Synergy

Synergy, as defined, is the interaction of two or more forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.  More simply put:  2 + 2 = 5.  Growing up, i was privileged to be apart of a traveling youth soccer team of the same name; a team that had no superstars.  Individually, we all had average skills and average speed.  Collectively... we were special, we were a family.  And yet still today...we are special, we are a family.   

Our coach was the late Jon R. Wilson, a man who truly loved the game of soccer, and most importantly, loved us.  He named of our team, and I vividly remember him teaching us the definition of Synergy.  Those were the days of endless three-man weaves from half field ending in a shot on goal, in proper form.  I can remember on more than one occassion, Jon stopping a drill to show us how to properly strike a ball, complete with pointing to the area of the foot, where to plant your non-kicking foot, and how to keep your knee above the ball to keep the trajectory low.  Those were the days of set plays for throw-ins, corner kicks, in-direct and direct kicks.  We would practice until perfected, and everyone knew their part.  Everyone knew their impact on the play, and where to be.  Truth be told, practices were sometimes harder than the games; games which usually ended up in a win for our team.  There were lessons on what to eat before, during and after a game.  There was a magnetic soccer board that was used to teach us the flow of the game, or halftime improvements based on what Jon was seeing from the sidelines.  There were paper plates with numbers on them for substitutions.  There was a mud-pit of a soccer complex in Raleigh, NC where we won our state games gold medal.

In retrospect, there were times on the soccer field, that we instinctively kicked a ball to an open area, only to find the foot of a teammate in perfect stride, with a chance to make a play, make a goal, or pass to another teamate.  It still amazes me.  We learned where to be, how to be, and what to do to support each other on the soccer field, instinctively.  More importatnly we learned where to be, how to be, and what to do to support each other off the soccer field; during times of great loss, and during times of great joy.

Today, we came together as a group to put on the 5th Annual Bradley Barnhardt Memorial Golf Tournament.  An event held every year the first weekend in November to honor the memory of Bradley, one of our teamates that lost his battle with cancer at such a young age.   The goal of the tournament - to raise money to support organizations actively fighting for a cure for cancer.   Every single teammate of Synergy Soccer contributes to the tournament every year and is integral to the success of the tournament.  This years tournament was no exception.  It is a humbling experience to be apart of something much greater than ourselves.  We all do our part.  We all know where to be, how to be, and what to do - instinctively to support each other, without question.  Collectively.  Synergy.  2+2=5.

   

Time

Recently, while on a business trip in Tennessee, i took the plunge and joined the world of twitter.  I assume this either makes me a "twitt-ee" or a "twitt".  I'm still trying to figure out all of the "@'s" and "#'s" and who to follow, how to follow, where to follow.  My PR support manager at Basinger Design - Drew Sechler walked me through the first steps of the twitter experience.  This was completed  in the courtyard of a health care facility while waiting on the hospital folks to bring us the keys to a door so we could complete an additional task for the day.  Seemed like a good use of time, at the time.  Seeing as how i had so much time for the twitter, i figured why not join the world of blogging.  Again, I've jumped into a world in which i have little experience.  I've read a few blogs over the years, but not regularly.  I'm sure there are rules to blogging which i will ignore out of shear ignorance.

Most people, with the exception of a few family members, would know that as a child growing up i did not want to be an architect, engineer, doctor, or fireman.  I wanted to be a journalist.  I had a small newspaper growing up.  My mother thought it was a good way to keep my busy when i said that i was bored one summer.  So i would commence to riding my green huffy bicycle to the neighbors house in our small community of Pleasant Village.  I'd sit and talk with them, pen and paper in hand, for hours about what was going on, who was visiting from out of town, and capturing the news of the day that was important to them.  I'd sit in the dining room  at my house with an 8" x 14" legal pad i stole from my dad's stash downstairs in the basement.  Once i was satisfied with my efforts, I'd have my mother make copies of the newspaper at work.  I'd spend the next few days delivering the news and sitting down with these folks to get next week's stories.  The real newspaper even did a story about me, and included a photo of me standing there in true 1980's fashion - floppy hair, short shorts, three stripe socks pulled up to my knees, a cool pair of pony shoes, and my green huffy bike with a basket my dad had attached to the bike.  I ran across the clipping the other day, and re-read it a few times.  The most humorous quote from the article, was that my favorites of the day was cub scouts, go-karts, and cross stitching.  What a Renaissance boy.

That was around 28 years ago and while times have changed, much remains the same.  I still love to write, although now it takes the form of a song, or short poems about the way i see things.  Music is a huge part of me, as is the storytelling that goes along with it.  Most folks that know me personally would wonder when i had the time to write anything since i tend to work more and sleep less than the average person.  It's all about time... time management, or the lack thereof.

And so begins my blog journey... until next time.