CrossFit Athletic Group

Had a little Sunday morning quarterback text message exchange with Jacob on this subject, and thought it would be a good topic for an Untitled/Unedited Rant. The rule, as usual, is I can't backspace or backtrack once a period is marked. So you get to see unfiltered thoughts and really bad typos.

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I first learned about environments in 2nd grade, was subconsciously aware of environments in middle school and high school, and actually paid them a little bit of thought in college and the early stages of running the Champions Club. Actually, most of my time running the Champions Club. It wasn't until Summer 2019 that I really came to appreciate the power of a good environment. Now it's like the red car analogy or whatever... I'm always looking for it. I'm never sure if "always looking for something" cranks up the bias meter or not, but it seems to help me see reality quicker than before. What I mean by that is acknowledging the environment factor gives context and depth to whatever I'm observing.

Within the last 7 days I have observed two things that have made both local and national news: Brian Hassler - my first CrossFit training partner and mentor - left Foley after 25 years to be the AD at Rochester Adams, and Michigan lost back-to-back games. To my knowledge those were the only newsworthy things to have happened these past 7 days.

Brian the Trainer was "The Trainer" for his first 19 years at Foley. He was a steady pulse through coaching and staff changes, good athletes and this-is-the-best-Foley-can-do athletes, and lots of behind-the-scenes drama that probably happens at every school. He was always a familiar face alumni could count on would be there when they came back and a nonthreatening ear to listen whenever a parent felt the need to rant about their kid. When he began his career as the school's athletic trainer Foley was in Class-B and competing against the likes of St. Martin Deporres, Divine Child, Bishop Gallagher, and Brother Rice. When he took over as Athletic Director in 2014 Foley was competing in the 2nd highest division in the Catholic League for most sports, had seen State Championships in girls soccer and baseball (3 in a row, actually), an individual state champion on track, and had just installed a turf field and rubber track for the first time in school history.

Now it's 2020 and the general consensus is the state of Foley's athletics is worse than it was when Brian took over.

It would be easy for an outsider to see that on paper and be like, "Brian's the cause of the decline; him leaving should help the sports program." This is what I feel like is happening with Michigan. Alumni and fans see Michigan in a worse state now than before and figure the control's the same, it must be the variable's vault. That was my best attempt at a science analogy, hopefully it's right. The variable in this case is obviously Jim Harbaugh. 1-9 record in whatever. 0-6 in whatever. Hasn't beaten a team that's ranked whatever at whatever time of day. You name it, there is a damning stat behind it. Jim Harbaugh's coaching resume' on paper leaves a lot of room for doubt and apathy.

The thing is, not everything that matters can be put on paper. There are environmental factors like administration, culture, expectations, and even luck that have a lot of influence on outcomes. Also, Michigan is not the only school in the country (or even the state) trying to be good at the football thing. Michigan State, Wisconsin and Iowa have all seen more success recently than in previous decades. Penn State was not even in the Big-10 in Michigan's "glory years." And Ohio State is currently on a 20-year run that is about as good as anyone has seen since black people have been allowed to play.

The general consensus among Michigan fans is that Harbaugh has to go and we need to bring someone in who can beat Ohio State and compete for National Championships. The general consensus for everyone else is that Michigan fans need to stop living in a fantasy world and set some realistic expectations for the time being. Responsibility for the lack of Michigan football success lies with the coach, the players, and the other people who make up the school's environment (administration, alumni, and even fans.)

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Brian Hassler needs to be remembered as one of the best Athletic Directors Bishop Foley has ever had. If you can see the reality that Foley has been emphasizing and promoting religion and academics every opportunity they get, and appreciate the challenge that places on sports, you'll understand how good of a job Brian has done in the past 6 years. There is no point to compare to a different era of Foley or other schools in the area because it's apples-to-oranges and pencils-to-pens. Pro sports teams only do sports. Schools can individually do whatever they want. Brian is probably qualified to occupy 7 different positions in the Rochester Adams building; they chose to have him lead their school's athletic teams and coaches. This shows where their priority is. I think both parties are going to be happy with the decision.

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I decided to write this hoping I would stumble across a better way to describe and define the word "environment." I have not made any progress in that respect. In my own mind, at least. I mean, how do you describe something thatcan't be measured, repeated, or related to unless you're actually in it? I just know that all roles and positions are not created equal, regardless of the title they are given. Janitor at the Champions Club is different than Janitor at Taco Bell, and Quarterback at Lamphere 2020 is different than Quarterback at Lamphere 2010. Watch and David Attenborough documentary and you'll see the same applies to monkeys, frogs, and birds. Behind whatever you are observing is an environment; sometimes it's a specific location, sometimes it's a group of people cheering and supporting, and sometimes it's invisible tension between a few key individuals. Whatever it is, individuals either adapt to it or go to a different environment. Or die. Failing to consider the environment leaves a lot of understanding on the table.