March Madness!

It's that crazy time of the year where all Basketball fans go wild. It's March Madness. You might be asking, what is March Madness? March Madness is the end of the season basketball tournament where the best 64 teams compete for a National Championship! It starts off with an opening round game which determines who is the 64th team. There are six rounds of the tournament, First Round, Second Round, Sweet Sixteen, Elite Eight, Final Four and Final the National Championship Game.

On Monday and Tuesday each class worked on a Tournament Bracket chart, on which they predicted the winners for each round. They learned about seeding, and about how the chart predicts, and organized their ideas about how it would go by working their way through the chart. So if it was up to Anita's, Elaine's and Susan's class Michigan State would be the National Champion and if it was up to Renata's class Pittsburg would be the National Champion. So far Michigan State is on track to making it to the National Championship Game, Pittsburg lost in Round Two.

During class the students have been working very hard on their basketball skills from learning how to dribble, pass and shoot as well is teamwork. We talked about how important teamwork is in winning a Championship as well as how it is important in the game of LIFE. Without the support of a family, classmates, teachers, teammates, your community, it is very hard to accomplish the goal, whatever it may be for.

The example I used with them was that just because a team might be the best skilled, talented, or higher rank team doesn't necessarily mean it is going to win the National Championship. We see many times in sports it's the team that works together as team, picks up someone who might be having a bad game or is hurt that wins.

At the end of the National Championship game they play a highlight film with the song called "One Shining Moment" written by David Barrett, who resides in Ann Arbor. This song pretty much sums up the whole tournament and why it is so fun and exciting to watch and follow. The lyrics can be applied to anything you do in life.

One Shining Moment

The ball is tipped
and there you are
you're running for your life
you're a shooting star
And all the years
no one knows
just how hard you worked
but now it shows...
(in) ONE SHINING MOMENT, IT'S ALL ON THE LINE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, THERE FROZEN IN TIME

But time is short
and the road is long
in the blinking of an eye
ah that moment's gone
And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED DEEP INSIDE
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW YOU WERE ALIVE

Feel the beat of your heart
feel the wind in your face
it's more than a contest
it's more than a race...

And when it's done
win or lose
you always did your best
cuz inside you knew...
(that) ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU REACHED FOR THE SKY
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU KNEW
ONE SHINING MOMENT, YOU WERE WILLING TO TRY
ONE SHINING MOMENT...