September/October 2020 - 6

EDITORIAL be twe e n the line s
pushing
THE LIMITS
By Wesley Sykes, managing editor
What is now proved was once only imagined. I'm not sure even
acclaimed poet William Blake could foresee the innovations
that would take place after he first uttered the phrase during
the late 1700s.
It seems now, more than ever, Blake's wise words ring true.
With records continually falling to the wayside and cutting
edge products helping to aid the process. But much like how
we as a society have the power to place limitations on what is
believed to be possible, we have that same power to continue to
push those limits.
The year was 1954 and it was collectively accepted that no
human would be able to eclipse a four-minute mile. Roger
Bannister believed otherwise. On May 6 of the same year,
Bannister broke the four-minute barrier, and subsequently, the
once accepted notion that it couldn't happen. It's said that part
of Bannister's training involved visualizing the accomplishment
to create a sense of certainty in his mind and body. And
according to Track & Field News, 560 US runners have since
gone on to complete a sub-four-minute mile.
No one ever thought New York Yankee Hall of Famer Lou
Gerhig's consecutive games played streak of 2,130 would ever
be broken. It stood for 56 years before Cal Ripken Jr. surpassed
Gerhig's number to take over the title of baseball's Iron Man.
And who would expect competitive food eating champion Joey
Chestnut to continually top his record-setting amount of hot
dogs eaten in the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest?
A healthy unwillingness to accept the norms is a necessary
character trait for anybody competing in athletics. It's what
drives those to empty the tank on a final sprint to home plate
during an extra-innings ball game. It was the fuel behind the
16th-seeded UMBC Retrievers becoming the first team to
upset a top-ranked team in the first round of the NCAA March
Madness tournament.
In the latest edition of Coach & Athletic Director, " the
Innovations Issue " , we highlight those who continue to push
the boundaries of athletic competition. We'll be giving a
spotlight to 13 innovating products in the industry. We spoke
with coaches who've been utilizing the latest tech to aid in their
pursuit of greatness. The athletic director from Bloomsburg
University shares his program's new philosophy in setting up
student-athletes for success post-college. And we get a glimpse
of some innovative procedures in the world of sports medicine.
Before diving into the issue, I'll leave you with a final
quote from Arthur C. Clarke that will hopefully find a place
of importance in the athletic spectrum. The only way to
discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the
impossible.
Enjoy the latest edition of Coach & Athletic Director!
MANAGING EDITOR
GROUP PUBLISHER
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MULTIMEDIA DESIGNER
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COO & DIRECTOR OF
CUSTOM MEDIA
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Wesley Sykes, 616-520-2149
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD:
TOM BASS, Former NFL Assistant, Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
& San Diego Chargers * DR. DAVID HOCH, Retired Athletic Director, Baltimore
County, MD * ABE WEHMILLER, Director of Athletics, Charlotte Country Day
School, Charlotte, NC * ALAN STEIN, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach,
Nike Elite DeMatha Catholic High School, MD * PETE KITTEL, Principal, Brillion
High School, WI * DARREN FENSTER, Minor League Manager, Boston Red Sox
& Founder/CEO, Coaching Your Kids, LLC, Neptune, NJ * JOSH HILS, Soccer
Coach, Coe-Brown Northwood Academy, NH * DR. BRANDEN LIPPY, Athletic
Director, Lampeter-Strasburg High School, Lancaster, PA
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6 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2020
September/October 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September/October 2020
