"Right Where We Belong" - A Gameday message on consistency - 0 Days to Kansas Football
When I started this countdown 100 days ago, I don't think I actually realized just how much of an undertaking this project would be. "How hard can it be to write one article a day?" I asked myself. "Especially since it only needs to be tangentially related to the team." And while I didn't completely ignore the warning of my friend and former co-manager at Rock Chalk Talk, I think it's fair to say that I underestimated just how hard it can be to find topics for every single day. But I'm also proud to say that we only missed a single day on the countdown this year, and it was fairly early in the process.
But I am grateful that I decided to take inspiration for the countdown from my good friend and former (at least officially) colleague Mike Plank and commit to making sure we had good content for as many of those days as possible. I realized pretty quickly in diving into this team just how important Head Coach Lance Leipold's consistent message about consistency was, in many more places than just the football field.
Before I go any further, let me say that I had absolutely no intention of getting philosophical or diving into my personal story to end the countdown. But the more I dove into trying to understand what made this coaching staff and team different from previous versions of the team, the more I realized just how central his message of consistency was to everything that he does, and how profound of an impact it has had on me in the last 100 days.
The Value of Consistency
I learned the value of consistency very profoundly this past year. In the last 12 months, I've seen a lot of changes. My father-in-law, a man who easily falls in the top 3 most influential people in me becoming the person I am today, concluded his struggle with mesothelioma. The uncertainty surrounding starting Blue Wings Rising and transitioning the Rock Chalk Podcast into it's current format, while both good things, added a lot of stress and difficulty. And the last few months have included some very significantly challenges. Ranging from identifying mental health challenges in multiple close family members to identifying and coming to terms with my own ADHD diagnosis,
My reason for sharing that is not to try and garner sympathy, but more to provide the background to help you understand why this particular project has been an even more significant commitment. I knew pretty early that if I was going create something that was going to be meaningful for the readers, it would need the ability to be flexible, hitting big stories as they came up. That's one of the reasons most of the stories came later in the day, to make sure that I could share and react to the most important stories each day. That's how we got multiple stories with different angles on realignment, from when the news first broke to the odd fascination with particular conferences from particular national writers, and all the way to the most recent implications of the opening of discussions to negotiate a new media contract for the Big 12.
But I also realized really early that consistency was absolutely critical for this to be successful. It's the main reason I decided early to use the news of the NCAA Video game returning to highlight players that would have rated highly in the video games due to their consistent college production. We also got a whole series of opponent previews and podcasts, and various other series consistently covering multiple aspects of the same story of multiple weeks.
And the most important consistency was to make sure that we consistently created an article every day, whether I did them myself or got help from the rest of the staff here. Not only did that provide content for you readers, but it also required constant evaluation of how the process of the countdown was going. I was able to identify what was working and what needed to be changed. And when all the other chaos in my life was swirling, the anchor of the countdown tethered my to something concrete to allow me to continue moving forward.
Consistency is a team effort
That brings us back to Lance Leipold and the Kansas football program. In reflecting on what I've learned about this team and the upcoming season, I realized that the one true constant in the approach is actually the ENTIRE point. This Kansas football team is built on the idea of consistency: consistent effort, consistent intensity, consistent willingness to continue to work and improve, and most of all, consistency in expectations, both individually and as a group.
The one thing that you can absolute bank on with this team is that they will be methodical and consistent throughout the season. The coaches have routinely shown the discipline needed to receive and incorporate more information without abandoning the building blocks that have gotten them to where they are today.
As you look to the season, know that both the fans and the media are also part of this team effort. The media in facilitating the communication between the team and the fanbase who so rabidly supports them, and the fans in providing energy and accountability to the staff as they continue to push this team forward.
Don't ever forget when this program returns to the level of accomplishment that is both difficult to achieve and reasonable to expect, you can honestly look back and point to your contribution, whether it was negative or positive.
And for the rest of the season, help this team instill that consistency surrounding the entire program. Support in whatever way you can, whether that's attending games, consuming media to be a more knowledgeable fan, donating monetarily to the program or even just yelling loudly to anyone who will listen how exciting the current direction of the team is.
"Right Where We Belong"
We've finally come full circle on the idea of consistency. This entire season was built on the consistency of continuing an idea put together by Mike Plank, where we consciously focus on a program that tends to either be forgotten about in the summer months or actively ignored. Over at Rock Chalk Talk, it was customary for him to end the season with an adaptation of a poem or song that was reflavored to reflect the offseason themes for the program.
I gave him the opportunity to do the same this year, since this has been his project for so long. Scheduling conflicts didn't make that possible, but he gave me enough input on the final product here for me to consider this a collaboration.
And so without further ado, and with full apology to Michael Bolton and/or whoever was involved in writing this song, I give you this year's finale, entitled "Right Where We Belong". If you are musically inclined, you can imagine the words to the tune of "Go the Distance". It is intended to be from the perspective of an unnamed player on the team.
I have often dreamed, of a wondrous place
Where the wheat starts waving, with every scoring play
Where the crowds will cheer, when on the field we race.
And a voice keeps saying, you'll find glory here today.
I will find my way, I will have persistence
I will keep that fire, push through all the pain.
Though the climb is long, I will prove them wrong
When I stay consistent there is glory to be gained.
I'll look every day, to progress my skill
Though I know there will be struggles to work through
And a thousand hours, would be worth the bill
I will keep on striving, 'cause I know what I must do.
And I will not yield, I will stay consistent
And I’ll stay on track, no, I won’t accept dead last
Knowing every hit, it will be worth it
When we bring back glory just like Jayhawks of the past.
Looking beyond the struggle is not as hard as it may seem
For the true strength of a Jayhawk is his team
Like the biggest stars, we'll remain consistent
Keep that effort high, we will make it through
No matter what we face, we will show persistence,
And bring football glory with a "Hail to Old KU"
When year end is nigh, we hold our heads high.
‘Cause we'll know that we have shown that Jayhawks do belong.
Rock Chalk everybody, and let's hope for a season full of consistent progress.
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