Fortitude in the Final Four

You know from my last blog that I am all about the "stories" behind the sport! Whether it's football, baseball, basketball or any other sport, I love to hear the personal angle to the athletes or in this case, the coach. Today, I ran across this story of Ohio State's basketball coach and how he deals with a "handicap" and yet is coaching his team to the Final Four. Here is the story of Thad Matta and his determination to live with the mobility problem that was caused by years of back problems and eventual surgery.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=dw-wetzel_east_region_matta_ohio_state_032412

For anyone who has physical/mental challenges or "handicaps" (I am personally not offended by this word), there are certainly lessons to be learned from Coach Matta! First of all, there is no need to hide! Second, never give up - always work hard! Third, it is OK to accept help when needed! Fourth, live your life to the best of your ability!

The definition of	fortitude  [fawr-ti-tood, -tyood] /ˈfɔrtɪˌtud, -ˌtyud/ Show Spelled
Part of Speech:	noun
Definition:	strength of mind; guts
Synonyms:	backbone*, boldness, braveness, bravery, constancy, courage, courageousness, dauntlessness, determination, endurance, fearlessness, firmness, grit, gutsiness, hardihood, heart, intrepidity, mettle, moxie, nerve, patience, perseverance, pith, pluck, resoluteness, resolution, spine, spirit, spunk, stamina, starch, staying power, stick-to-itiveness, stomach, stoutheartedness, tenacity, true grit, valiancy, valor, valorousness, what it takes
Antonyms:	cowardice, helplessness, weakness As a "Moma" of a child with multiple needs, I'm glad I read this story today. It helps me to remember to accept it for what it is, to always work toward our goals, to accept help and to keep living our life. With the kind of fortitude that Coach Matta displays, there is no telling what ladders she will climb. As for the Final Four, I am not a serious basketball fan but I'll be watching for him to climb the next ladder and then the next one in New Orleans!