A Message From Bruce Rasmussen
5/6/2020 7:00:00 AM | Creighton Athletics
McCormick Endowed Director of Athletics Bruce Rasmussen addresses Creighton fans
FROM McCORMICK ENDOWED DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS BRUCE RASMUSSEN TO CREIGHTON DONORS, SUPPORTERS & FANS:
I hope you are all well--but I suspect that each of you, like each of us in athletics--are dealing with the complications to life caused by the spread of COVID-19. I am extremely proud of the work that is being done by coaches and staff to ensure the well-being of our student-athletes. They are and must be at the center of all we do. The decisions we make must reinforce the steadfast commitment we have to the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes. We are working diligently to continue teaching, coaching, and caring for the health of our student-athletes and staff. This is difficult – it's painful to take away competition opportunities for our student-athletes. It is painful to see our teams separated from their friends with so many uncertainties, unsure of what is next—so many of them just want to get back to their usual routine. But I have told them, "we are Creighton, we are a strong community; we care about each other; we will get thru this and come out stronger on the other side." I have also been amazed at the tremendous support we have received from our donors and fans as we navigate these uncertain times. I would like to thank each of you for reminding me of how special Bluejay nation is.
"It is possible to prepare for the future without knowing what it will be. The primary way to prepare for the unknown is to attend to the quality of our relationships, to how well we know and trust one another."
I like this quote because our relationships – with our fans, with our student-athletes, and within our staff – are what will get us through this.
Several years ago, the Virginia men's basketball team was ranked No. 1 in the nation--the favorite to win the national championship. But then, the unimaginable: The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Retrievers, a No. 16 (read: lowest) seed in the tournament, beat Virginia by 20 points, knocking them out of contention. In 135 previous attempts, a 16 seed had never defeated a 1 seed (forget the overall No. 1 seed in the tournament). How in the world could the Cavaliers bounce back from such an epic fail? In his postgame press conference, Virginia head coach Tony Bennett summed up his philosophy in a single, beautiful sentence: "If you learn to use it right, the adversity, it will buy you a ticket to a place you couldn't have gone any other way."
That's what Bennett and his team did. The very next year, Virginia won the national championship. Not one of them would have chosen to endure the historic loss from the previous year. But while they couldn't change the past, they grew to realize that they could use the painful emotions that resulted as a motivation to compete at a higher level. They also realized something else, something more important—if they never won a national championship or were never again a number 1 seed or were never again in the NCAA tournament, that didn't really matter. They still loved the game. They still had an opportunity to come back and play. And knowing that freed them to go after their vision even harder than ever before.
Adversity can produce some of the strongest, most painful emotions. But those emotions can be extremely useful, if you learn to harness them effectively. They can help you find motivation, focus, and most of all, balance. Because while we all enjoy the good times in life, it's the challenges--the falls and the failures--that make us stronger. We are presently facing adversity that many of us have never faced previously. However, if we use it right, we can come out of it better and stronger than we were before. Many of us have also better realized how much we love our game, the opportunity to compete, and as a result, with your help, we will be better and stronger than ever. We continue to be amazed at your support and we thank you—together we will be better and stronger than ever.
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Bruce Rasmussen |
