Advertisement:

High School Sports: Spina Bifida no Match for Niles North Pitcher James Fuller

This past April must have been inspiration month as another article about an athlete facing tough adversity (and many surgeries) to accomplish something most just take for granted―playing high school baseball. In the Chicago Sun-Times, a piece titled Undeterred by spina bifida, Niles North senior stunning foes on mound highlights the difficulties associated with such... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 4, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment

London Paralympics: Cheating to Gain an Edge Can Take Many Forms – Unbelievable!!!

As I shake my head in disbelief, I find it difficult to even process the details found in the recent article, Fake Handicaps a Growing Problem for Disabled Sports, from Spiegel Online International, let alone put my thoughts into words. Just reading the title turns my stomach. I mean, really!!! It is bad enough that... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
May 1, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment

Olympics: LA Times Article on Kayla Harrison, Her Struggles, and Possible Gold in London is AWESOME!!!

No sooner had I published an article on NCAA wrestling champion Anthony Robles (based on a Q &A session at espn.go.com) highlighting the inspiration behind his feat, in spite of the obstacle he faced, and out comes another inspirational piece from the LA Times. This one about Kayla Harrison, the difficulty she faced, and her... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 30, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

NCAA Champion Anthony Robles: A Man on a Mission Has No Bounds

Inspiration, motivation, desire; three almost interchangeable terms which hold the power to move us from where we are to where we want to be. Like a smoldering, yet ever-present fire, sometimes white hot in intensity, the significance of these terms to the overall theme of becoming the best one can be simply cannot be denied... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 27, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment

High School: A Definition of True Success That Builds From the Inside Out

Back in December of 2009, after a conversation I had with one of my kids, I was contemplating the idea of what true or real success is. A definition, so to speak, that would help give clarification to the term. I mean everyone has their own personal definition of what success is to them, right? However, in today’s... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 25, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment

Future of Illegal Performance Enhancement is Likely Super Hi-Tech Through DNA

Athlete:  Hey, do you have anything new that will give me an edge over the competition in the upcoming Olympics next year? I need something different, better than what everyone else is using to catch up. Scientist:  Well…there is this DNA manipulating IGF-1 stuff that has been known to increase strength threefold in mice. It... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 23, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

High School: A Wrestler's Awe-Inspiring Demonstration of Inner Will, Determination and Grit - Fine Example for All

Back in May of 2008 (on my original blog), and in March here on Chicago Now, I posted a short piece on a very special wrestler from Ohio.  One thing that made this wrestler so special was his willingness to take on what many would say were insurmountable odds to become a state contender in his weight class in wrestling -... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 20, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment

High School: New Sports Book For Athletes, Parents, and Coaches: "Becoming a True Champion," Released!!!

It’s surreal how a simple conversation between sports parents about sports, success, and kids can spark an idea that evolves to the point of a published work. After eight long years of work, writing, queries, waiting…more work, more writing, more queries and more waiting…etc., Becoming a True Champion (#BATC) has been published. No more, “Hey... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 18, 2012 at 7:00 am
• 2 comments

High School: College and College Bound Athletes Better Mind Their P’s & Q’s on Twitter, Facebook…

And to think that when I was in high school, the new big thing was calculators (ok, you under 40 crowd, stop laughing). Man, have things changed; and changed a lot. Heck, when we wanted to send someone a message, a note, we wrote it down on a piece of notebook paper, folded it up... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 16, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment
Advertisement:

High School Sports: One-Handed Athlete Knows No Bounds

It’s kind of funny how some parents know their children so well; even as their kids age, become fathers themselves and are not considered kids anymore, except by their own parents. These clued-in parents just seem to get it. They understand what interests, motivates and inspires their offspring, and they know why. My father represents... Read more »
By Kirk Mango,
April 13, 2012 at 7:00 am
• Leave a comment