Grace White is a college senior who plays first base for Union University, a DII school in Jackson, Tennessee, and is majoring in Journalism. She writes frequently for Extra Inning Softball sharing her thoughts regarding all things on and off the field.
She is also the Sports Editor for the Cardinal & Cream, her school’s student publication, and has a younger sister who plays in the Virginia Unity club organization.
In today’s Inside Pitch, Grace shares her thoughts on the 2011 action/drama movie “Warrior,” the character of Brendan Conlon, and the idea of giving your all…
You want to get motivated? Fired up? Driven to succeed when all odds are against you?
Watch–or rewatch–this movie to find the inspiration to do this!
*****
When I think of doing my best, what comes to mind is Colossians 3:17 from the New Testament, which says:
“And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (ESV).
This is the verse that my Dad has always referenced when giving me a lecture about doing better in school or on the softball field. Basically, this verse is saying that we need to give our best for Jesus in everything that we do so that others can see Him in us, whether we’re taking a Biology exam or practicing softball.
The words embody the ultimate work ethic, especially for a Christian, but I know as well as anybody that these words also present a daunting task.
Many times, when I get to the softball field in the afternoon, I’m tired from class and weights. My desire in those moments usually isn’t to put my ball pants on and get ready for three hours of drill work and team preparation.
I’m rarely successful at whole-heartedly living out Colossians 3:17, which isn’t easy for me to admit. I’ll be doing good for a couple of hours and then thoughts of tiredness and dissatisfaction creep in.
I think it’s getting through those moments that define great people and great athletes.
At some point, I’m sure many pro athletes, Division I athletes, and others at all levels have questioned what they were doing. They could have done the bare minimum and made it through, maybe with a college scholarship to a smaller school. But their sights weren’t set on the present.
They understood that the pain and exhaustion that they were experiencing was necessary to reach their ultimate goals.
Recently, I watched “Warrior,” the Gavin O’Connor-directed film starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two brothers who are MMA fighters.
The character of Brendan Conlon (portrayed by Edgerton) had fought when he was younger but eventually stopped and became a high school physics teacher. Together, he and his wife Tess had two little girls.
However, life wasn’t easy for them, and they were struggling to make ends meet. They had been forced to mortgage their house to be able to pay for heart surgery for one of their daughters. If they couldn’t earn enough money, they were going to lose their home.
Brendan refused to give up. He didn’t want his family to have to settle, so he went back to what he knew: fighting. As a result of an injury to another fighter, Brendan was able to compete in Sparta, an MMA tournament in which the winner would receive $5 million.
Brendan Conlon was definitely not the best fighter in the cage.
In order for him to win his first two fights in Sparta, he had to knockout his opponents because they were so much better than him. However, Brendan had the most heart. He got beaten and battered but refused to tap out. He knew what was at stake. He wasn’t just fighting for himself. He was fighting for his family.
My favorite part of the movie is Brendan’s semifinal fight against Koba, a Russian star fighter. At the end of round two, Brendan was losing. He had taken blow after blow from Koba. To the average spectator, there was no reason he shouldn’t have tapped out already.
Here’s a clip of that dramatic fight scene (watch this before—spoiler alert!—reading the rest of the text below):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NtzeKWD14HQ
But Brendan couldn’t quit, and his trainer Frank Campana (played by Frank Grillo) knew that.
Frank knelt in front of Brendan before the start of round three and said:
“You don’t knock him out, you lose the fight. Understand me? You don’t knock him out, you don’t have a home.”
This wasn’t just an MMA fight for Brendan. His family’s entire future was riding on the outcome.
- Would he lose, meaning his family would probably have to move to a small apartment and he and Tess would have to work multiple jobs just to stay afloat?
- Or would he somehow find the strength to knockout the Russian and continue on his journey to try to set his family up for life?
In the third round, Brendan reached deep within himself and pulled off the knockout… simply, he gave it his all because there was so much on the line.
I know most of us aren’t having to compete in MMA tournaments to keep from losing our homes, but I do know that all of us have dreams of some sort, whether it be to play DI softball or become an All-American.
These dreams won’t come true on their own. It’s going to take work on our part. It’s going to take us doing some uncomfortable and painful things, but that’s part of the journey.
I hope we all learn to embrace that as the Warrior’s Brendan Conlon did!
— Grace White, Extra Inning Softball correspondent
