Waving in the Right Direction

Last week was a personally challenging one in a number of ways. We lost one of my great friends and coaching colleagues in Leo Hupke. I wrote a lengthy Facebook post about his impact if you are interested. We had the anniversary of 9/11 which was a devastating event in our country’s history and personally, it was the same day one of my students was killed in an accident the night of 9/11. Finally, we had the senseless assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk at a public event that has created a firestorm of online reactions on both sides of the aisle that have honestly left me flabbergasted and wondering what is wrong with our country. How have we become so divided and how has the world become so negative? Why can’t we all just be respectful, work together, and get things done for the good of the cause?

Fortunately, my end of the week improved a bit, not surprisingly because of sports. You may not know this but because of a lack of coaches, I took a late position at the end of August as a 7th grade volleyball coach in Mason City. This is the players first experience with school sports so everything is new and we have a very diverse group of kids who have never played together and haven’t spent much time together. We had our first match on Thursday and although we lost the match, many positives were observed, everyone played together, and both teams were respectful throughout the match and no issues arose.

Friday night, I traveled to Waverly with 2 great friends to do the radio broadcast of the Mason City football game. Our booth was on the home side so we had to walk through the middle of their crowd and our booth was next to the Marshalltown radio station. Everyone was very cordial to us and the Marshalltown announcer even helped us out with a technical issue that came up. We had several interactions with their spectators and all were positive. The Riverhawks played a great game and won by a large margin. After the game, we walked out through numerous Marshalltown fans and players, and no one accused us nor the team of wrongdoing or cheating, the contest ended, both sides gave their best, and everyone moved on.

Saturday, after a long, warm day of working outside, I sat down to watch the Iowa football game. One of the most powerful traditions in all of sports happens at the Iowa games. At the end of the first quarter of every Hawkeye football game, players, coaches, officials, and fans all turn toward the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and wave to the kids watching from above. For that moment, the scoreboard doesn’t matter, rivalries don’t matter, and the game pauses. Everyone—both teams, all fans, even the referees—comes together for something bigger than football. Everyone waves at the kids in the hospital who are all fighting very serious illnesses. I get chills every time I watch that. It’s an incredible moment of coming together for a cause bigger than any one person or any conflict that might be there during the game. It’s a reminder that unity is possible when the cause is greater than ourselves.

Watching that tradition made me think about the world we live in right now. Everywhere we look, it feels like division is the norm. Politics, social issues, even day-to-day disagreements often turn into “us versus them.” Yet here is an example that shows people of all backgrounds, beliefs, and loyalties can pause, come together, and show support for something that truly matters. If we can do it for a football game, why can’t we do it in our communities and our country?

Sports provide us with an important lesson: teams succeed when people with different strengths, personalities, and roles unite toward a common goal. A win isn’t the result of one person—it’s the collective effort of everyone working together. What would happen if we treated our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and especially our politics with that same mindset? Wins wouldn’t just be measured in points or votes, but in problems solved and lives improved.

Figuring out ways to make this happen seems overwhelming in many ways. It all goes back to controlling what you can control, be it how we act, how we treat people, and how we respond to others. During the Iowa game, I was thinking of ways that we can “wave” in everyday life and move toward a more cordial, cooperative society:

• Listen first. Truly hear where someone else is coming from before responding.

• Celebrate others’ wins. Acknowledge good work—even from those you might disagree with. Sometimes the “other side” wins or has better ideas than I do.

• Find common ground. Look for shared goals instead of focusing only on differences.

• Offer encouragement. A small gesture of support can mean more than we realize.

• Work toward shared victories. Approach challenges with a team mindset, not a battle or us vs them mentality.

The Iowa Wave is more than a football tradition—it’s a symbol of what’s possible when we set aside our differences and focus on what matters most. As a country, as communities, and as individuals, we could all benefit from learning from that moment of unity. Sports teams bringing a wide background of people together to create a team to take on a variety of opponents is a clearly popular concept in our country that works. Going forward, let’s find ways to come together, acknowledge the dedication and beliefs of others, and work toward victories that lift everyone. After all, life isn’t about beating the “other side”—it’s about creating something better together. Let’s demand that our political leaders do the same, and if they can’t do that, let’s find people to replace them that will believe those ideals. Have a great week!

Coach K