Kurt

Instagram Profile: Kurtr.55

[Coach AJ 🎯 Mental Fitness @coachajkings]

Bill Cowher shares the 3 things he told his 3 daughters - and his 53 players.

"Number one - choices and consequences."

"You can control your choice. But once you make a choice, it controls you...Just understand - with every decision you make, there's a consequence that goes with that."

Your choices and actions matter.

"Number two - it's about the people you surround yourself with."

"Are they people that are purpose-driven? Or are they people that are just trying to feed off of who you are?"

"I want people around me that are purpose-driven. People focused on doing something impactful and meaningful."

"And the third thing - nothing good happens after midnight. Nothing."

Three rules. A lifetime of wisdom.

Your choices control you. Your circle defines you. Your habits protect you.
(🎥Ray Lewis Show: @raylewis)

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

True

[Ontario Hockey League @OHLHockey]

The next wave of talent is going to Peterborough!

Rosters are set for the U16 #OHLTopProspects game, with 80 of the top players from across Ontario set to hit the ice on January 13th and 14th.

DETAILS 🗞️: https://t.co/Yy46nStsjT

#OHLDraft | @enbridgegas

[Ontario Hockey League @OHLHockey]

2026 #OHLDraft Prospect Profile 🎬

Quinn Roberts of the London Jr. Knights models his game after Nikita Kucherov of the @TBLightning

[Jeff Marek @JeffMarek]

OHL news - The OHL draft will be held LIVE next June in Kingston.

[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

Anyone with a beating pulse should be using creatine.

✅Your grandma or grandpa who wants to stay healthy and strong to fight off age related muscle loss and dementia should be using creatine.

✅Women who want to lose fat and gain lean mass should use creatine.

✅Kids and student athletes should be using creatine.

It's wild to me how many people are against one of the most widely studied ergogenic aid since 1928.

If you're willing to take an experimental vaccine, you should be willing to use something that's been proven safe, effective and beneficial.

[Kurt @KurtFF55]

#FireBoone @Yankees

[Kurt @KurtFF55]

@Yankees #FireBoone

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Talent always sets the floor for a team.

What determines the ceiling?

Here are “5 Ceiling Setters” for a Team.

1: CULTURE - Culture WINS! Building culture is the #1 job of a coach. Culture is what you allow, what you emphasize, and what you do every day. Culture is like the foundation of your house. It allows teams to maximize their potential.

2: LEADERSHIP - Player leadership matters a lot. Adversity is guaranteed in sports. What gets you through these tough times is player leadership. Who sets the tone on your team? Who leads when adversity strikes? They will determine your destiny.

3: CHARACTER - Character matters. Choices matter. Character determines how a team handles success, failure, and tough decisions. Teams with high character stay united and make winning choices under pressure. What is the character of your team when tough decisions have to be made?

4: RESILIENCE - How do you respond when times get tough? What is the resiliency of your team? Do you have high composure and poise? These are the great separators between good and great. Resilient teams WIN.

5: TOUGHNESS - Finally, toughness matters. Mental and physical toughness. Being mentally strong is a great separator of success. Physical toughness creates a blue-collar work ethic mentality. Mental and physical toughness separate contenders from champions.

Talent may set the floor, but these five ceiling-setters determine how high your team can go. Build them, and your team will have no limits.
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[Allistair McCaw @AllistairMcCaw]

QOTD:

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Sports Parents, this is for you.

How you talk to your child matters.

Here are 10 Phrases Young Athletes Need to Hear:

1: "I LOVE WATCHING YOU PLAY"
There’s no judgment or criticism here. Ultimately, this is all you need to say.

Why it matters: Creates a safe, supportive environment for your child.

2: "I BELIEVE IN YOU"
Want to build confidence? Tell them you believe in them. They need to hear this from adults.

Why it matters: Confidence comes from knowing others believe in you.

3: "DO YOUR BEST"
We’re all different, with unique skills. All we can ever do is our best.

Why it matters: Encourages effort over comparison.

4: "BE GREAT AT WHAT YOU ARE GOOD AT"
Focus on strengths and define your role on the team.

Why it matters: Builds confidence and clarity in athletes.

5: "LOVE YOUR TEAMMATES"
The joy of team sports comes from caring about your teammates.

Why it matters: It builds trust and camaraderie on a team.

6: "NEXT PLAY"
Move on quickly—whether it’s a mistake or a great play. Composure matters.

Why it matters: Teaches resilience and focus.

7: "MAKE MEMORIES"
A season flies by. Live in the moment and cherish it.

Why it matters: Reminds athletes to enjoy the journey.

8: "PASS THE MIRROR TEST"
At the end of the day, can you look in the mirror and say you gave your best?

Why it matters: Builds integrity and self-accountability.

9: "LEAD BY EXAMPLE"
Show up on time, work hard, and bring positive energy. Leadership starts here.

Why it matters: Actions inspire more than words.

10: "LEAD OUT LOUD"
Once you lead by example, take it further—encourage and hold teammates accountable.

Why it matters: Combines action with communication for impactful leadership.

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Which of these phrases resonates with you?

👉 Follow me @gregberge for more actionable insights on leadership, coaching, and parenting in sports.

📬 Subscribe to Great Teams - Better Leaders 123 for tips you can use today! The link is in my bio.

[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

Your ideal bedtime is between 9-10:30 pm for the majority of people. If you’re a young athlete you’ll want to get to bed by 830 pm. Yes, I’m serious. 9-11 hours of sleep is needed for optimal growth, development, and maturation. Put the phone down and get into bed 845 and you will wake up feeling awesome!

[Greg Berge @GregBerge]

Coaching is Hard.

What makes a Great Coach?

There is so much.

It is a dynamic job, and few understand the complexity and dynamics of being a coach.

Here are 10 Traits of Great Coaches.

1: RELATIONSHIPS FIRST - Great coaches care about their players first and foremost. They work hard to build positive relationships with all players. They know relationships are the heartbeat of great teams.

2: CLEAR STANDARDS - The number one job of a coach is to build culture. Culture is: What coaches allow, what coaches emphasize, and consistent follow-through every day. Great coaches have clear standards and focus on maintaining these every day.

3: EMOTIONAL IQ - Great coaches, get it. Great coaches have “with-it-ness.” Great coaches can read the room, read their team, and connect with many different types of people. They have high emotional intelligence.

4: SELF-AWARENESS - Great coaches, know thy self. They know their strengths and weaknesses and try to fill these gaps with great assistant coaches.

5: ExXCELLENT COMMUNICATORS - Bringing a group together to achieve a common goal is challenging. Clear and concise communication is critical. Great coaches are master communicators.

6: MINDSET - Great coaches operate with a growth mindset. This mindset becomes part of the program's culture. It is a mindset that we can always get better. There is no such thing as failure, and the process is focused on.

7: MASTER TEACHERS - Great coaches are Master Teachers. They can simplify the complex and provide clear and concise feedback to their players.

8: HEALTHY COMPETITIVE MINDSET - Great coaches are competitive—they have to be. But it needs to be a healthy, competitive spirit. It cannot be a win-at-all-costs mindset. Great coaches embed the life lessons and struggles learned along the way.

9: HUMBLE - Great coaches know that humility wins. They can instill confidence in their players while keeping them humble. This is a critical balance in highly successful coaches and teams.

10: BUILD LEADERS - Great coaches focus on building positive team leaders. Building culture is a coach's number one job, but building player leadership has to be number two. Great coaches know this. They have a leadership plan.

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[Wendi A. Irlbeck MS, RDN, LD, CISSN @Wendi_Irlbeck]

I don't know a single athlete that wants to go pro that can say, "I am so glad I spent 4+ hours a day scrolling on my phone instead of spending time with my friends, training, or trying to get better at my sport."

You can't have a mediocre routine and expect to be a champion. There's a lot of athletes out there working hard and some that are working even harder and smarter. If you want to compete at the next level you will have to level up and match your effort with what's required. Sometimes that means sacrificing.

[Kurt @KurtFF55]

@hodgetwins I’m embarrassed!! Was it a paint ball gun?
Not one person panicked. So staged. What’s wrong with the US ?

[Kurt @KurtFF55]

@EndWokeness What a joke !! Tell me where the bullet went?? Not one person panicked. #completejoke

[Barstool Sports @barstoolsports]

Michael Buffer announcing the Flyers pick is so sick

Need more drafts at the Sphere @spittinchiclets

https://t.co/OKWyTGN3Lj

[Missin Curfew @MissinCurfew]

“All These Things That I’ve Done” @thekillers closing montage from @hockeynight

National League

#TimeToHunt | #LetsGoOilers

[Topher Scott @HockeyThinkTank]

KIDS: I say the following to all the young players I’m in front of when traveling and doing team building with youth teams…

I would take a player that does a 100 pushups before they go to bed every night over a player that has the best skating or skills coach in the world.
As a former college coach, we're looking for players that have internal motivation and an extreme internal desire to want to get better.

Think about it like this:

In college, if you are the same player as a senior as you were as a freshman…you are not a good recruit. I don’t care how talented you are.

The best recruits to college teams are not the freshmen. It’s how much better a sophomore is after their freshman year. It’s how much the junior has developed from their sophomore year, and so on.

And that's why it's so important that we recruit COACHABLE kids who want to get better every day. The kids with that internal drive to want to be the best version of themselves.

It���s not some grand, crazy plan that is going to get you there. It's doing the little things every day that's going to allow you to get better on a consistent basis and propel you into the player you want to be.

100 pushups every night.

[Coach Ray Ostrowski @CoachRayO3313]

Communication = Trust

Everybody lifts. Everybody sprints. Everybody works. But not everyone effectively communicates. The GREATs learn early & often that communication is 🔑. That’s true in education, in athletics and in every facet of life