Jeremiah Castille talks to young students who participated in Willie Smith’s speed camp last week at the Moody Park. Castille discussed with the campers how to become champions in life.
Castille played at the University of Alabama for legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant and was on Bryant’s final team. He went on to enjoy a career in the NFL playing for the Denver Broncos. This is the second year he has helped Willie Smith conduct a speed camp in the Moody area.
Several young athletes throughout St. Clair County participated in Willie Smith’s Speed Camp last week at Moody, and former Alabama football star and NFL great Jeremiah Castille talked to the campers about being a champion.
Castille used the word champion as an acronym to teach the young campers what being a champion meant to him.
C is for Character
“Everybody has character, and it is either bad or good,” Castille said. “An athlete can develop good character. We do not have to cheat to be winners. Don’t try and cut corners, but be a person of character. Why? Because your character will take you further in life than your talent.”
H is for Honor
Castille encouraged the athletes to be men and women of honor. He used a Bible verse that says, “Honor thy father and mother.”
“That means to respect them,” he said. “You should work hard enough to gain the respect of your teammates. You don’t give people respect if they don’t earn it. I am not going to respect you if you are lazy. To get someone’s respect, you have to earn it.”
Castille said he had teammates at both the college and pro levels who were lazy, and he did not respect them.
A is for Attitude
A positive attitude, Castille said, is very important not only in sports but in life.
“If you ever find yourselves behind in a game, your attitude has to be positive,” Castille said. “Why? Because if you are going to learn from a loss, the only way to learn from it is by having a positive attitude. You can learn from a loss. I encourage all of you to have a positive attitude. Champions have a positive attitude.”
M is for Master your skills
Castille said players who want to be great athletes have to master their skills.
He encouraged the young boys and girls to get off the video games.
“Put those video games up and get off the computers,” Castille said. “I’m sure I just stepped on some toes, but what are you spending your time doing? The people in these video games are not going to play for you. We have to get up off the couch and get outside and start moving. I challenge each and every one of you to go on a video game fast, a Facebook fast and Myspace fast. Cut it out for about 30 days. Start spending a little extra time doing the things these coaches teach you.”
P is for Passion
“Are you passionate about your sport?” Castille asked. “If you are passionate about what you do, you will get a whole lot more done.”
I is for Inspiration
Castille encouraged young athletes to be inspired about what they do.
“Inspiration means ‘to bring life to,’” he said. “You need to bring life to your ballgames and practices. You need to be fired up and excited, whether you are at a practice or ballgame. You should want to fire your teammates up and be inspiring. Champions are inspiring people.”
O is for Opportunity and Optimism
Castille said players should seize opportunity and be optimistic.
“Champions are optimistic because they are looking for opportunity,” Castille said. “With you being here at this speed camp, you are looking for your opportunity. You will learn some things by being here that your teammates don’t know, and you will be ahead of the ballgame. You should be looking for opportunity and see how you can get a little better at the sport you play.”
N is for Never give up
Castille encouraged the young athletes to never give up and for them to continue chasing their dreams.
“You may have friends through life who want to give up, but don’t ever let that be you,” he said.
Contact Gary Hanner at ghanner@thestclairtimes.com.
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