Mount Vernon High School

December 6, 2024 You Decide How You'll Respond The pursuit of any meaningful achievement is filled with moments that test our toughness. Champions in any important area of life, then, aren't really defined by who they are in their moments of comfort and convenience, but by how they respond in those moments of challenge and adversity. Real success requires each of us to take ownership of the decisions we make when things get difficult. That starts with recognizing that even in the moments that are capable of crippling us, we have the power to decide how we'll respond. That winning belief was brought to life recently by the #1 ranked team in college football, the University of Oregon Ducks. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is a tremendous teacher and a master motivator who recognizes, in the competitive world of major college football, how important his team’s response in their moments of testing will be. He’s not the kind of leader who sits around hoping his team will be able to avoid adversity. He’s the kind of leader who’s preparing them to win when their moment of testing inevitably arrives. Earlier this year, Oregon played a crucial conference road game at the University of Wisconsin’s Camp Randall Stadium, routinely recognized as one of the toughest environments in the country for an opposing team to play. One of the primary reasons for Wisconsin’s home field advantage is their intimidating 4th quarter ritual, where the stadium speakers blare House of Pain’s hip hop anthem “Jump Around” as 80,000 fans lose their collective minds. It’s a moment that’s turned the tide of many big games in Wisconsin’s favor, and a moment Oregon coach Dan Lanning knew would put his team's toughness to the test. So on Monday of Wisconsin week, five days before the big game, Lanning walked into the early morning team meeting carrying a boom box blaring “Jump Around.” Once the music was cut, he talked to his team about the response that song was designed to elicit, both in Wisconsin’s favor and to their opponent's demise. But he also clarified that throughout the week Oregon would be working to train a different response - a winning response - to the sound of that song. On Saturday night it wouldn’t be the home team that tune would inspire and motivate. It would be the visitors, Lanning declared. The message from the head coach was clear, that even in that moment designed to cripple them, Oregon's players had the power to decide how they'd respond. Five days later at Camp Randall Stadium, as the third quarter came to a close, #1 ranked and undefeated Oregon found themselves in an unexpected and unwanted position: behind. Trailing upset-minded Wisconsin 13-6 and struggling to find any momentum, Oregon’s players needed a shot of inspiration and motivation. As the iconic opening bars of “Jump Around” blared through the stadium speakers, Oregon’s players found just what they needed. And they knew exactly what to do. 80,000 Wisconsin fans were dancing and jumping and singing along. Some of the players on the Wisconsin sideline were doing the same. Unexpectedly to the home team, however, their energy and enthusiasm for the moment was met - and maybe even exceeded - by the dancing and jumping and singing on the Oregon sideline. That moment designed to break Wisconsin’s opponent ended up doing just the opposite. It energized the Ducks, brought them together, and sparked a strong fourth quarter comeback. Oregon won 16-13 and kept their undefeated season in tact. Oregon football's win at Wisconsin highlights some important lessons that each of us who say we want to win need to learn. First, creating a positive response to a challenging moment starts with anticipating that those moments are coming. It’s worth clarifying what adversity in your pursuit might look like and what winning in those challenging moments will require from you. Dan Lanning didn’t hope his team could avoid their adversity. Instead he equipped them to overcome it. Each of us would be wise to do the same. That starts with fortifying the simple but powerful belief that for each of us, even our most challenging moments offer us a choice. Your most challenging moments offer you a choice. Those moments might cripple other competitors, but in those moments of testing, you have the power to decide how you'll respond. I hope you’ll take a lesson today from the #1 team in college football. Prepare effectively. Respond intentionally. Pass the test you are administered...and earn the success you say you're after. -Travis