Another day had begun. It was a cold winter morning . I finished the daily chores and after a long period of time connected my hard disk to the laptop. After plugging in, I could appreciate the treasure it has. Believe me it has a collection of some of the best movies. I got introduced to Hollywood movies in the first year of engineering. And I was lucky to have friends with an extremely good choice. After watching somewhere around five movies in the initial year, I realized that Hollywood is not only about action( this notion I had ; thanks to the huge publicity given to action packed Hollywood releases in India). Some movies are extremely good with lessons for a lifetime.
As I was browsing through my collection ; most of which are not seen, I clicked on the movie “ Coach Carter”. It was downloaded long back. I was pretty sure I must have downloaded after doing a good research which I usually do before watching a movie. The movie began and as expected the protagonist was the basketball coach “ Mr. Carter”. The coach not only instills a winning spirit in the team but also teaches the team how to be victorious in various circumstances of life. I loved the storyline and the flow of the movie. As soon as the coach is assigned the task of coaching the basketball team of Richmond High School, he sets the ground rules. The ones who were not ready to accept it were free to leave. Isn’t that something we value? A sport requires discipline and if one doesn’t stick to it, then one loses. That’s the principle on which life is based as well. I appreciate the ground rules my parents had set since my childhood. Those have helped me to excel in my designated field. To lead a disciplined life and concentrate on life goals is what keeps me going . Many a times life throws us in situations where we start comparing our lifestyle with others and develop an inferiority complex. There lies the catch. This aggravates to bring you down . So keep your head high to be a champion and relentlessly keep striving for your goal.
Mr. Carter had a contract signed by him and the students, which outlined three important things that were going to shape the destiny of the team. The players had to score a minimum GPA of 2.3, they had to attend all classes and they were to be seated in the front row of all these classes. Here comes the interesting part “ Why be the first benchers ?”. All these while I have seen lot of posts hailing the back benchers. I feel being on the first row of the class helps you to be attentive with the least effort and moreover to be prepared for the questions: Tried and Tested. These conditions look strange for a team of basketball players. But the coach had a vision and these were required to attain it. A champion on the field needs to set the benchmark and a good score in academics enables to get admission in college ; sometimes with a scholarship.
The players worked hard on the field but they didn’t adhere to the clauses of the contract. They won all matches of the season till the time their academic reports were reviewed. The coach was very strict not to let them play any game till they made up for their academics. The story unfolds with the students going the extra mile to cover up their academics. There are multiple instances where we see students trying to build up their careers in sports but are not able to write a success story. And since they haven’t given attention to their academics, they are left with very little choices to pursue their livelihood. Education opens multiple gateways and a good education ignites the mind to take up life’s challenges with a positive attitude. Mr. Carter shows the way for the students future. And that’s where he justifies to be a coach.
The school’s board votes for the kids to play basketball despite the students not being able to score in their academics and Mr. Carter decides to quit. His message was very clear; enable the students to make choices basis their worth .Here the students are also determined to work hard to score in academics and not play the sport till the goal is achieved. With the immense support from his team, Mr. Carter decides to stay on. Further when the academic reports are reviewed, every member of the team scores above the threshold that is set. A feeling of accomplishment prevails in the team and they play the first qualifiers for the state level championship.
Though they lose after a stunning performance, they are able to win in their lives. The score above the threshold limit set by the coach enables many of them to get admission in colleges and some even fetch a scholarship. Isn’t that a glorious beginning to what can be called as a happy conclusion? Academic scores are not everything but they are something which might complete the puzzle of life.
Musings 