinpoint its success is very hard to
articulate. This is true for most experiences where people are involved in interpersonal
relations. The reason is, the knowledge gained or lessons learned are very hard to
measure. We are far from a scientific environment and there are too many variables that
contaminate the project. This is why some educators see little value in interscholastic
sport. The knowledge gained cannot be measure by GPA's or an aptitude test. It's difficult
to measure what we call intangibles. That would be like trying to measure one's faith or
someone's capacity for love. What is learned is written on the hearts, and minds of every
member who participates and experiences.

We measure our success by how well we have embraced the spirit and essence of those
intangibles. And I'll share of few of them with you.

First off there are many student athletes who have fought, sacrificed, achieved and won at
De La Salle the past (20) years. They have set the groundwork or foundation for a
tradition. The first thought of tradition or the word tradition seems to have a negative
connotation in today's rapidly changing world. The word itself conjures up the thought of
being old-fashioned, backward, and even stubborn in the face of truth; and for some
traditions I would suppose that's true. Thomas Elliot once wrote: "Tradition by itself is
not enough; it must be perpetually criticized and brought up to date under the supervision
of orthodoxy."

Please don't me mislead, our tradition is not the color of - or how we wear our uniforms.
It is not what we eat at a pregame meal. It is not the plays we run, and to a large degree it
is not how many wins we have accumulated. The wins are just a by-product of what our
tradition actually consists of. These are just the trappings of a tradition; shallow, hollow;
in fact this has nothing to do with tradition at all. Those who believe that this tradition
will eventually realize that they didn't belong to; or experience tradition.

Our tradition begins with a commitment. There is a qualitative value we place on that
word - commitment. If I had to choose just one lesson a student would learn from
participating; it would be learning how to make a commitment. If they say yes to
participating, then they must understand that (have said yes) to entering into a
relationship with me and everyone involved with the program. With that comes enormous
responsibility. Essentially it means that I am going to expect the best from you and you
can expect the best from me. It isn't enough to say "I'll show up." We may say we are
committed to many things in life; but to what degree? Commitment is a precursor to
many adjectives used to describe our tradition. It is the title of (this piece - What is a
Spartan?). They key is to infuse commitment into everything we stand for and what we
do.

Is it enough to say we work? No. What makes our work ethic special is that we are
committed to work. We don't just go through the motions. We know the pain and
dedication necessary to ready our bodies for top flight athletic competition galvanizes us
into a team; and through this process we are already heavily invested before the season
begins.

Success to us is understanding that where preparation meets opportunity - greatness can
be achieved. Preparation for us is long, tedious, and difficult, and the windows of
opportunity are brief short and intense. I know for a fact that nobody - at least our
opponents - out work us. We prepare well and when ready, we welcome, not fear, our
opportunities. This is the cornerstone upon which all achievement emanates - that boring,
monotonous, nose-to-the-grindstone, hard work.

We are committed to the achievement of short, long-term individual and team goals.
These goals are carefully planned and diligently monitored. They are not just wish lists.
Our goals serve as the blueprints for our success. What makes our goal setting different is
we don't just state our goals or write them down; we figure out actions, behavior, and
attitudes necessary in order to accomplish those goals. Every goal must be accompanied
with a plan of action and if it's not, it really isn't a goal at all.

Our tradition calls for a commitment to accountability. This is not an assumption - this is
a promise that I will be there for you; and I can count on you being there for me. From
the way you spot my barbell, to the effort you give on a double line team block, to the lift
you give me home after practice. In the end to be able to claim: "I was there for you" is
not only the most difficult one could make upon himself, but one of the most rewarding
when it comes to assessing the quality of our humanity.

Our tradition is built on trust and honestly. Having the courage to say, "this is who I am,
can you help me - or can I help you?" it begins sometimes with a painful evolution of our
strengths and weaknesses. Laying our self open to be vulnerable. But it is only through
this process that real growth and change can occur. To fool ourselves into believing we
have arrived is just closing the door on life itself. I don't know if any of you have figured
it out but I have thought that someday I (we) will arrive at some fantastic conclusions; in
so thinking, I have lied to myself believing life would be complete. But the truth is we
never arrive, and never will. The best we can hope for is to come as close to that
destination as possible. That journey is no walk in the park, it is littered with setbacks,
disappointment, and broken hearts. It is only through the pain of significant selfexamination
that we can hope to right ourselves and remain on the straight and narrow
path that will lead to true fulfillment and inner peace.

To be a part of Spartan tradition means one must be courageous. This does not mean just
being brave in the face of a tough opponent - rather it's having the courage to conquer our
own cowardly spirit. That little voice inside of us that says, "I can't." - "It's too hard" - or
"I am not good enough." The biggest reason why we don't achieve is because we don't
believe we can. We place roadblocks in our own way, sabotaging our own efforts. It takes
courage and determination to crash down those roadblocks and push the limits we have
placed upon ourselves; what others have placed upon our ability.

The famous Jesuit scientist and philosopher Teilhard de Chardin claimed that "the
meaning to existence is the passing on to something greater than our own immediate
selves." It was his belief that everything living is in a constant state of striving for
perfection. Isn't this the essence of fulfilling human potential? The reason why we
achieve is because we believe we can.

The most important component of Spartan tradition is our commitment to create a
brotherhood among ourselves. This task is bigger, tougher and more elusive than any
opponent we ever face. It's understanding that I must lose some of myself in order to find
others. Individual egos must die in order for a team to live. It's learning how to be a team
player. To claim I am a good teammate or team player simply means I know how to
sacrifice for a just cause, cooperate with my fellow human, respect the dignity of others,
and respond when called upon. This is what I call harmony, the key to understanding.
Which one of us at this very moment is not a member of a team? Everyone here today is
a team. Parents work as a team raising and caring for their children. When involved in
clubs, city government and community projects we are members of a team. My
classrooms are teams. The question we all must ask ourselves is, "What kind of team
players are we?" We must understand that sometimes our needs and wants are secondary
to the greater good of the whole.

Now this may sound odd to you, but the reason we win and what beats at the heart of our
neighborhood is love. Yes, we win because our players love each other. They are not
afraid to say it or embrace each other as a sign of that affection. This is just an outward
sign. To love someone, words are nice but insufficient - actions speak volumes. And
that's not too easy. Put simply, love means I can count on you and you can count on me.
This translates into being responsible. Responsibility is learned and not inherited. Being
responsible to 45 teammates is not so simple. It means following team rules and knowing
that my attitudes and actions have a profound effect on the success of the whole. We
pride ourselves on that exact accountability. We recommit to each other on a weekly
basis before games. We commit that my contributions to the team will be my best self.
This commitment extends to all facets of my life. It's how I conduct myself as a person -
from the classroom to the field, to the outside community. Wherever I go or whatever I
do, I carry my team with me, knowing full well that I am connected to a group that loves,
accepts and respects me. We try to make our football team a safe place to be. Safe to be
ourself. There is nowhere to hide on a football field. Teammates know each other,
coaches know the players, and the players know the coaches. All attempts at not being
yourself fail miserably. The key is to be the best self you were created to be. We work
hard at breaking down the walls that separate us called race, status, religion, jealousy,
hate and culture - and truly experience each other on a purely human level.
Now, what does that all translate into? Well, our founder, St. John the Baptist De La
Salle, says that the sprit of our Lasallian family is a spirit of faith and ardent zeal. And
that the motivation force of zeal is love. I have witnessed this zeal. Another word for
which I call passion. You should see the passion with which our students play. I stand on
our sideline sometimes in utter amazement. I watch them fight, compete and push
themselves far beyond what they thought was previously possible, all because they felt
connected to others who care. This point brings me back to a question I asked you in the
beginning - what are you doing in your environment? What is your passion? Is there
something in your life that you have faith in and are passionate about? I challenge my
students with this question and, regrettably, more often than not the answer comes back,
"I don't know." How unfortunate.