News

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (4-6-2020)

"Promoting education based athletics in Indiana"

This past week the IHSAA wisely cancelled spring sports for the 2020 season.

No doubt if you are a spring athlete you are feeling disappointment and disbelief. These are rare, rare times and the coronavirus has affected everybody in one way or the other.

If you are a senior athlete your high school sports career may be over, but the memories and friendships will last a lifetime. If you are an underclassman it hopefully won't be long until team gatherings and training become reality again. 

Student-athletes still need physical activity to keep their bodies and minds sharp. It's important that you find a way to stay active and in good physical condition while social distancing from your friends. Speak with your coaches and trainers on what they suggest and continue to pay close attention to your school work!

All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports   

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (3-30-2020)

"Promoting education based athletics in Indiana"

While searching the Internet this past week to see the reaction of coaches and athletes around the country to the coronavirus, I was impressed by the comments of Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens.

Stevens is a former high school basketball star, graduated from Depauw University in Greencastle, and coached Butler University to back to back Final Four appearances in the NCAA basketball tourney.

Stevens, who always takes the high road, said basketball matters are not top priority. The article, written by Jim Fenton, quoted Stevens speaking from his Boston home.

"We're like the rest of the world. Basketball has taken a far back seat. I think it's more important right now we're a community of co-workers and a community of friends and people that care about each other that get on line and make sure we are all doing OK. I don't think it's appropriate right now to be hammering basketball with our guys."

Stevens went on to say that he and his family were staying home and it was no inconvenience. He added that "there's so many people working so hard everyday to try and help our communities and help the sick and putting their own selves at risk."

Some wise words from a great coach who just a few years back was in your shoes and playing high school sports in Zionsville, Indiana!

All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports   

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (3-23-2020)

"Promoting education based athletics in Indiana"

E-learning and online schooling became a reality this past week. Schools are physically unavailable until at least May 1, and they could be closed even longer. How should the student-athlete approach this challenge during this unprecedented time?

Now is not the time to slack off. Now is the time to buckle down and take the classroom seriously. How many times during your sports seasons have you been too tired and exhausted to study? How many times have you put off a paper or an assignment until the last day?

Now is a good time to instill some new and serious study habits. For the time being, you no longer have the excuse of a late practice or being too tired to study. Now is the time to make sure that you make academics your top priority, and put sports on the back burner.

The coronavirus is something we had no control over. It caught us off guard and all we can do is follow the rules and guidelines set forth by our state and local governments on how to diffuse it as quickly has possible. 

Hopefully we can look back at these tough times in the not so distant future knowing that we did all the right things to make all those around us proud of how we handled a very tough situation, while not letting our academics fall by the wayside!

All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports   

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (3-16-2020)

"Promoting education based athletics in Indiana"

In the world of sports, conditions can change in a split second. Leads shrink or disappear because of a turnover, an injury, a home run by the opponent, an interception, or maybe even a questionable call by an official. Sometimes things happen that you have little control over, and the score can change quickly.

This past week we have seen how quickly things can change around us because of the coronavirus, a contagious virus that has affected people all over the world. Schools have closed, people are working from home, sporting events are being postponed or completely cancelled, and now the student-athlete and all students will participate in e-learning from home instead of going to class.

While it's always easy to say that we play sports for fun, the truth is that this past week put that saying into reality. The coronavirus will affect your schooling and sporting events for the rest of the year and maybe even longer. So much is still up in the air as to how things will look like a few weeks from now.

The game of life is a lot like athletics; things can change in an instant. Being an athlete should help prepare you for the challenging times ahead. Think how your favorite coaches and teachers have trained you and done things that prepare you for challenging times, and now is the time to start putting them to use!!

All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports   

IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (3-9-2020)

"Promoting education based athletics in Indiana"

Most basketball fans in the state of Indiana have their favorite teams, both high school and college. Needless to say, there are many who follow the Indiana Hoosiers. This year has been up and down for them, and there have been many challenges the entire season, like for most teams. 

When things aren't going well, it puts additional pressure on the coaches and players. One of Coach Miller's players, starting center Joey Brunk, recently rebounded from a few subpar games leading the Hoosiers to a victory.

After the game, Miller was quoted saying "You hang in there, it's not easy to play well every night, but it's easy to play hard every night. Joey played extremely hard." Coach went on to recognize Brunk's hustle, effort, staying focused while having off games, and preparing in practice daily for the next game.

Regardless of your sport, do you stay engaged during tough stretches? You may not have control over playing time, but you do have control over your preparedness, attitude, and effort.  Would your coaches say that you are that kind of player?

If not, it's time to do the the things that will help you become the player your coaches expect!

All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports