Baller 21

One Armed Baller // Long Shot – The Kevin Laue Story

2012-12-08T06:37:54Z

(Video Embedded Above)

Long Shot, the documentary of Kevin Laue, is a fascinating story of a Baller who was born with one arm and had the dream of playing Division I basketball.

About the story from the official website:

Kevin Laue began fighting for his life before he was even born. With his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck in the womb, Kevin fought back using his arm as a shield. Due to a lack of circulation from the cord, he was born with an arm that ended just below the elbow. His disability is a testament to his toughness and refusal to quit: “It was either my arm or my head,” Kevin often jokes.

Kevin’s father, a former athlete and demanding youth coach for his son’s teams, had great difficulty accepting Kevin’s disability; struggling to cope with having a son who would never have a normal life. Four years later, his father died of cancer and Kevin became determined to carry on his family’s name and make his father proud by proving that he could be a success—not only in life, but in basketball.

By the time Kevin reached the seventh grade, he was 6′ 9″; but still unable to make any of the local teams in upscale Pleasanton, California. Distraught by the treatment of her son by the local community, Kevin’s mother crossed the tracks to beg the rival high school coach for help.

Only after Coach McKnight agreed to allow Kevin a tryout did she mention that Kevin only had one arm. After a long day, Coach McKnight knew there was something special in Kevin. He felt he could help Kevin make the varsity team. This began a five-year love affair between a black, cross-town rival coach and a white, preppy one-armed basketball player. McKnight drove Kevin in a way no one had ever done before, not even Kevin’s mother—relentlessly.

By the time Kevin was in high school, he was 6′ 11″ and his work with Coach McKnight began to pay off. His dreams grew bigger and he began to talk of playing Division One college basketball.

A serendipitous meeting at an AAU event with opposing coach and filmmaker, Franklin Martin, led to the inception of Long Shot. Over the next four years, Martin chronicled the day-to-day struggles of a teenage boy coming to terms with his need for his deceased father’s approval by pursuing his seemingly impossible dream of becoming the first one-armed player in the history of college basketball.

Journey with Kevin from his sleepy town in California to the runway of Air Force One and a meeting with the President of the United States…and then into the bright lights of New York City.

Hoopdreams meets Murderball in the uplifting documentary Long Shot: The Kevin Laue Story.

Kevin ended up playing three seasons at Manhattan College, though in limited minutes. Great story.

Rollaball // Beyond the Game

2012-09-28T07:24:00Z

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Rollaball is a movie in the promotional phase and looking for support in order to finish the project and release it in 2013.

The following is from the website:

ABOUT

Rollaball will be an inspiring film that proves that physical limitations are no match for the human spirit.

Filmed in and around Accra in the West African nation of Ghana, Rollaball follows the Rolling Rockets, Ghana’s disabled skate soccer team, as they battle for recognition as well as for their own day-to-day survival.

Ghana has a proud soccer heritage, so it is little wonder then that you will find the game played in all shapes and forms around the country. Some unexpected athletes play one of the most exciting and unique forms of the game. Skate soccer is a game created by disabled athletes that is every bit as skillful and antagonistic as the able-bodied version of the game.

A TYPICAL GAME OF SKATE SOCCER

The game involves plenty of big talking and posturing, full body collisions and players being thrown from their custom-made skateboards.

Every Sunday these young polio survivors, like Rasta, Smallee and No Fear, converge on a deserted downtown taxi rank where for a few hours they can be heroes to themselves, each other and the loyal able-bodied supporters who cheer from the sidelines.

But after the game, many of these players can only look forward to the streets to rest their weary bodies. Ostracized by society, many are forced to eke out a living begging and sleeping on the streets. Come Monday they hit the streets and are a common sight, dodging traffic at the busiest and most dangerous intersections in the capital.

When they do get money, some of the guys party up a storm, hanging out in bars, smoking weed and chasing women, while others do their best to support their families.

Rolling Rockets’ coach and manager Albert K. Frimpong lives a very different life. Able-bodied and trained in the IT industry, Albert devotes his spare time and money to further the cause of the Rolling Rockets.

Rollaball offers an up-close look at Ghana’s national skate soccer team as they work towards their sporting goal. We also look at the personal stories of the harrowing and challenging lives the players deal with in their daily battle to survive.

HOW THIS FILM IS DIFFERENT

Our film focuses on people with disabilities who live on the streets of Accra, Ghana. While they appear to be victims of poverty, they are trying to take control of their lives through sport, which helps them to look beyond their daily struggles.

Through our filmmaking experience, we have noted a number of trends in the kinds of films that are generally commissioned about Africa. The main tendency is to focus on stories that deal with victims of war, poverty, sexual violence and AIDS. These stories reinforce the one-dimensional stereotypes of Africa as a helpless victim. Similarly, there are many stereotypes about people with disabilities. We intend for this film to help break these misunderstandings and contribute to changing these stereotypes.

Their determination is inspiring. Interesting comment by one of the players: “Thankful God made me this way.”

Baller Action Sports Youth League

2012-12-08T06:32:07Z

Baller Action, a division of Baller Athletics, is launching a youth league for BMX and Skateboard riders at Sandals Church in Riverside, CA.

LEAGUE SUMMARY
8 week sessions (once a week, Saturday’s 9am-11am, April 28-June 16).
Riders are on sport-specific (BMX or Skate) team and led by a coach.
Sessions include warm-up, skill development, and life lesson devotions.
League ends with a contest.

LEAGUE INFORMATION
Location of each session and the contest is at:
Jurupa Skatepark
4810 Pedley Road
Jurupa Valley, CA 92509

Age: 7th-12th grade.
Cost: $50 per rider.
Rider Packages: 59Fifty fitted cap, t-shirt, cinch bag, wrist band, sticker, and booklet.
Contact: Baller Action Coordinator — Cameron Moreland — cameron@ballerathletics.org
Sandals Church — Tim Walker — timw@sandalschurch.com or leave a comment on this post.

LEAGUE SCHEDULE
Sign-up Deadline: April 21, 2012.
First Week Session: April 28, 9am-11am.
Last Week Session: June 9, 9am-11am.
Contest: June 16, 9am-2pm (Tentative Schedule).

FINAL NOTES
Interested riders fill out brochure (parent signature/date, contact info, circle gear sizes).
Tear off League Information portion (right side of brochure) for your records.
Turn in main brochure and fees (cash or check, make checks out to Sandals Church) to League Coordinators and or Frontside Youth Ministry staff at Sandals Church.
Coaches will notify you about your team and schedules.
League open to anyone in the community and to all skill levels.

First Wheelchair Golfer at St. Andrews

2012-09-28T07:18:34Z

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ESPN’s E:60 presented an inspiring story about Mike Reeder, a Vietnam War veteran that lost his legs in an explosion during combat, and yet one who excels at golf. Mike left an historic mark in golf on the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland, where he became the first wheelchair golfer to complete a round.

Check out the full story above.

Love the passion. Love the determination.

Love passing along great stories like this one.

Enjoy.

One Thousand Premieres // Four Stones

2011-10-24T04:53:37Z

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One Thousand Premieres is a campaign to bring one of the greatest faith stories to the silver screen. It’s the story of David and Goliath, in its time period, but presented in a progressive cinematic style for the next generation. Rather than distributing it through conventional theaters, they are building a network of 1,000 visionaries who will help bring this film to life and present it as a gift to their communities.

The film is called Four Stones and will be broadcast live via webcast on one weekend, October 12-14, 2012, all over the world. You’ll be able to license a showing for any size audience ranging from a few in a living room to thousands in an auditorium.

A description of the film:

Four Stones will abandon the typical approach to making biblical films in favor of a gritty, progressive style that today’s audiences are used to seeing. Forget the look of flannelgraph and pageants, Four Stones will bring this ancient story to life through a cinematic and visual style that appeals to the sensibilities of today’s movie-going audiences.

Four Stones is an international film venture by Historytellers Productions, the non-profit organization behind STORY and Dream Year. It will be developed in partnership with Dot & Cross, which filmed the Nooma series. In addition, thousands of organizations, churches and people will support this project by hosting premieres in their own communities.

The goal is to create a PG-13 movie (for battle scenes) that rivals what’s playing in the local multiplex. Watch for the film’s official site – FourStonesMovie.com – coming July 2012. Jan 31, 2012 is the date to reach the goal of 1000 premieres.

The film’s budget will be determined by the number of donors and patrons that participate. The goal is $2 million. They plan to invest in costs that are essential to a major motion picture, such as actors, special effects and equipment. But they’ll rely heavily on gifted technicians, designers, caterers and crew who volunteer their time.

Check out the Host a Premiere page for details and cost (range $99 living room — $999 large group). Also, follow the link to see What You Get when hosting a premiere.

I plan on promoting the project with my local church and or host a living room gathering. There are currently no cities on the west coast hosting a premiere yet!

I’m all for supporting quality, compelling, and faith-based films that tell timeless stories.

G.O.S.P.E.L // Propaganda

2012-03-18T07:47:32Z

Before a recent youth summer series at Sandals Church, I had not heard of the artist Propaganda. Every Friday night of the series, teaser clips would play leading up to the finale live show.

The video above is the opening act of Propaganda’s show and then followed by tracks from the Art Ambidextrous album. It was a powerful show and the youth really connected with the performance.

What I enjoyed was the rich, unashamed, creative expressions of an old message, and energetic proclamation of the Gospel. The following are a few of my favorite lines from the video above:

” Eternally separated… only way to fix it… someone dieing in your place. Person got to be perfect… or the payment ain’t permanent. ”

“Since the only one who can meet Gods requirement is God… God sent himself as Jesus to pay the cost for us. ”

“His righteousness. His death… functions as payment… wrote a check with his life. But at the resurrection we all cheered because that means the check cleared.”

Propaganda spent time after the show signing autographs, taking pictures, answering questions, and even responding on Twitter. Class Act.

I told him I’m glad he is on our team.

The Radical Experiment

2011-06-18T23:59:01Z

I recently finished reading Radical: Taking back your faith from the American Dream and was deeply challenged with the way I currently live my life.

Quite honestly, it beat me up. It’s a challenging read, but an important read for anyone who takes following the Way of Jesus seriously.

The challenge is for the Christian/Church to stop buying into the pursuit of the “American Dream” — security, money, fame, power, convenience, etc.– that we are so easily tempted with in culture and abandon everything for the gospel and to follow the life of Jesus.

At the end of the book, author David Platt promotes The Radical Experiment — a one-year journey in authentic discipleship to transform how we live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.

The Radical Experience involves committing to the following five components for a year:

Pray for the entire world.
Read through the entire Word.
Sacrifice your money for a specific purpose.
Spend your time in another context.
Commit your life to a multiplying community.

First, I will admit that I was not praying for the entire world. I have since taken the advice of the book and utilized the resources of Operation World. Online you can sign up for a free daily prayer guide of a country that is sent via email.

Second, I continue to use the mobile phone app/ online resource of You Version to read through the bible. I really enjoy this free resource and admire the multiple translations and work LifeChurch.tv has provided.

Third, I am still evaluating if my wife and I are really sacrificing our money for a specific purpose. We are at a stage in our lives where we are really working to make ends meet. We are committed to giving to our church, to other opportunities in our community, and in sponsoring a young child through World Vision. However, we still can be considered “rich” compared to many around the world. There still might be more that we can sacrifice financially. We take for granted how well we live.

Fourth, it has been too long since I have spent time in another context outside of the United States. I hope to fulfill this challenge some time this year.

Lastly, my wife and I are committed to our church community at Sandals Church. I am continuing to pray and wrestle with my role in being apart of a multiplying community and the mission of God.

I highly recommend this book and look forward to reading the follow up edition by David Platt in Radical Together.

Anyone read this book yet? How well do you measure with the five components listed above?

The Role of Sports Ministry in the Local Church

2011-04-11T19:46:36Z

After reading through the book, It: how churches and leaders can get it and keep it, I came across a chapter that challenged me to rethink the role of sports ministry in the local church.

The author of It, pastor Craig Groeschel of Lifechurch.tv, points to a similar topic found in the book, Simple Church, where a thriving ministry formula is described as “the commitment to abandon everything that falls outside of the simple ministry process.”

In other words, what are churches doing that isn’t directly contributing with high impact to their vision? The answer to that question needs to be eliminated.

It’s an important question for leaders in sports ministry and the local church to answer.

Does sport ministry fit the Simple Church model? Does sports ministry contribute to churches having It? Does sports ministry have a high impact on the vision and purpose of the Church? Or does sports ministry need to be abandoned?

These are tough questions. As you can imagine, bringing up the discussion of cutting a ministry is a sensitive topic for those involved. But if we really care about the Church, its purposes, and being Kingdom-minded, it is crucial to think through this topic and either reaffirm ministry focus or admit that realignment of ministry paths and effectiveness is needed.

As the founder of a sports ministry that seeks to partner with local churches, I am also wrestling with this topic. I am not claiming to have a definite answer. What I do have is a lot of questions that I am trying to process.

Do the sports ministry packages we offer have a high impact on the vision and Kingdom-minded purposes of the local church? How do we define high impact?

Many would answer that high impact ministries are those that are effectively reaching new believers and growing believers. A Simple Church model advocate would say, I believe from my understanding of the book, that local churches can have a higher impact through pruning a diverse list of ministries and concentrating resources and efforts on a more concise list. The concise list of ministries and priorities for high impact churches might look like the following:

1. Worship service experience
2. Missions
3. Small groups / Sunday School
4. Young Adults
5. Children

So additional ministries for men, women, or the sports-minded, to name a few, might reach new believers and help believers grow, but maybe not as high of an impact as the concentrated ministries listed above. The additional ministries might be duplicating efforts (age, gender, demographic) with the core ministries listed above and thus cutting resources and impact thin.

The question, again, is it true? What is the impact of sports ministry on the vision and purposes of the local church? Are new believers and growth of believers cultivated through sports ministry?

If the arguments for eliminating sport ministry based on limited impact are false, which local churches have a high impact sports ministries?

In general, the strategy of sports ministry seems to be somewhat similar to the core ministries listed above. Use sport as a tool that builds relationships, is a platform for presenting the gospel of Jesus, and to encourage growth for the Christian.

Isn’t sports ministry just another way of being the Church? Of doing life? Intentionally creating environments to gather with people (believers and non-believers), to build relationships around unifying activities, to allow people to lead and use their gifts, and to continually share the need of the gospel of Jesus for both groups? Couldn’t sports ministry fit into the Simple Church model and It formula that is mission-minded, groups based, and age appropriate?

If sports ministries are not having a high impact in regards to the vision and purposes of the local church, is it because of a fundamental flaw in the overarching strategy or because of flaws with the people implementing the strategy? Attendance and activity can’t be mistaken for changed lives. A sports program can have high attendance and a lot of activity in a local church but where lives are not changed. Leaders and volunteers must intentionally invest, build relationships, live by example, pray, and share the hope there is in the gospel of Jesus.
The same flaws in unintentional Christians not living out the life like Christ can be seen in all areas of the Church, let alone in sports ministry.

I personally do not want to contribute additional activity without high impact for the local church. If that is what I am contributing to, then I would discontinue the sports ministry I have founded. The mission of God through the local church is that important. If sports ministry is being used by God to build His Church and draw all peoples to His Name, then may we continue to be lead by the Holy Spirit and strategize how we can have the highest impact for the local church and the glory of God.

I would love to hear your thoughts.

May the discussion continue.

How You Play Matters

2011-02-26T07:29:22Z

This post is from a series of life lessons published in the “Be a Baller” booklet designed for players in a Baller Basketball league.

With a win-at-all-costs mentality that has saturated all levels of sports competition, I proposed the following lesson.

Does how you play the game of basketball, your character, matter? What should your actions be on the court?

John Wooden, a coach that had wisdom and experience, made the following statement: “How your play the game, and prepare for it, really does count.”

Being selfish, getting upset with teammates, coaches, and referees, boasting of your skills and in winning games are examples of not having character.

Keys to playing with character: Play together with your teammates, encourage your teammates, welcome instruction from coaches and referees, do not get too upset, be humble about your skills and in winning, lose well, and do what ever it takes to help your team be successful.

Playing the game the right way and for the good of your team means playing with character. Playing with character also beings honor to God. And that’s a good thing!

” Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV).

Sports Ministry Conferences

2011-01-31T05:15:16Z

Through the years I’ve had the opportunity to be a part of sports outreach teams, camps, and leagues. But it wasn’t until I moved to Kentucky that I was exposed to individuals that worked as sports and recreation ministry leaders for a profession.

Something within me began to click, in regard to what I wanted to do with my life. I began to read anything on the subject that I could get my hands on and then networked and researched sports ministry conferences. What I discovered in the US was two main conferences: Rec Lab and CSRM Summit.

Rec Lab, the oldest of the two conferences, produced by LifeWay ( although the LifeWay link now points to the National Sports and Recreation Ministry Center website), focuses on the use of sports and recreation as ministry tools in the world.

I have not attended either conference yet, but I would like to, and interested in feedback from those that have.

In regards to Rec Lab, I’m interested in seeing where the direction of Rec Lab is headed. The vibe I got from talking with a conference leader, and observations I’ve made myself, is that sports ministry is not a priority of LifeWay, and maybe a genre they are not investing in anymore.

On LifeWay’s website, you have to really hunt for anything on Rec Lab or sports ministry. I attended the Southern Baptist Convention a few years ago and the LifeWay vendor section represented and promoted almost every ministry they offer but sports ministry.

I’m curious if the President of LifeWay, author of Simple Church, does not believe that sports ministry fits into his books formula and premise. I had the opportunity to ask the President of LifeWay at the convention, but I didn’t take the opportunity while he was exiting the vendor exhibit area with his family. I’m sure this topic has and will continue to be debated at conferences and beyond.

Leave your thoughts and experiences in the comment section if you went to Rec Lab this year or have attended a previous year.

CSRM Summit, a conference by the Association of Church Sports and Recreation Ministers, is set to launch it’s 15th annual conference, intended for anyone who currently uses or wishes to use the tools of sport, play, and recreation to reach their communities for Christ.

I was contemplating attending CSRM as a vendor with Baller Athletics, but we are probably going to delay our attendance for next year. I would still like to attend individually this year.

Who has attended a CSRM Summit? Anyone going this year in Indianapolis, IN?

Anyone been to both?
How would you compare between the two conferences?