“Choice, not chance, determines one’s destiny.”

Author unknown

There are many things we could talk about with this title as the heading. We all have been in situations where choice is our decision. As we enter into the spring sports season, I ask the athletes to make the choice of working hard, or hardly working. We will hope their choice is the first one.

Life offers many choices each day at school, work, home, the gas station, in a store or restaurant, and in athletics. We have the choice of putting our faith in the coaches; we have the choice of working extra hard on “weight” day. We have the choice of being a leader on the court or field, in the classroom or within ourselves. We can make the choice to speed on the highway, or follow the laws of the road.

Unfortunately, the road to anywhere is filled with many pitfalls, and it takes an athlete with determination and character not to fall into those pits. When we get our head above average, someone will be there to try to pull us down. The choice is ours to continue striving to be the best, or to accept the mediocre.

We will not always make the right choice, and that is OK; however, when it affects us or anyone else negatively, we must correct the mistake. Choices come with consequences, and we all have made choices that we wish we could undo. Unfortunately, we have to swallow our pride sometimes when it was a bad choice.

I hope we as a school, athletes and community members will choose to make our schools and town live up to the motto: “Lampasas, where the Best get Better.”

Joey McQueen is the Lampasas High School athletic director and the Badgers’ head football coach.