 | From The Old School Athletics Inspirational Art Collection
This inspirational print was written by the athlete, for the athlete, and represents a "life statement". It bridges the gap between every generation of athlete that has ever played the game, simply because they love to play the game. Nothing more, and nothing less!
Keep your motivational poster in pristine condition by having it custom framed with a high quality Nielsen black aluminum frame, or the executive black leather finish hardwood frame (see The Athlete Inside the Mirror for image of executive black leather finish hardwood frame). It is heat pressed to a foam board so it will last a lifetime. It is then finished with a clear and durable acrylic glass. Comes with hanging hardware. Looks great in your home or office. Shipped, protected, in a sturdy mirror box.
Quote Appearing on print:
Anxiousness. It is manifest in my heartbeat in the long hours and sacred silent minutes before every match. It stabs me like the pangs of hunger during fasts breeding discipline of body, strength of mind, and fortitude of soul. And it’s overcome when I introduce my opponent’s face to the mat, to its texture and smell; softened and intensified over the course of a thousand training sessions and through the absorption of gallons of human sweat. In the world’s oldest sport, all questions about fear and determination are addressed in the exact moments when in my opponent’s eyes I clearly read that knees – or heart – will fold. And they are answered beyond any shadow of doubt when I squeeze the lock and score a fall. I will not weaken, for the only way I can become a champion is to welcome and endure that which I fear most – the possibility of being beaten – by seasoned teammates one day, and by unknown foes in foreign gyms the next. After hours, days, and weeks of willing myself into the house of painful repetition, the bruises begin to fade. Quads burn less. Pain enters more slowly as body and mind are hardened, reconstructed, and refined. In the end, stepping out of the circle with arms raised in victory is not about outside obstacles, nameless opponents, or even the taste of my own blood. It’s about confronting my own pain, and through this, exceeding my own potential. It’s about transforming anxiousness into power. It’s about me. Family, coaches, teammates: I cherish their support. But on the mat, there are no kinships except with the mat itself. Here, I must be, more than anything, Out For One. |