By Rick Reilly
 
ESPN The Magazine
 
They played the oddest game in high school football history last month down in Grapevine, Texas.
 
It was Grapevine Faith vs. Gainesville State School and everything about it was upside down.  For instance, when Gainesville came out to take the field, the Faith fans made a 40-yard spirit line for them to run through.
 
Did you hear that?  The other team's fans?
 
They even made a banner for players to crash through at the end.   It said, "Go Tornadoes!"  Which is also weird, because Faith is the Lions.
 
It was rivers running uphill and cats petting dogs.  More than 200 Faith fans sat on the Gainesville side and kept cheering the Gainesville players on-by name.
 
"I never in my life thought I'd hear people cheering for us to hit their kids," recalls Gainesville's QB and middle linebacker, Isaiah.  "I wouldn't expect another parent to tell somebody to hit their kids.  But they wanted us to!"
 
And even though Faith walloped them 33-14, the Gainesville kids were so happy that after the game they gave head coach Mark Williams a sideline squirt-bottle shower like he'd just won state. Gotta be the first Gatorade bath in history for an 0-9 coach.
 
But then you saw the 12 uniformed officers escorting the 14 Gainesville players off the field and two and two started to make four.  They lined the players up in groups of five-handcuffs ready in their back pockets-and marched them to the team bus.  That's because Gainesville is a maximum-security correctional facility 75 miles north of Dallas. Every game it plays is on the road.
 
This all started when Faith's head coach, Kris Hogan, wanted to do something kind for the Gainesville team.  Faith had never played Gainesville, but he already knew the score.  After all, Faith was 7-2 going into the game, Gainesville 0-8 with 2 TDs all year.  Faith has 70 kids, 11 coaches, the latest equipment and involved parents. Gainesville has a lot of kids with convictions for drugs, assault and robbery-many of whose families had disowned them-wearing seven-year-old shoulder pads and ancient helmets.
 
So Hogan had this idea.  What if half of our fans-for one night only-cheered for the other team?  He sent out an email asking the Faithful to do just that.  "Here's the message I want you to send:" Hogan wrote.  "You are just as valuable as any other person on planet Earth."
 
Some people were naturally confused.  One Faith player walked into Hogan's office and asked, "Coach, why are we doing this?"
 
And Hogan said, "Imagine if you didn't have a home life.  Imagine if everybody had pretty much given up on you.  Now imagine what it would mean for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."
 
Next thing you know, the Gainesville Tornadoes were turning around on their bench to see something they never had before.  Hundreds of fans.  And actual cheerleaders!
 
"I thought maybe they were confused," said Alex, a Gainesville lineman (only first names are released by the prison).  "They started yelling 'DEE-fense!' when their team had the ball.  I said, 'What? Why they cheerin' for us?'"
 
It was a strange experience for boys who most people cross the street to avoid.  "We can tell people are a little afraid of us when we come to the games," says Gerald, a lineman who will wind up doing more than three years.  "You can see it in their eyes.  They're lookin' at us like we're criminals.  But these people, they were yellin' for us!  By our names!"
 
Maybe it figures that Gainesville played better than it had all season, scoring the game's last two touchdowns.  Of course, this might be because Hogan put his third-string nose guard at safety and his third-string cornerback at defensive end.  Still.
 
After the game, both teams gathered in the middle of the field to pray and that's when Isaiah surprised everybody by asking to lead. "We had no idea what the kid was going to say," remembers Coach Hogan.  But Isaiah said this: "Lord, I don't know how this happened, so I don't know how to say thank You, but I never would've known there was so many people in the world that cared about us."
 
And it was a good thing everybody's heads were bowed because they might've seen Hogan wiping away tears.
 
As the Tornadoes walked back to their bus under guard, they each were handed a bag for the ride home-a burger, some fries, a soda, some candy, a Bible and an encouraging letter from a Faith player.
 
The Gainesville coach saw Hogan, grabbed him hard by the shoulders and said, "You'll never know what your people did for these kids tonight.  You'll never, ever know."
 
And as the bus pulled away, all the Gainesville players crammed to one side and pressed their hands to the window, staring at these people they'd never met before, watching their waves and smiles disappearing into the night.
 
Anyway, with the economy six feet under and Christmas running on about three and a half reindeer, it's nice to know that one of the best presents you can give is still absolutely free.
 
Hope.

 

Jeff Crilley is an Emmy Award winning TV reporter in Dallas. During his 20 years in television news he has made hundreds of national news appearances including CNN, CNN Headline News, FOX News, The Discovery Channel, Good Morning America and The CBS Early Show.

He has been recognized by his peers with dozens of national and regional awards including the Emmy, the National Headliners Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, the Thurgood Marshall Award and in 2004 was named by the Texas Associated Press, "The Best TV Reporter in the state."

As a general assignment reporter he covers a wide range of topics from presidential elections to Spam cooking contests at the State Fair. His day-to-day news gathering experience has given him special insight into what the news covers and why.

When he is not covering the news as a reporter and anchor, he's teaching people how to get covered on the news for free.

 

 

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Gain Leverage on Your Path to Success
The Universal Law of Growth

by Judith Cassis 

 
As a firewalk instructor, I've learned many things over the years.  I've learned that my students are my teachers.  I've learned that it is in being gracious that I am extended grace, and that my success is contingent upon the success of those I lead.  Most importantly, I've witnessed evidence that unseen laws/forces apply to every element of life. 
 
We live in a universe of law and order.  When it ebbs, it flows somewhere else.  The universe always compensates for inequities and brings itself back into balance.  Universal law applies to people, places and things; from the most major catastrophe to the tiniest flower. 
 
Allow this concept to comfort you when you're struggling.  At the same time, let it to make you aware of opportunities as you move toward the flow.  Miracles happen in the midst of challenging personal circumstances.  Many fortunes are made in a rough economy.  The perspective you choose holds the key to how you value your world.  And how you perceive your world dictates your feelings, which in turn control your actions and determine your quality of life.

Perception begets feeling, which begets action.  No matter what your circumstances, your thoughts and feelings determine whether you live as a prince or a pauper. 
 
Universal Law of Growth

 

Life is all about learning, and we learn through challenges and obstacles.  It's a process of confronting and overcoming.  The road to mastery is paved with opportunities to see what you're made of; to show you that YOU have what it takes to get where you want to go.  Some things take longer than others do, and for whatever reason, there are even times you won't achieve your goals.  These circumstances allow you to learn self-compassion, patience and self-acceptance.
 
The firewalk is a profound teacher when it comes to the law of growth.  Each step of the way, the firewalk reflects your process.  By paying close attention to your thoughts, you will learn more in one evening than you can learn in a lifetime.  But your learning has value only to the extent that you use it to further your growth.   
 
When you face challenges and obstacles, the first rule is to take ownership.  Accept responsibility for your actions and decisions, regardless of whether life set you up for success in the first place.  It may be more difficult for some than for others, but your peace, joy, happiness and success are still your responsibility. 

 
About 20 years ago I heard a phrase that I've really come to value. "You're not always responsible for the damages, but you are responsible for the repairs."
 
This is empowering!  It means that no matter what cookies you've been tossed, you can still decide how to eat them.  You can dip them in milk, have them with coffee, or pitch them in the garbage. Your life is all about you and the choices you make.  And the beauty of all of this is that you can begin again, and again and again! 
 
The Universal Law of Growth regenerates over and over again.  The key is to learn from your experiences and choose a clearer and different path in the future.  Be WILLING, and remember to:
 
1)   Open your mind.  View life's circumstances without polarized labeling: good/bad, positive/negative, worthwhile/worthless, etc.  By labeling, you devalue your experiences, and everything has value.  You can learn from everything. 

 
2)   Forgive yourself for judging yourself when you fall short.  Get up and begin again. 

 
3)   See value in everything.  There are many personal success stories from people who rose above the most horrific of circumstances to improve their quality of life.  Some came to be happier by far than they were before their personal tragedies. 
 
No matter who you are, where you are or what's going on in your life, you can make things better.  Keep choosing, keep moving and remember to enjoy the journey.

Judith Cassis, C.Ht. is a clinical hypnotherapist and Master Firewalk Instructor.  She trained directly under Tolly Burkan, the founder of the modern firewalking movement and has been leading firewalks for 16 years.