Positive people

I'll take today as an opportunity to pump up one of our most humble players. At the end of the fall, one item we included on our written evaluations was the opportunity to evaluate our teammates. Each players ranked everyone on the team on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being and Energy Taker, and 10 being an Energy Giver. Coach Sully compiled the results, dropped the highest and lowest scores, determined the average, and we came up with a winner.

Scores ranked from a low of 4.6 to a high of 9.0. Angelo Sciandra, known to his friends as 'Ace', was ranked as the team's top most positive influence. What separates him? Obviously, he is great to be around and a great friend to just about everyone. I think the biggest key is he has what Taylor Gahagen would call "Self Efficacy".

Ace was an academic all-Western New York selection in high school and does well in college. He has around a 3.0 now, but everytime I ask him how classes are going, you'd think he's almost ineligible. He knows he can do better. He never makes an excuse on the field and takes time in practice to work with, and learn from, our other players. He always does what he's told, yet he is one of the most competitive athletes on the team. Despite his slight frame, he holds the WNY record for wins by a HS quarterback. A real leader.

He is involved as one of our team's SAAC rep. He's was the first player to sign up to visit School No. 4 with our community service project. He missed a weekend practice this fall to attend a fundraiser for a young man from the old neighborhood that was ill. He went so far as to have his teammates get the 12-year old an autographed shirt and passed a jar around the team for donations.

Being an Energy Giver never stops. On the field, off the field or in the game of life, your character will reveal itself over time. Glad to have Ace on our team!