Randy Rooster McMillen

Last weekend I went to the AGM (Annual General Meeting) for Masters Lacrosse in Ontario. It was the first time I saw everybody since my heart attack. I received a lot of well wishes from everybody, and it really was a great feeling.

The meeting began and early on there were some awards.

The Randy (Rooster) McMillen Award is handed out annually to the Masters Lacrosse Player who combines leadership and sportsmanship and competes at a high level.

This years winner???  Me!

I was shocked (but more honoured). It is an incredibly good feeling to be respected by Masters Lacrosse like this, but even more important for me is to receive an award in Rooster's name.

Randy "Rooster" McMillen passed away in the fall of 2009. He was a friend of mine. He was a friend of many. Anybody that has played masters lacrosse over the last 15 years know Rooster well. He was like the Goodwill Ambassador for our game. He was at every tournament and played very hard, on and off the floor.

I met Randy in the mid 1980's. We both played lacrosse for the Owen Sound North Stars. I remember when I first saw him, I thought he was not very big....but quickly learned how talented he was with the ball (a great shooter) and also quickly learned that pound for pound he was actually one of the toughest guys on our team.

I lived in Owen Sound for a few years in the late 80's and Randy made me feel welcome. We had some great times...playing golf, lacrosse etc.

It was an honour to win this award......and it reminded me of Roosters famous saying he always told me. I was McMillan and he was McMillen. He always said...."i like your name Mike....but did you know that "e" is for excellence and "a" is for ass hole. Ha. He was a beauty.

Thanks Rooster!!

Ah yes the 80's...............Dennis, Stu, Ollie, Rooster, Joe, Paul and me (Green Jacket Golf Tourney)

Are you a top Athlete?

What makes an athlete great? Wow.....that question could take forever to answer. There are a million things that go into making an athlete great.

Were you born into a sports family? Your Mom was a star basketball player, your Dad a hockey stud? This can help, because you will be introduced into sports early in your life....and they can teach you the drive and commitment that is necessary to be a great athlete.

                               A Great Sports family - Archie (dad) and Peyton and Eli Manning

Was it easy for you to get to your practices and games, people to drive you, wait for you, buy your equipment etc? - These things can make it easier for you to get better. You might not know it when you are young, but you certainly know it as you get older. Be grateful to these people that helped you.
(better yet....go to www.passitonsports.ca and become a member and share your story of gratitude)

Did you have great coaching? - Every coach I have ever had taught me something. Even coaches that I didn't like, or didn't agree with - I still learned something from them. Keep an open mind, and actually try to do what they ask you to try....it might make a difference in you being good....to you being great.
Do you respond better to a screaming coach or an encouraging coach? Everybody is different. Check out this interesting video on the subject.  Click here.

No matter what advantage (or disadvantage) you have when you are younger, the key to being a great athlete always......always comes down to one thing.

 Your character.

What make you tick? What makes you want to get better? What drives you? What makes you get up at 5:30 am, run 10k and then go to the gym? Character.

An athlete with character, with drive, with a purpose will always be better than any athlete with any advantage.

I have been involved in a lot of sports, as a player, a coach and a fan. I have met my share of "lazy" athletes that could have been great, but they had no drive, no character. They just didn't care. I even see it now as I watch minor sports (mostly lacrosse in my case). I see athletes there are "wan-a-bees". They like the "idea" of being on a team, but don't want to do the work to get better. They want the jersey and the swag that go with being on the team, but will not commit to doing the work to help the team.


If you are on a competitive sports team right now.....ask yourself these questions.

• Am I in the best physical condition that I could be in?
• Do I work on my sport after practice....away from the game? -
• Am I Team first or Me first?
• Do I respect and listen to my coach.
• Do I respect and encourage my teammates?
• Can I do better?

Ask yourself these questions once a week and be truthful.

You too can be a top Athlete.

Favorite Sport to Watch??

What sport do you really love to watch? - I guess that could be a two pronged question. What sport do you like to watch live? - And on TV what is your favorite sport to watch? - Are they the same (or different? - For example, I love to watch football, CFL and NFL....but although I enjoy seeing the games live, football is not my favorite sport to watch live. I prefer the slick TV friendly version. The NFL on TV (for me anyway) - is awesome, in depth, great video replays etc.

This argument could go on forever. Everyone has their favorites....and everyone is different.

The Ryder Cup was on this weekend.....and to quote my brother Tippy, The Ryder Cup was "Sport at its finest". How do we determine that though. What makes it a great event. I know all lot of you might not even like golf...i can live with that (sort of) - but the Ryder Cup between the USA and Europe this past weekend was about as compelling a sports show can get on TV. It was phenomenal.

I won't bore you with all the details, those of you interested already know, those of you not, probably don't care. (the shame - ha)

Quick Summary - Team USA was favoured to win.....they were up 10 - 6 over Team Europe going into Sunday's 12 singles matches, an insurmountable task....only ever been done once before.

Well, the unthinkable happened and Team Europe came back and won the Ryder Cup by a score of  14.5 - 13.5.

Now back to my original question about what makes an "event" special to watch. I think it has to be a combination of things to make it perfect.

Here is my list to make an event special - using this years Ryder Cup. (Specifically Sunday)

1 - The Competition

The Ryder Cup is about as competitive as it gets. The Ryder Cup has been competed for since 1927. The rivalry that has built up over the Years between team USA and team Europe is second to none. They have enormous respect for each other, but quite frankly...winning this cup is more important than any thing that these golfers do. Bragging rights are huge- and the fans are even worse.

                                                         The Ryder Cup

2 - Starpower

The 24 golfers in the Ryder Cup representing both teams are all in the top 36 golfers in the World Golf Rankings. Top five golfers in the World right now are Rory McIlroy, Tiger Woods, Luke Donald, Lee Westwood and Justin Rose....all playing in the Ryder Cup.

3 - Drama

Like I said, going into Sunday's final, Team Europe was behind 10 - 6. - They needed 8 points on Sunday to win the cup, most said it was impossible.

4 - Intensity

It is a huge understatement to say that these guys are intense....but like every great event, there is always one athlete that takes the intensity to a whole new level, the focus and gut that makes it special to watch. This year my vote (and everyone else give that award to Ian Poulter from Team Europe. His heroics on Saturday afternoon - making 5 birdies on the last 5 holes, most of them long putts...was to me, very special to see. It was amazing, and I think ranks in the top 5 of great sports moments ever. It was crazy.

Ian Poulter

5 -  Heartbreak

To make an event special, unfortunately you need some heartbreak and the USA had a lot of it on Sunday. One of the memorable heart break moments was when Jim Furyk missed a makeable putt on the 18th whole to lose a critical match. I like Jim, I felt for him....but this is the type of thing that has to happen when a big comeback is under way.


Jim Furyk can't believe it.



 

6 - Heroics

Every Special event needs a hero. Team Europe had many heroes on Sunday, I mentioned Ian Poulter of course, but on Sunday, the standout hero has to be Martin Kaymer who had a 6 foot putt on the 18th hole to win the cup. He rolled it into the centre of the cup....and victory was theirs.

                                                                Martin Kaymer

7 - Emotions.

Finally what is an incredible event without emotion. Jose Maria Olazabal was definitely the emotional leader for Team Europe. He was the captain, and never gave up on his guys. He dedicated the Ryder Cup to his long time friend Seve Ballesteros who died last year of a brain tumour. Team Europe had his image emblazoned on their golf bags. Seve was a Ryder Cup legend.

                                                                   Jose Maria Olazabal

If you combine these 7 items for any sporting event, I promise it will be amazing.

Congratulations Team Europe on a great 2012 Ryder Cup Victory.