Good Morning everyone. As we stay on Day 6 and head to tomorrows last Day of this 7 day challenge I want to offer up a quick story about why all this matters! Let me introduce you to Nathaniel. I've worked with Nathaniel for the past 2 years as a kicker/punter for his HS team. Last year I offered out a "challenge" to ALL the kickers and punters I worked with from Freshman to Seniors. And the "reward? I would buy them a brand new Wilson GST ball; personally prep it (which takes about 90 minutes to do) and give it to the winner, who EACH day signed in with their current weight by texting me. The challenge was a very simple one. Over the next 90 day period they had ONE THING to do each Morning when they FIRST woke up. And that one simple thing? To weigh themselves. And then the rest of the day to follow whatever "plan" they (and yes the parents did on weight training). That was it! Then after this quick weigh in they could get on SnapChat, IG, FB, and spend the day doing whatever HS kickers and Punters do! There were 40 kickers in this challenge. Some said- I'm all in Coach!!! Trust me! I'm going to win that new ball! Others said, But, Coach I don't have a scale! We all, know as "parents" at some point in time said the following."OK thats it! I'm going on a New Year Resolution to lose/gain weight) and we all know what happens right? The ONLY one who made it through the 90 day challenge and between his workouts and part-time job was Nathaniel and his weight gain success story? He gained 17.5 lbs and this year he and his team won the State Championship and Nathaniel was named FIRST TEAM All-State Punter. Congrats Nathaniel and to your parents and I hope you enjoy the New Football! Coach

Over the past 7 days, we didn’t try to fix everything. We did something more important. We exposed reality. Most parents I work with care deeply.Most athletes want to succeed.But this week revealed a few hard truths: • Most families don’t start with the end in mind• Weight and nutrition are often left to “wait and see”• Recovery is usually reactive, not planned• Discomfort is avoided instead of chosen• Structure is missing — even when effort is high None of that makes anyone lazy or bad. It means the system you've been in is unclear. What stood out to me most this week wasn’t effort —it was how many families who called me realized: “We’ve been guessing.” And guessing feels fine…until the level changes (especially moving from Freshman to JV to Varsity) And those headed to College? It doesn’t expose talent.It exposes preparation at the NEXT LEVEL. The goal of this 7-day reset was never perfection.It was awareness. If this week helped you see one habit that needs to change, one area that needs structure, or one blind spot you didn’t know you had — then it did its job. Awareness comes first.Ownership comes next. That’s MAHA in action. 👇 Reflection question: What was the biggest realization you had about your athlete this week?

https://www.podbean.com/eas/pb-z9g8j-1a42d05 Just had a lesson with one of the guys, but this is just the audio version. We will sending out the full YouTube video shortly and yes if you would go to YouTube and type in and SUBSCRIBE to @TheAthletic Scholarship Truth and you'll see the work we put in! Heck it might even save ya from the PT Specialist

Day 7: Decision Day — Who Are You Choosing to Be? Over the past 7 days, nothing we’ve talked about was complicated. But it was revealing. You’ve looked at:• Identity• The scale• Fuel vs. comfort• Choosing discomfort• Recovery and availability• The real “side effects” of not preparing By now, most parents and athletes have had at least one moment where they thought: “We haven’t been as intentional as we thought.” That’s not failure.That’s clarity. Today isn’t about adding anything new.Today is about making a decision. I tell athletes this all the time: “College doesn’t punish athletes.It reveals preparation.” (And honestly is one of the reasons for the Transfer Portal and so many who leave in thier Freshman year foir "greener pastures) And preparation doesn’t happen accidentally. At some point, every athlete and every family has to decide:• Are we going to hope things improve?• Or are we going to plan for them to improve? There is no neutral ground. Doing nothing is still a decision.Waiting is still a choice. MAHA — Make Athletes Healthy Again — isn’t a slogan.It’s a commitment to preparation over panic. Healthy athletes:• Recover better• Handle stress better• Compete longer• Earn trust faster And this applies to every high school athlete in every sport. The goal was never perfection this week.The goal was awareness — and then ownership. 👇 Final parent question: What is the ONE habit your athlete is willing to commit to starting this week?

This in one important thing I want to clarify — this isn’t a football issue. I see these same “side effects” in soccer, baseball, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, track — you name it, and Yes I remember even my days in the Army and the side effects we had in from sleep deprivation, and the struggles to maintain and grow each day. The Difference? We had a whole company pulling together and just ONE DRILL SERGEANT! Any high school athlete facing long seasons, increased pressure, and higher levels of competition is affected by the same health, recovery, and preparation gaps. - They don’t take health, nutrition, and preparation seriously. - Because there are side effects — just not the kind you hear about on TV. - Here are the real ones I see every season: (yes BOTH Pre- and post season) - • Increased soft-tissue injuries mid-season• Fatigue late in games• Loss of confidence• Slower recovery week to week• Athletes getting passed on the depth chart• “He just doesn’t look ready” evaluations• Watching younger or older players jump ahead• Standing on the sideline wondering what happened - These aren’t bad breaks. - They’re predictable outcomes of bodies that weren’t prepared for the level of stress they’re under. - This isn’t about blame.It’s about cause and effect. - The good news? - Side effects work both ways. - Prepared athletes experience:• Better availability• Faster recovery• Stronger presence• More confidence• More trust from coaches - College Athletics doesn’t punish athletes.It reveals preparation. - 👇 Parent question: - Which “side effects” are you trying to protect your athlete from?