Ingredients of a Champion

Introduction

What are some things that come to mind when you think of a winner or a champion?

Coach Terry Bowden coached over 300 college football games over a span of 4 decades. In 1993, he led Auburn to a perfect 11-0 season and said that his team’s success boiled down to one word… attitude. To remind him of the importance of attitude, Coach Bowden carried this article around with him throughout the season.

“Attitude: The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.”

– Charles Swindoll

Attitude determines how we respond to challenges and opportunities in life. Today, we’re going to talk about three key ingredients of a winning attitude. Each of these ingredients begins with a D, and each of them makes a major contribution to individual and team success both on and off the field.

Determination is the ability to stick with it and persevere in the face of challenges and setbacks.

The Three D’s

Who can tell me who Florence Griffith-Joyner is?

“Flo-Jo” is often considered the fastest woman who ever lived. She set the world record for both the 100 meters and 200 meters way back in 1988, records that still stand to this day. (To give you some perspective, the men’s 100M record has been broken 14 times since 1988!)

Shortly after winning the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics, Flo-Jo was asked to what she attributed her success. She replied, “Desire, Dedication, and Determination.” Those three D’s are what I’m going to talk to you about today.

1. Desire

How would you define “desire?”

Desire can be difficult to define, but you know if you have ever experienced it. It is an urge, an impulse, a longing to experience or accomplish something. It motivates you to strive and sacrifice for the result you are hoping for. There is an expression in Spanish to do something “con ganas,” which literally means “with desire,” but expresses so much more. It might be better translated to “put your guts into it,” or “give it all your strength.”

To be successful as a player, as a team, or in life you need desire. How strong is your desire to compete in your sport?

Check out this story about a 13-year-old boy who went on to become the greatest scorer in NCAA basketball history:

“I began to eat and sleep with my basketball by my side. I was so dedicated to perfecting my skills that when Mom came in to kiss me good night, without fail I was lying in bed shooting the ball to the ceiling. and catching it. I’m sure she heard me repeating, ‘fingertip control, backspin, follow-through … fingertip control, backspin, follow-through.’ As Mom said good night, she would tuck the ball under my arm, as some mothers would a child’s teddy bear, then turn out the light. Sleep didn’t come easily because my mind constantly churned new ideas regarding the ball-handling and dribbling drills my dad had taught me that day.”

This 13-year-old boy was none other than “Pistol” Pete Maravich, who in 3 years between 1968-1970 averaged 44 points per game and scored a total of 3667 points … A record that stands to this day.

Ted Williams – one of the greatest hitters in baseball history – said this: “All I want out of life is that when I walk down the street folks will say, there goes the greatest hitter that ever lived.”

· What do you want people to say about you?

· How strong is your desire to achieve success?

The first ingredient is desire – you’ve gotta want it!

2. Dedication

The second ingredient is dedication.

Desire will only take you so far. To be successful, you must have the dedication to actually follow through on that desire. You have to actually do it! Dedication is often what separates average players and teams from champions.

Bobby Knight put it this way: “The will to win is the most over-estimated phenomenon in sport. It’s not the will to win – everyone wants to win. It’s the will to prepare to win that makes winners.”

A lot of people want to win, but aren’t willing to pay the price. There has never been a great sports champion who wasn’t dedicated – Steph Curry, Michael Phelps, Peyton Manning – all of these guys had or have intense regiments of training that helped them reach their desired goals.

What about you? Are you willing to work hard to win? If coach was to ask you to do some extra drills after practice, what would your attitude be?

Ok, let’s review:

· The first ingredient: Desire

· The second ingredient: Dedication

3. Determination

Our final ingredient is determination. This is the ability to stick with it and persevere in the face of challenges and setbacks. Every great champion has had to overcome challenges and failures along the way. The examples are endless: Many of you have probably heard the story about Michael Jordan. As a sophomore he was unable to make the varsity basketball team. Apparently, there were 15 kids better than him at his high school. Jordan turned that into motivation. He worked out relentlessly, became the best player on the JV team, and a year later was the undisputed leader of the varsity squad.

Many of you may know that Tom Brady was drafted in the 6^th round of the NFL draft, the 199^th pick overall. Every NFL franchise had the opportunity to select Brady and passed, multiple times. Tom used that snub as motivation throughout his NFL career, winning 7 Super Bowls (more than any NFL franchise) and becoming arguably the greatest NFL player of all-time.

· What is your attitude?

· Are you easily side-tracked or are you determined to press on?

To be a champion in life requires desire, dedication, and determination in every area of your life- the physical, the mental, and the spiritual.

Conclusion

Let’s review the 3 D’s:

· Desire

· Dedication

· Determination

Ask yourself where you can apply these ingredients to help you achieve your goals. Also, what about applying it to other areas of your life so you can excel off the field as well.

To be a champion in life requires desire, dedication, and determination in every area of your life- the physical, the mental, and the spiritual. A lot of professional athletes have acknowledged the key role spiritual motivation has played in their success – players like Clayton Kershaw, Steph Curry, and Cooper Kupp. These guys have learned how to strike a balance in these three areas of their life.

Cru is an organization that supports students who want to develop the spiritual area of their lives. Addi (Cru student leader) has been involved for the past 4 years and she and our Cru staff team want to invite anyone who is interested to hear a bit more about Cru and how we seek to serve students in our community. If anyone is interested, we will have pizza and popsicles tomorrow after practice and share a little bit more about Cru and how we can grow as spiritual champions as well.

Comment Cards

Thanks again for having us, coach. I do have just one favor to ask. We’re going to pass out some brief comment cards. We would love it if you could take about 2 minutes to give us some honest feedback about the talk today. It is always helpful for us to know what students find most helpful, as well as what topics you might be interested in hearing about. There is also a place on the card where you can provide your contact information if you would like a reminder text about our pizza and popsicle event taking place outside the locker room tomorrow after practice. Thanks, guys. Best of luck with the remainder of your season.

Next Step

Decide on a team for a team talk, and offer this talk or Successful Teams to the coach.

team talk successful teams

5 Key Features of the Claim Your Campus App

Pray Now:
This section is designed to lead any student through a daily 15-minute prayer time for their school. The format is simple: Listen, Thank, Ask. Each day students read a passage of scripture, thank God for something specific He is doing in their school, and ask Him for help at their school and schools across the country.

21-Day Challenge:
Habits take time to build. The 21-Day Challenge can help you and your students build the habit of praying together daily.

Share Your Story:
Students from all over the country are using Claim Your Campus at their schools. This video feature gives students one minute to capture what God is doing at their school and then share it.

Groups:
Use the Groups section to form your own prayer group and/or join other groups. Students praying together in community for their school(s) is the foundation of CYC. The group feature keeps students connected, motivated, and encouraged to keep pressing on!

Prayer Walk Your Campus:
This feature describes how to prayer walk a campus in three easy steps. Invite. Pray. Report. It includes a brief tutorial and a downloadable prayer walk guide.

Social Media:
Stay connected through Tik Tok, Instagram, and Youtube pages; News and Updates can also be found in the app.

Cast the Vision: Prayer Equals Change

Use these videos to get excited about how God could change your campus through prayer and how He could use you to build a prayer movement at your school.
General Promo video
Marion School video

Invite Students to Be One in the Million

Students download the app using the QR code graphic & claim their campus!

We encourage all campus movements to emphasize prayer and the Claim Your Campus app is a great way to engage students in prayer.

4 Different Ways Students Can Claim Their Campus

Start a Weekly Prayer Group. The CYC app provides prompts that change weekly.
Host a prayer walk around your campus. The CYC app features a Prayer Walk Guide.
Embed 5-10 minutes of Prayer into Your Weekly Cru Club Meeting. Build a CULTURE of prayer. CYC has done all the work for you. Click here for the Leader’s Guide and here for premade slides for up to 20 weeks. That is enough for an entire school year. CYC’s GRAB-N-GO resources make praying EASY.
Participate in Annual National Events such as SYATP.

Invite the adults in your community to support SYATP by signing up for The Prayer Walk Project. This project offers a way for caring adults to join hands in prayer on the Saturdays before and after SYATP.

Prayer is the real power in any campus movement. Make it a non-negotiable in your ministry to emphasize prayer with adults and students and see how God moves.

Next Step

Download the Claim Your Campus app and consider how you could use it on your campus today. Do you have a prayer strategy for your plans? If not, send the app to a few student leaders and invite them to start praying for their campus!

DOWNLOAD THE APP

4 Ways to Prepare for a Prayer Walk

Prepare Your Heart

Surrender the Prayer Walk to the Lord. Ask the Lord for one or two scriptures to help prepare your heart. Jot them down. If you like, use them to inspire the people you invite, or share them with your team the day you meet to prayer walk. Pray for:

Divine appointments with people.
Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help.
God to guide your steps.
Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Team

Pray for Names. Ask the Lord to bring to mind specific names of students, volunteers, parents, pastors, and/or faculty you can ask to join your prayer walk. Keep in mind, this is not about numbers. Even one prayer partner is enough. Matthew 18:20 says, “Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”

Invite the People that He brought to mind. Decide what mode of communication is best: text? social media? phone call? Give them a brief description of what a prayer walk is and what they can expect that day. Share what has motivated you to gather a team to pray. Be sure to tell them the date, the start and end times, and the location. Give them an RSVP date.

Send them any final details on the day before. Remind your team what time you will begin and end and the location to meet. Let them know what to bring and any adjustments needed due to weather or other factors.

(During a Prayer Walk) Pray for: Divine appointments with people. Connections with insiders at the school who are like-minded and willing to help. God to guide your steps. Open eyes to see the spiritual needs of the campus.

Prepare Your Campus

Check with an Insider at Your School. Once you choose your campus and gather your team, you may want to check with an insider at the school to see if there is anyone you need to notify ahead of time. Most likely, it will not be an issue if you are prayer walking after school or over the weekend on the parts of the campus that are open to the public. Avoid prayer walking on campus during school hours without permission.

Prepare Your Details

“WHO” DETAILS: By now, you know WHO is coming. But here are some other “WHO” questions to think about if you have a larger group. Who will…

begin the prayer walk (introduce/explain it)?
end the prayer walk?
lead smaller groups (if your team is large)?

“WHAT TO BRING” DETAILS: You may want to bring copies of the Prayer Guide and the Leader Guide.

“WHERE/WHEN” DETAILS: Make sure everyone knows the date and time you will meet. Include starting point (address of meeting spot) and ending point (time and meeting spot).

“HOW” DETAILS: For your convenience, this Campus Prayer Walk Leader’s Guide provides a general flow and includes sample scripts of what to say from start to finish. If you can read it, you can lead it. But you may need to think through the unique needs of your prayer walk.

Would you like the prayer walk to be more casual or more organized? Do you have people who are comfortable prayer walking or more new people who may need more instruction?

You have prepared your part. Time to grab your walking shoes. Let’s do this!

Next Step

It is time to get on the campus to pray. Text one friend today and ask them if they would be willing to go to the school to prayer walk with you this week. Get your feet on the campus and pray together. Once you have done it yourself, it will be a lot easier to gather others to do it with you.

Prayer Walking

After the Israelites wandered for 40 years in the desert, God called Joshua to bring His people into the land He had promised them. The commander of the army of the Lord appeared to Joshua with instructions essentially for a prayer walk around the city of Jericho. And let’s just say the Israelites’ obedience to his words, made history. (If you are unfamiliar with this incredible story, you can read the whole story here.)

What is Prayer Walking?

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk. And you can do it anywhere: around your neighborhood, through your city, or even on your daily commute. Invite others to join you! As you walk together, let the Spirit of God use what you see to guide your prayers. Then, trust God to respond in His perfect way and timing.

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you. It puts you right where the students are—like God’s boots on the ground—allowing you to connect your heart to that specific location as you pray. And who knows? It might even lead to a chance meeting with a key person on campus. Many ministries have started with a simple “Hey there!” to a student or administrator during a prayer walk. A casual stroll can open unexpected doors!

If you have never done this before, no worries! Joshua—the young leader from the Bible—had not done it before either. It was his willingness and availability to God that mattered most. And the same goes for you—no experience required!

Prayer walking is just what it sounds like—praying as you walk.

Prayer Walk in Three Easy Steps

Meet Up (5 minutes)

Grab a friend or two and meet on campus- ideally after school or on the weekend. Select and read a meaningful passage from the Bible together. Take a minute to pray a blessing over this time, and ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayers.

Walk & Pray (10-20 minutes)

Start walking the perimeter of the campus and let the Holy Spirit use who/what you see guide your prayers. Here are 5 ways you could begin praying:

Ask God to move by His Spirit on this campus and be glorified.
Pray people here would hunger and thirst for God.
Pray for the believers here to live wholeheartedly for Jesus and make others feel seen, known, and loved by God.
Pray for leaders in this school’s community (students, parents, administration, faculty, coaches, etc.)

Wrap It Up (5 minutes)

Select a spot to close your time together. Talk about how it went. Was there anything that stood out as significant or meaningful? Take a few minutes to thank God for this time. Express your love for Him and your confidence that He will respond to the prayers He heard today.

Other Prayer Walking Guides

If you would rather have a more specific guide to help you in your prayer walk, try one below:

CYC Prayer Walk Guide
Locations on Campus Prayer Walking Guide
The Launchbox Prayer Walking Guide
Make a list of prayer requests to pray about your specific campus
Just invite people to pray for things that come to mind as they walk

One of the most impactful places for a prayer walk is around a school campus that means something to you.

Why Do It?

Prayer Walking Knocks Down Walls

What effect did Joshua’s and the Israelites’ obedience have on the fortified and powerful ancient city of Jericho? Well, the God of the Universe infused their faith-filled feet with power, causing the otherwise insurmountable walls of the city to collapse. That’s how they fought and won the battle of Jericho—without ever throwing a punch!

Now, maybe you are not planning to tear down any physical walls around your school—in fact, let’s definitely avoid that! But in the spiritual realm, every school is a battlefield for souls. On every campus, there are barriers to the gospel that need to be broken down. Inside every person, there are walls that separate us from God or keep us from fully experiencing the abundant life He wants for us.

Looking for a more current example of a battle fought and won with prayer? Check out this powerful story of what happened when a group of students in Marion, Indiana consistently and prayerfully put feet to their faith and watched God win the battle for their campus. If you want to read about more victories won with praying feet, check out Exodus 14 and 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

Some Other Great Reasons to Prayer Walk Your Campus

It is a place to gather other believers who have a heart for the campus.
It is a way to be on campus with a purpose.
Sometimes God uses these times to introduce us to key gatekeepers on campus.
It might surface some needs on the campus with which you could help.
It helps your team become more familiar with the campus and less fearful of going there.
It is better than doing nothing. Sometimes God moves when we take action.

Within the campus ministry of Cru, prayer walking has actually been shown to be the single most effective strategy in seeing new gospel movements started.
– Dan Allen, Director of Mission Expansion

The powerful presence of God always has and STILL does mix with our prayers and supernaturally connects us more deeply to God, ourselves, and others. Prayer breaks down barriers that lie between us and wins the battle for souls.

Prayer walking can be your lead foot on any campus. Ready to grab a friend and step into the unknown with Him? Prayer walking is something anyone can do.

Next Step

Plan 15 minutes this week to stop at your local high school, walk around, and pray for the school. Bring a friend or do it alone; just get your feet on the campus and pray. Ask God to show you what next steps He would like you to take.