The older I get the clearer it becomes, that #EXCELLENCE not Winning is what we need to go after. #Winning is a by-product in the pursuit of excellence #coaching #mindset #infinitegame #goldmettle

"One of the greatest competitive advantages is having fun. Joy and intensity can coexist, and in the best performers, they almost always do." — The Way of Excellence. bit.ly/4uCzeQ7

You know why America does well in track and field? It keeps more talent in the pipeline for longer than other countries thanks to the high school and NCAA system. Europe loses lots of talent in club based systems, especially post HS. They miss the late bloomers which US keeps.

The best thing you'll listen to today is Utah Jazz Head Coach Will Hardy talking about the tax of being a leader: 🏋 Leadership is not a position you hold—it’s a responsibility you carry. The weight isn’t in the title, it’s in the people who trust you with their time, energy, and belief. 📊 Before metrics, before outcomes, before strategy—there are humans. Leadership is a human-to-human commitment to see, serve, and develop the people in front of you. ✊ There is a tax on leadership. And it's paid in consistency, in hard conversations, in choosing standards over comfort. You don’t get to clock out from being the example! The cost is of being the head coach is real... but so is the impact on every life you’re responsible for. 🌱⏩🌳

6 important ideas on actual excellence: 1. There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is who you become in the process of going for it. 2. Caring is cool. You are not going to be the best anything—including the best version of yourself—with an attitude of nonchalance. Try hard and give a damn. 3. People overrate intensity and underrate consistency. Anyone can crush themselves and have a heroic day, a heroic week, or maybe even a heroic month. But that’s not the goal. The goal is to generate a heroic body of work. 4. Arrogance is loud. It comes from insecurity. Confidence is quiet. It comes from evidence. Give yourself the evidence. Then trust your training. 5. True discipline is not a chest-thumping, hype-speech giving, performative act of toughness. True discipline is being the kind of person who shows up and does what you need to do. It’s as simple—and as hard—as that. 6. Excellence is not a destination; it is a process of becoming. The real reward isn’t a bigger deadlift, a faster mile, or a sturdier table. The real reward is that you become a better version of yourself.

🆕 Steve Kerr's reminder to check in with your fellow coaches: “I like the idea of coaches supporting coaches. It’s a great profession, but it’s also a hard one,” Kerr says. coachcraft.codyroyle.com/p/k…

CANADA’S VALÉRIE GRENIER WINS WORLD CUP GOLD IN THE FINAL GIANT SLALOM RACE OF THE SEASON 🇨🇦🥇 CBC Sports skiing coverage presented by @MackenzieInvest

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Admirable traits of strong leadership: 1. Humility - a beginner’s mindset that is open to new ideas and less judgmental. A mindset free of prejudice. A quiet mind that values actions and impact above words. 2. Honestly - radical transparency with grace and dignity. The ability to give feedback without causing resentment is a superpower. The ability to admit mistakes quickly and to ask for forgiveness. And a willingness to show vulnerability. 3. Self-awareness (situational awareness) - reading the room and balancing one’s contributions to ensure a value exchange that benefits all. Knowing when to speak and when to listen. Knowing that given a choice of being clever or kind, being kind is right choice. It is balancing ambition with value. 4. Sense of humor - do not take yourself too seriously and stay accessible. Show passion and ambition but not at a cost to others. Make people comfortable and at ease. Laugh loudly but welcome humor with open arms. But not at the expense to others. Happy people smile more. 5. Active listening (hear the unsaid and listen with your eyes) - if you are waiting for a pause, so that you can speak, you are not truly listening. And the most important part of listening is the ability to hear the unsaid. Sometimes the best way to support and help others is to give your undivided attention. 6. Interest in others (empathy) - be interesting first. The goal is to leave people better than when you found them. Everyone you meet knows more about something than you do. Care more about the people around you. This is my definition of servant leadership. 7. Generosity (giving) - the coolest people I know are unselfishly generous with their time and knowledge. Give more than you take. And give without expecting a get. The strongest leaders give more than they take. Takers may end up with more, but givers sleep better at night. 8. Intellectual curiosity -learn to search for the grounded truth. And be willing to change your mind when the facts and the truth contradicts your prior beliefs. The strongest leaders are lifelong students. And also lifelong teachers. Start with 4 word: what do you think? 9. Good manners - be nice and polite to all. This may be life’s biggest hack. Say ‘thank you’ and ‘please’ more. Hold doors a bit longer. Do not interrupt people. Do not brag. Do not shout or speak poorly of others. Be a good person, but do not waste time trying to prove it. 10. No sense or entitlement - the world does not owe you a thing. The best people that I know are not chasing compliments or validation. Learn to fight for your happiness and do it with dignity, optimism and grace. Fall in love with the work, not the praise. 11. Positioning for shared success - In a celebration, lead from the back. In a crisis, lead from the front. In the company of someone that has a better idea, follow first. Leadership is all about positioning and standing in the right places. 12. Legacy of servant leadership - The best leaders leave everything and everyone better than when they found them. You will be remembered by how often you helped others achieve their goals. 13. Grit and persistence - Some things are hard to teach: sense of urgency, critical thinking, creativity, customer empathy, team commitment, humility, unselfish giving, judgement, grace and dignity, positivity, optimism, bias towards results, active listening; Strong leaders teach the hard stuff.

GOLD FOR CANADA 🇨🇦 CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD Christopher Morales-Williams wins world indoor championship 400m gold in a championship record time of 44.76. A spectacular performance by the 21-year-old Canadian.

Canada’s Eli Bouchard claims his first snowboard slopestyle World Cup win 🇨🇦🏆 The Lac-Beauport, Que., native scored 81.11 on his first run to secure the victory in Flachau, Austria Presented by @volvocarcanada, Proud Partner of Canada Snowboard

PM Mark Carney says that the federal government will increase funding for national team athletes, following Olympic and Paralympic outcry. “We'll do it right… We want [athletes] to know that we value them, they're important,” Carney said — cbc.ca/news/politics/federal…

CANADA 🇨🇦 FOR THE WIN THE CANADIAN WHEELCHAIR CURLING TEAM HAS WON GOLD. THEY ARE PARALYMPIC CHAMPIONS. THEY WENT UNDEFEATED. CANADA DEFEATS CHINA IN A THRILLER.

It’s hard not to be emotional about what this Canadian wheelchair curling team just accomplished. Paralympic history by completing the first undefeated round robin. They’ve worked so hard for this. Two wins away from gold now.

Proud moment for Kalle Eriksson's dad, Lasse 🥹🥈

SILVER FOR CANADA 🇨🇦 KALLE ERICSSON AND SIERRA SMITH WIN CANADA’S MEDAL AT THE PARALYMPICS In his Paralympic debut, Kalle Ericsson alongside his guide Sierra Smith wins silver in the men’s visually impaired downhill event. A great start for the Canadians in Cortina.

RT @nglinan: Thank you friends from Europe for the congratulations of Canada ranking 1st in both the World's Most Loved Country and in Inte…

The best U23 in the world is Canadian 💚🇨🇦 Alison Mackie was on a mission this morning, and she brought home the gold. 🥇 #fiscrosscountry #wintersport #fisjuniorworlds #lillehammer2026

The Paralympics start Friday. Here’s what Canadians can expect theglobeandmail.com/sports/o…

RT @CBCOlympics: Canada’s Arnaud Gaudet captures his second World Cup medal of the season with bronze 🇨🇦🥉 The Montcalm, Que., native finis…

Every two years, the Olympics become the world’s most compelling reminder that sport is THE metaphor for life. True, it’s entertainment—edge-of-your-seat drama, national pride, highlight reels, and moments that have you texting your friends. But it’s also something deeper: it’s a masterclass in being human under pressure. Because behind every moment of Olympic success is a truth we all recognize. 1) Dreams are free, but the price of living them is paid in the dark. We love the big moments—the podium, the anthem, the emotion—but the real story is the ordinary days—early mornings, small gains, boring reps, unglamorous preparation, and the quiet decision to keep showing up. Hey, life works the same way—the results people admire are almost always built on habits nobody sees. 2) Confidence isn’t a feeling; it’s a practice that’s built. Olympians don’t wait to “feel ready”; they train their readiness and build routines that create steadiness when nerves show up. How that plays out in our own lives is that confidence is often just keeping promises to ourselves, doing the next right thing, focusing on the controllables, or learning to perform while “feeling” Imperfect. 3) Failure is part of the job description. Every athlete you admire has lost—often publicly, painfully, and repeatedly. The Olympics remind us that falling isn’t the problem—staying down is. What changes everything is learning how to recover faster, reflect honestly, adjust the plan, and return with courage and humility. 4) Effective strategy matters as much as grit—I love this one! We romanticize “toughness,” but the best performers are also smart as hell; they study patterns, make mid-race adjustments, manage energy, and know when to push and when to reset. That’s a powerful life lesson—effort without strategy quickly leads to exhaustion. 5) Kindness isn’t weakness—it’s strength under control. Coventry’s words land because they highlight something we don’t celebrate enough: that bravery and kindness hold hands. In sport, the great ones compete fiercely while respecting their competitors. In life, it’s the same—we can hold high standards without losing our humanity. 6) The real win is who you become along the journey. Medals are earned in moments, but character is built over years. The Olympics invite a bigger question than “Did I win?”—more like, “Did I become someone I’m proud of in the pursuit?” And maybe that’s the point—chase big dreams, with a big heart, and get back up and keep moving forward together. So as we saw with these Games, maybe we let them do what they’re meant to do—not just entertain us… but call us forward to become our best selves. #yourmindsetmatters #lovefirst #HealthyHighPerformance #Olympics #Resilience #Leadership #Synergy