A few years ago my youngest child, Mills, did something I'll never forget. We were in Charleston for his high school lacrosse tournament. His school, Christ Church Episcopal School, had several games scheduled over that weekend. For those who are unfamiliar with Christ Church, the school is exceptional—the type of school we all would have loved to attend because of the wealth of opportunities it provides for its students.
Mills had played almost all sports from the time he was about five years on. His athletic gifts had always been there, but under the surface. As it turned out, he had a reservoir of talent he could use when he wanted or needed it. In one of the lacrosse games in Charleston, Mills suddenly took control of the game. Scoring a goal is a big deal in lacrosse. Typically, just as with soccer, not many goals are scored. That day, however, Mills scored three goals within just a few minutes. I was filming him and couldn't believe what I was seeing through the camera. In my mind, I can still see him flying around and by the other players. Folks were shocked and cheering. Other fans were asking me how and why Mills simply exploded into a one-man scoring machine. His old man was stunned.
After the game, I asked Mills what had prompted the supernatural outburst. Mills never brags about anything. In fact, when he does something good, he doesn’t tell us; we have to find out ourselves. Therefore, I expected a "no big deal" answer. The answer I got was not anticipated. Mills said, "The guy covering me on the other team said that all of the kids at Christ Church were weak and spoiled, and I just gave him a look at who we really are." Since that lacrosse game several years ago, Mills has shown time and again that he can turn on his abilities. He is now a sophomore at Clemson, and I am really proud of his many natural gifts, and I'm excited about his future. When he wants something to happen, he makes it happen.
This morning, I was thinking about our progress and future at Serrus. We are on the verge of succeeding to another level. My partner, Steve, and I were talking with the company about keeping our eyes lifted to the horizon and how we all have to make plays to get there. Maybe we all need to take a lesson from a kid in a lacrosse game and show the other team "who we really are."