Nuts and Bolts

www.up2speedbasketball.com

I am often asked from parents of the kids I train how I get the most out of their kids in the hour and a half I spend with them?  I simply say," We set goals and the steps to achieve them are clear."  When there is a purpose behind an action and you have a road map, with some effort and focus, anything is possible.  I make it clear to the kids I work with that the result of their training is a clear reflection of the quality of their effort.  Every hour and a half with me is just not an opportunity to become a better athlete but to practice the art of purposeful work that can transcend beyond sports into living a meaningful life.

By no means am I a prolific achiever.  I work hard at everything that I do and I am not foolish to think that a lazy effort will gain me any success.  My business partner, Dr. Michael Sanchez, is one of the hardest working people I know.  He lives and breathes our business.  He has his moments when his energy is overbearing, but you have to appreciate his sheer commitment and focus to providing the best product and service possible for our clients.  Dr. Michael Sanchez had to overcome dyslexia and it made it extremely difficult to do well in school.  To say the least, nothing comes easy for Doc.  He turned what seemed to be a debilitating disorder into a gift because he had to work harder than everyone.  He constantly proved his peers wrong and gained critical acclaim for his work with world class professional athletes and local community work.

There are no secrets or short cuts to success.  There is no substitute for hard work.  There is nothing like working and living with a purpose.  There is much to gain from hard work even if what you set out to achieve is not achieved.  Falling short of your goals will happen more often than achieving them but that is the "Nuts and Bolts" of life.  We will always  prevail when every molecule of effort is exhausted in our pursuit of happiness.

Warning: Avalanches May Occur on This Road

www.up2speedbasketball.com

What a week from HELL!  I over booked myself, all my projects are behind at last two weeks, I fired my website support guy, the website is in disarray, two leagues have been rescheduled in the same week, and preparing for U2SP Basketball Season 3 has been very challenging.  It just seems uncharacteristically chaotic.  They say you are what you eat, every action has a reaction and Karma is a B*@#$!  What in the world did I do to cause this avalanche?

My Uncle Roland once told me that everything has a meaning; a purpose to which a new beginning, a rebirth or keen insight of life may manifest itself.  After surrendering to the reality of my situation, I picked up the pieces and laid it out on the table.  "Damn, I'm in it deep..." I thought to myself.  After giving myself a few moments of sulking, I did what I always have... put my head down and started to dig myself out.  Hours past and the days seemed like a blur.  I had no concept of time and space.  By the time I took a breath four days have past and it was Friday 2:37 in the morning.  I put the last number on the stat sheet, 2 points for Marko Carluen.

I slowly fall back into my seat in front of my desk.  The ending of the Primetime vs Filipinas quarter finals game is on pause on my computer screen.  I feel the weight of the world melt off my shoulders.  I can't believe I am still alive.  I am not a stranger to this process.  I have been around long enough to know that avalanches can occur at anytime.  You have to have that shovel in your back pocket and have the courage to start digging your way out.  I learned a lot about myself this week.  I completed two weeks of work in a matter of  four days. It took unbelievable commitment and focus to get through.  I have never pushed myself this hard before.  I feel like I mentally and physically ran a marathon.  I am beat but I am ready for the world!

I lean over to press play to watch the remaining moments of the Primetime vs Filipinas game.  The sounds of cheer and disappointment overwhelmed me.  To watch players compete at a high level then show respect and appreciation for one another after an emotional game replenished my faith in what we do.... bring our community closer together.

*Flashback: With less than 5 seconds on the clock Marko Carluen has the the ball in his hands.  He turns and pivots.  He sees an opening and takes it.  He takes two dribbles and one two steps it to the rim.  A defender comes flying towards him to block his shot. Marko releases the ball off the glass and is hit to the floor.  We can learn a lot about those few short seconds.  A challenge presented itself to Marko with a very small window of opportunity to do something "great" that most people would pass up.  Marko ran through it.  He missed the shot but the defender was called for basket interference.  Marko hit the game winner.

We often mistaken avalanches on the road  we call life for punishment or bad luck.  Those avalanches are our opportunity to take our life experience to another level of understanding and to remind us that we have to make the most of every moment gifted to us.  Life is a Gift.  Give your all.  Give your best.   

Global Community: The Filipino Dancing Traffic Enforcer

Life is a grind and in the midst of the hustle of a busy city with thousands of cars and millions of people zigzagging their way through the city's maze of intersections, there stands a man in the middle of a street on Smart Araneta Center, Cubao QC, orchestrating traffic in a special way.  He moves to the sounds of passing cars and  people laughing, yelling or sometimes screaming on their cell phones.  He finds it music to his ears and food for his soul.  It reminds him that life is a gift and life is worth living to it's full potential no matter where you are in your life, no matter where you are in the world, to live like you mean it... to live with a purpose.  It makes no difference what you do but how you do it.  Live it, breath it, be it.  

His energy is contagious, his moves are outrageous and his smile is changing the world as we speak. 

Enjoy!

Tony Goudin

Global Community: Connecting Two Worlds

Tony Goudin and his lovely wife Onette Goudin

I met Tony Goudin about a year ago when I placed an order for basketball uniforms through his company Wagadoo.  I was automatically drawn to his calm and easy way of speaking.  He listened to every word, remembered every detail, and never seemed eager to interrupt or rush me off the phone.  He is good at what he does, mastering the art of suggestion and light conversation. Tony's tone lowered my guard and calmed my anxieties, never a pitch too high or low, like a perfectly tuned guitar strumming the days troubles away.

In a few conversations we developed a special connection.  I shared some stories of my life and he shared stories of his.  I think I truly enjoyed our connection because I lost my father 17 years ago to lung cancer, and in the under currents of my life, I yearned to reconnect with a ghost or spirit that was my father.  Tony, some may say involuntarily, graciously filled my cup and I am truly grateful for him.

As a Filipino American, I have a slight disconnect with the Philippines, though I was raised in a family that spoke four dialects with uncles and aunts reminding my brother and I of how lucky we are to be "FilAms".  Tony helped connect the dots from stories of his life that paralleled my mother's and grandmother's life in the Philippines.  His stories are interesting, fascinating and inspiring and I will be sharing some of them with you all.

With his permission I will be sharing emails, pictures and videos that we share.  Our hope is to connect two worlds that is not just separated by an ocean, but by a generation of "FilAms" and "Homeland" Filipinos redefining what it is to be Filipino in this global community.

Maxwell Gatzby

A Little Piece of Me: Blue Tie

I am staring at a black tuxedo suit with a white shirt and black tie laid out askew on my bed.  I can feel Alma staring at me from the bathroom door.  "I don't feel like wearing a black tie today," I  wistfully said under my breath.  I felt her hands brush over my shoulder and then gripped me as she swung around in front of me. "You don't have to honey.  I'll pick something out for you," she whispered.  I took a deep breath and fell into her embrace.  It is a quarter to eleven and Frank's dads funeral is at twelve noon.

Every year the months of November and December are tough for me since my father died 17 years ago.  A close friend of mine a few days ago flew to the Philippines to attend his Fathers funeral. And during Thanksgiving I find out that my cousin's husband, Frank, father past away two days prior.  It has been a rough start to the holiday season to say the least.  My Fathers birthday is on December 19 and I usually celebrate it with couple of two buck chucks after having dinner with my mother and brother.  I prefer spending it alone so I don't have to kill anyone's evening with my pitiful sulking.  I have not been with Alma long, 5 months, so she does not know about my annual alcoholic binge yet.  I feel bad for her.   I usually break up with whoever I'm with a few days after my dad's birthday. I don't know if it will happen this year.  I really like Alma.

I lay back on my pillow topped ottoman trying to pull myself together. After all, this day is not about me.  I took a couple of deep slow breaths to calm my mind and to relieve the knot that was forming in my stomach.  I slowly drifted into a light sleep, still conscious, aware that Alma was going through my closet.  I felt a warm presence around me.  There was something familiar about this presence.  I was honing in on what it was, trying so hard to hold on to it before it slipped away.  It slowly came to me, it felt like I was looking at a blue bow tie.  And then it hit me, it was my father's favorite blue bow tie that he wore to every special occasion.  I was with my father.  I felt like I as being transported to my yesteryears with him, all the good and the trying times... bottled up in my chest.  Then I felt his voice, every molecule in my body relieved.  It was like a gentle wind brushing my soul.  Then my father's blue tie started to fade.  I knew his time with me was coming to an end.  I waited 17 years to feel reassured that he was still with me.  Faith wasn't enough for me I suppose.  I screamed in my head to him,"I love you!  I miss you so much!..."  Then he faded.

I felt Alma's fingers wipe the tears from my face.  I slowly sat up.  Alma sat on my lap, rubbing and gently patting my back as a mother would to calm a crying baby.  "I picked out something for you," Alma whispered, " I think it's perfect."  Alma turned toward the bed.  It was my father's blue bow tie sitting on my pillow. 

      

Maxwell Gatzby

Castro Valley High School Soccer Team Zumbathon Fundraiser 11/12/2011

www.zumbawithsharon.com

It was a fair and clear evening.  I arrived early to layout my course of action to document the Zumbathon Fundraiser for a dear friend of ours, Sharon Steele, the Zumba Instructor extraordinaire.  Needless to say our education and sports programs in California are under funded or have zero funding by the State so schools nowadays have to think out of the box to raise money for their programs.  In this case the Castro Valley High School Soccer Team did their second Zumbathon Fundraiser this past Saturday, 11/12/2011, on their beautiful soccer/football field.

Sharon Steele always lends her time and resources to support Bay Area Communities to do fundraisers like this.  Sharon invited 8 outstanding Zumba instructors to help her through this 2 hour Zumbathon.  The field was filled with great energy, beautiful smiles and a mist of hard earned Zumba sweat.  What a night!

I arrived early and I was greeted by Coach Dave.  I saw the stage and I made my way to it.   I placed my tripod in the middle of the second tier of the bleachers to mark my wide shot behind the stage.  The football/soccer field look so beautiful I had to take some pictures of it.  I managed to take some great pictures of kids playing soccer on the field.  They were nice enough to pose in a few specific soccer positions for me.

Slowly but surely more and more people walked onto the field.   

And the party got started!

Go to Maganda Productionz's Youtube Channel to watch 6 videos of this event.

Enjoy!

By Maxwell Gatzby

"Together" A Father and Son Story

Get Up 2 Speed

The number two has a deep meaning at U2SP.  It symbolizes a connection or a relationship between people, place or thing.  Sports can be shared and enjoyed by a party of two or many.  Sports brings people together.  "Together" is a short about a father and son that shares the love of Lacrosse.  The Father has to travel a lot for his job but manages time to spend with his son.  You can tell how much the son appreciates the time with his father.  We live busy lives but at what expense?  The relationships with people that we love and care for need to be nurtured.  It is from these relationships that connect us to what essentially breathes life into our lives... Love.  Enjoy!