From the desk of Wally Dawkins, Athletic Director:

You catch yourself noticing some interesting things when you sit on a beach for long periods of time.  My wife says it looks like I am “staring into the abyss” when I sit and gaze endlessly at the horizon.

Actually,  I am being quite observant. I do notice many of the wonderful things our awesome God has created and blessed us with. The way the moon effects the tide is amazing to say the least. Watching the waves roll in for long periods of time is like watching a fire…mesmerizing. And what is that dark shadow swimming just below the surface. Is it a shark? Possibly a dolphin or manatee? Is it just a school of minnows or a clump of seaweed? I also notice the things of the air.  Like sunsets.  No two of which are alike. Cloud formations that not only change colors, but turn into “animal shapes”.

Then there are all the different types of birds that hover overhead.  Skimmers are cartoonish and cool, while Pelicans, though bulky, can be oh-so-graceful. Two types of birds that I catch myself paying the most attention to are Seagulls and Ospreys. The behavior and character traits of these two birds are so different from one another, yet are also very “people-like”.

The Osprey or “Sea Eagle” is such a magnificent winged creature, and the way this bird spends the day is a beauty to behold.

The Osprey is a worker.  The large bird is constantly hovering 30-40 feet above the water, using its amazing eyesight to possibly catch a glimpse of some unsuspecting finned creature down below that is swimming too close to the surface of the water.  After long periods of “eyeballing” the choppy surf, once the Sea Eagle spots its unsuspecting prey, the bird goes into full dive mode with wings completely folded under and plunges violently head first into the sea, plucking an unsuspecting fish from its watery home.  With “mullet in mouth”, the Osprey ascends nearly straight up, pausing only to shake the sea water from its feathers while carrying off the fresh catch for dinner.  Once consumed, The Osprey is back to work, again and again, tirelessly repeating the routine until night fall.

Talk about work ethic!  Talk about stamina! Talk about not giving up…or resiliency, this fowled friend is a great example of how hard work and persistence pays off.  Many times the Osprey will work in pairs or with their mate and let out a deep “chirp” when a successful hunt is concluded.

On the flip side, there’s our pal the Seagull.  Now, I like pictures of Seagulls, sitting on pylons, or when standing on the beach with their feathers all fluffed.  I suppose they can be cute enough. And humorous enough too, when a group of 20-30 huddle together in what looks like “we’re here for the meeting”. But the Seagull’s character traits are totally different than Ospreys.

The Seagull is what I call a “hoper”. That’s hope-errrr.  One who “hopes something good will happen or come their way. The Seagull you see, in contrast to the Sea Eagle, stands on the beach, waiting for some poor unfortunate minnow to be washed up by the incoming tide and rest right between its gnarly three pronged toes.  It’s a great plan.  The seagull deducts that “If you stand and wait long enough, maybe…just maybe, something good will come right to me”.

However, if a “finned meal” doesn’t present itself, the possibility of a tourist tossing up a chip or piece of cheese cracker is always a consideration.  This freebie happens only when the Seagull stands close by, hoping that the beach goer will “pay it forward”.  Forward meaning tossing something up to Mr. Seagull.

One of the seagull’s worst attributes however, is its reaction to a fellow bird who just so happens to luckily retrieve “swimmy” or a cheese nip. If a feathered friend happens to have lunch washed up or thrown its way, the Seagull who is without starts squawking loudly and flies frantically towards the luckier loon in an attempt to scare the other bird into dropping its prize.  You see, not only do Seagulls refuse to put forth effort or work hard to be successful, they don’t like for other gulls to experience good fortune either.

Strange, but Seagulls and Ospreys do tend to remind me of some people I know (mostly relatives, and not on my side of the family). At Brook Hill we want our student athletes to emulate “The Sea Eagle”.

Our coaches at Brook Hill instill in our athletes that working hard is what God expects of us. Second Timothy 2:15 says “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed”. We want our student athletes to work hard in the class room, while on the field or court, and to work hard at representing Brook Hill while exemplifying Christ-like character.

This year…be an Osprey.  Work hard.  Work tirelessly.  Find joy in the success of others. Don’t give up and for heaven’s sakes, don’t let anyone suggest that you are acting like a Seagull!

That’s another reason to be “ALL ORANGE…All The Time”