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Many members of E4A believe in a higher power. We wanted to share this powerful insight from Navy linebacker Marcus Bleazard about faith, service and identity.

Marcus shared that the biggest change that came from serving others—and serving Jesus Christ—for two years wasn’t physical or athletic. It was identity.
No longer was his identity tied to how a practice went or how a game went as a football player. His identity became rooted in his relationship with Jesus Christ.
It’s remarkable what happens when someone loses themselves in the service of others. Somehow, it strengthens every other part of life.
Your willingness to go and lift others never ceases to inspire us—and it’s a beautiful example of Eyes Up. Do the Work. 🙏

Long time member of E4A, Alex Zettler, helps teach us that lessons learned from sports come in all sorts of ways.

Alex Zettler’s story—#43 in the video above—is one of quiet resilience and unwavering commitment. Over six years at Texas A&M, he played mostly special teams and on the practice squad—giving his body to the team without ever being the star. When a promised scholarship was revoked after his junior year, he faced a tough choice: walk away or keep giving his all. He chose to stay, embracing his role and pouring everything into his teammates and coaches. That selfless commitment led his team to honor him with the 12th Man Brotherhood Award. 🏆👏

This award is rooted in one of college football’s most legendary traditions 🏈🔥. In the 1922 Dixie Classic, Texas A&M was battered and running out of players against the nation’s top-ranked team, Centre College. E. King Gill, a former player and current basketball team member, was in the press box assisting reporters when Coach Dana X. Bible called him down to suit up. Gill put on an injured player’s uniform and stood on the sideline, ready to step in. Though he never entered the game, he remained standing until the final whistle, the last man left on the bench as Texas A&M pulled off an improbable 22-14 upset victory 🙌.

Since then, Texas A&M has embraced the 12th Man as a symbol of readiness, loyalty, and selfless service. Though Alex never wore the official 12th Man jersey, his actions embodied the very spirit of the tradition—staying, serving, and making his teammates better 💪. His perseverance also helped him transition into coaching at a young age, proving that those who commit fully to their roles often earn opportunities beyond what they imagined 🎯.

🎙️ We spoke with him on this week’s podcast, and you don’t want to miss it! 🔥💯

#12thMan #TexasAM #GigEm #Resilience #SelflessService #CompeteWithoutContempt #SportsLeadership #Podcast #AthleteMindset

Recently, we had the opportunity to visit with the Utah Tech Blaze Dance Team, last year’s national champions. Their theme this year is simple but powerful:

Believe to Become.

As we visited with them, we shared a message that we feel applies far beyond a dance floor.

1. Becoming Is Different Than Accomplishing

Accomplishments are visible.
Becoming is internal.

Sports give us trophies, banners, rings, and recognition. But what they really offer us is something much deeper—character, discipline, resilience, humility, love for teammates, and the ability to work through adversity.

Accomplishments fade.
Who we become remains.

The greatest gift athletics give us isn’t what we achieve—it’s who we are shaping ourselves into through the process.

2. Humility Fuels Becoming

If we truly want to become all that we’re capable of becoming, we must choose humility over pride.

Becoming requires:
• Being coachable
• Welcoming feedback
• Listening instead of defending
• Responding instead of reacting

When we are humble and responsive to those who love us enough to correct us, stretch us, and teach us, we always become something more than we would have become on our own.

Pride resists growth.
Humility accelerates it.

3. Get Lost Helping Others Become

The greatest teams aren’t made up of individuals obsessed with their own performance. They’re made up of teammates with their eyes up—looking for who needs encouragement, who needs help, who needs belief.

When we lose ourselves helping others become their best selves, something powerful happens:
We become better too.

Teams thrive when:
• Teammates lift each other
• Correction is rooted in love
• Success is shared
• Struggles are carried together

That’s the kind of culture that sustains championships. We wish the blaze the best of luck as they go onto nationals.

Trust is built one decision at a time.
Marcus Bleazard, linebacker for the Navy Midshipmen football, shared how football and the military taught him something powerful:
⏰ Be punctual
🧠 Don’t negotiate with yourself
📋 Do what you said you would do
When you listen to that inner voice and follow through—showing up on time, sticking to the plan, getting the reps—you begin to trust yourself.
And before others trust you in big moments, you have to trust yourself in the small ones.
Consistency builds confidence.
Confidence builds momentum.
Momentum leads to success.
🎙️ From Episode 157 of the Especially for Athletes podcast.
#WinTheHour #EspeciallyForAthletes #Episode157 #SelfTrust #Discipline BuildMomentum AthleteMindset Leadership

This week on The SportLight Podcast…
We begin with a heart-wrenching moment:
A young man, through tears, tells his mom how classmates bullied him—mocking his appearance, saying he had no friends, and even physically harassing him with food and cruelty.

He says, “It’s not OK—just because kids are different.”

And he’s right.
It’s not OK.

At Especially for Athletes, we believe in using the SportLight to stand up, speak out, and lift others. Athletes have influence—and this episode is all about how to use it to protect, not to hurt.

Coaches and parents—this is an episode worth listening to WITH your athletes.
It’s raw. It’s real. And it’s important.

#EyesUp
#SeekToBlessNotToImpress
#CompeteWithoutContempt

#EspeciallyForAthletes #SportLightPodcast #StopBullying #BeTheDifference #AthleteInfluence #LiftTheLonely #ProtectTheVulnerable #PodcastForParents #PodcastForCoaches

It was awesome to have BYU cheerleaders, Ammon Montenegro and Aislee Meacham on our podcast this week. Check out the whole podcast. It was incredible. Here’s a few highlights.
Failure doesn’t define you—it refines you. 💪
And true competition doesn’t require hate—it requires heart. ❤️
In this week’s Especially for Athletes podcast, BYU cheerleaders Aislee Meacham and Ammon Montenegro share powerful insights on what it really means to compete—with love, gratitude, and resilience.
Their message is a perfect reminder heading into rivalry week:
👉 Failure can’t change your worth.
👉 Rivalry shouldn’t erase your respect.
👉 Compete hard—but always Compete Without Contempt.
🎙️ Full episode out now!
#EspeciallyForAthletes #CompeteWithoutContempt #Resilience #EyesUpDoTheWork #BYU #E4A #WinTheHour #SeekToBlessNotToImpress

@canyon_view_baseball @canyonview_cheer @cvhs_strength_conditioning @green.canyon.drill

💭 Imagine this: You’re in a locker room with teammates. You may come from completely different backgrounds—different beliefs, skin colors, politics, or experiences—but in that moment, you’re united by one goal. 🏆
Your sweat smells the same. Your blood runs the same color. You all feel the same pain when you lose and the same joy when you win.
🌎 We are so much more alike than we are different.
What if we focused on what we have in common instead of what divides us? What if we gave each other more patience, respect, and benefit of the doubt?
👏 Let’s not judge others by their worst moments. Let’s choose kindness, give second chances, and just be better to each other.
👀 Eyes up. Do the work.
#MondayMotivation #BeKind #RespectEachOther #EyesUpDoTheWork #PositiveVibes #LockerRoomLessons #BetterTogether #AthletesForGood #Leadership #Teamwork #e4a #e4afamily #charleykirk

“I got cut 4 years in a row… but I kept showing up.”
Elsie Murphy didn’t wear the jersey. She never made the team.
But her resilience led her to a scholarship and now a key role with Utah State Football.

She didn’t quit—she redirected her dream, gave 110%, and found her happy place.

At some point, you’ll hang up the shoes.
But your impact doesn’t have to end.

Live like you’re living.
Give everything—even when it looks different than you planned.

#Resilience #LiveLikeYoureLiving #EspeciallyForAthletes #AthletesWithPurpose #EffortOverEverything #MoreThanTheGame #MakeADifference #CharacterCounts #UtahStateFootball #ElsieMurphy #EFApodcast

Our Spring Summit was a huge success!
At one powerful moment, a group of students—chosen by their administrators for their exceptional leadership—stepped onto the stage to speak.

One young man shared his story.
As a freshman, he was taken under the wing of older athletes. That simple act had a lasting impact on him. Now, he feels a deep responsibility to do the same for others.

To think there are hundreds of students like him—who’ve heard the Especially for Athletes message and are living it—leaves no doubt about their power to lead and lift.
They’re keeping their #EyesUp and doing the #Work.

The future is bright. These kids are the proof.

#LeadershipInAction
#EspeciallyForAthletes
#EyesUpDoTheWork
#HighSchoolAthletes
#MentorshipMatters
#LeadByExample
#YouthLeadership
#AthletesWithPurpose

Let’s go!
Keep lifting. Keep leading.
One teammate at a time.
One life at a time.
That’s the movement.

#E4A

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight:
Ashley Matern – The Power of Not Giving Up

She suffered a brutal injury: cracked tibia. Torn ligaments. Her 2023 season ended. Most thought her career had, too.

But on Episode #154 of the Especially for Athletes Podcast, we meet Ashley Matern—now the 2024 U.S. Tumbling Champion. Her comeback story is more than inspiring, it’s unforgettable.

“Don’t close the door on yourself. If there’s still gas in the tank, make someone else close the door—you don’t shut it on yourself.”

🎧 In This Episode:

• How Ashley overcame years of setbacks
• What it takes to return after a career-threatening injury
• The mindset of an elite athlete when others doubt you
• Why your best moment might still be ahead

🏆 Highlight Moment:

“The joy after the absolute antithesis of joy.” — a commentator, watching Ashley celebrate with her coach post-victory

💭 “I struck out three times… and thought my career was over.”

But after that game, my coach said something I’ll never forget:
👉 “I’m not stupid enough to give a scholarship to a kid who can’t hit.”
He didn’t label me by my failure—he gave me permission to fail.

That moment changed my life. 💥
Not just as an athlete… but as a person.

🎯 We can’t label ourselves by our worst moments.
Too many of us are walking through life as our own worst critic.
If someone else talked to us the way we talk to ourselves… we’d call it bullying.

So here’s your Monday Motivation:
🧠 Be kind to yourself.
Speak to yourself like you would to a teammate.
👊 Positive self-talk is deeply connected to success—in athletics, in school, and in life.

🎙️ We go deeper on this in our latest podcast episode—check it out if you’re ready to train your mind like you train your body. 💪

Eyes up. Do the work.
But do it with kindness.

“Comparison is the thief of joy.”

On this week’s podcast, long time e4a athlete and current Duke University Track Team member Ally Gomm shared how the principle of Compete Without Contempt has helped her find real joy in the success of others—even when they beat her.

There’s something calming about giving your all, striving to be your best, and then celebrating your teammates when they succeed—even if they finish ahead of you.

When we stop measuring ourselves against others and start measuring ourselves against our best, we unlock a better version of ourselves—and a better team culture.

Compete hard. Cheer harder.
That’s how real athletes show up.

#CompeteWithoutContempt #EspeciallyForAthletes #EyesUp #TeamOverSelf #TrackLife #AllyGomm #DukeTrack #AthleteMindset #CelebrateOthers #WinTheHour