Tim Childers’ Blog

I am sitting in the middle of the huge general sessions auditorium that easily holds the entire crowd of middle school teachers attending NMSA in Houston, TX.  It is Friday morning, and the line to get into the auditorium (at 7:30 AM) extended past the entire length of the convention center.

Using a combination of YouTube worthy videos and a stand-up routine by both the Teacher-of-the-Year and Jack Berkmeyer, the crowd was made ready for 2 middle school students to introduce The Iron Man, Cal Ripkin, Jr.

Cal is sharing with us his 8 traits for success.  Fortunately, his number of traits matched his uniform number.  Great for the book deal!  Of course, this is his original list and does not match what the editors did for the book.

•  The Right Attitude
• A Strong Will To Succeed
  • Not important how much you have, but how you use it
  • His will to succeed caused him to act destructively as a child (tantrums, throwing bats).  Parents encouraged him to harness the energy rather than stifle it (do push up, long bike rides, batting practice) - Good tips for teachers
• Passion
  • Dad told him too many people were doing things they hate.  You must love what you do.
  • Parents who push too hard may cause kids to walk away from problems when parents are no longer there.
• Love to Compete
  • This is internal and external competition
  • His successive game streak was an internal competition - he wanted to walk away from it many times.
• Consistency
  • Adjust and re-adjust (modify and accommodate?)
  • Solving problems and finding quick solutions makes you irreplaceable
  • There was a time when Cal would call pitches from shortstop rather than the catcher.  Helped poor performing pitchers turn their game around.  This helped managers decide to leave him in the game even when he wasn’t hitting.  It led to his consecutive game streak.
• Conviction
  • This involves having a thick skin, being stubborn, and seeing things through to the end
  • He was criticized by the press and others for hogging the lineup, but he truly believed he was adding value to the game and stayed the course.
  • Remember for kids (my thoughts here), stubborn is good when it is harnessed for good.  Help kids channel their stubbornness to the things that matter.
• Strength
  • There is a connection between physical and mental strength (exercise and maintaining focus)
  • After retirement, he broke the link.  He gained weight and began to be more tired.
• Life Management
  • Keep balance between professional and family lives.  Either can control you if you are not careful.
  • In 21 years of consecutive games, Cal had 9 different managers.  How many principals have you had?  Change can happen even when you don’t move.

Time is up and we are about to move to our first session.  See you on the flip side!