Decision Time!

As the years ran by, time found a way to place me in interesting situations, allowed me to be a part of amazing events, and pieced together memories to never be left behind. With each passing year, I grew in both stature and experience. As these changes came about, I had to handle the curveballs that life threw at me. They started off small. “Should I buy the Transformer or the Indiana Jones Lego set with my birthday money?” Back then, these were huge decisions to me! If I had the ability to go back in time and tell my younger self about the decisions that I would have to make in the future, I am sure that little boy would probably not sweat about a decision between two toys.

Growing up, my parents always looked to both my sister and myself when it came to big decisions that would affect all of us. When circumstance called for my family to leave Cuero, Texas, my mom and dad talked to me to find out where we should go next. My dad had several job offers but the two my dad and I liked best were in Columbus and Sinton. After long talks, we decided on Sinton, and that is where we stayed for four great years. Later, I had to make a choice to stay in Sinton or move to Yoakum. The situation didn’t change. Everyone in the family got together and made the decision as one.

When I progressed though the education system, I had more opportunities to make choices that affected me both long and short term. As early as middle school, school districts allow their students to choose what they would like to do with their schedules. “Do I want to be in athletics? Do I want to start learning skills I will use in the workforce?” As I moved into high school, the choices became a little more specified, and they started to have more long term effects. In my case, I took more classes that would assist me in my intended career choice: engineering.

Then there is one of the biggest decisions that any student will ever make. “Where should I go to college?”

I have finally reached  the point where I have to make a decision on where I want to go to college. I have been blessed to have several schools lined up in front of me. Each one has their pros and cons. One may be closer to family, one may cost less and another has strong Christian values. There are so many things that are flowing through my mind that it has gotten overwhelming at times. Regardless, a decision has to be made.

After several visits, long talks, sleepless nights, and hope-filled prayers, I have made my final decision. I have decided to commit to the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. It has been a long road leading up to this moment, but I know that it was worth it. I am anxiously awaiting the day that I step onto the campus as a true Crusader!

To make this decision, I had to have some assistance. First off, I needed some help from myself. There were times when the whole recruiting process was overwhelming. I decided to separate myself from the situation and wait for a time when I wasn’t so bogged down. Sometimes this helped and I was able to think properly. At times I found myself procrastinating, so I had to find a healthy balance. Knowing how to take a break and stop worrying will help in any decision making situation.

I also needed help from the coaches from the different schools. All of the coaching staffs did their part in trying to sway me one way or another. They made me feel as if I were part of the family before I ever made a decision for or against them. Out of all the coaches that called me, Coach Wilkinson and his crew at Texas A&M-Kingsville were great at doing just that. I had gotten to know those coaches and I felt comfortable talking to them. To sweeten the pot, Coach Fredenburg and his staff at UMHB were good at this too. I got to see the best of both places while visiting. Because of these two groups of coaches, I was able to narrow my search down, which relieved some of of the stress.

Of course, I also needed help from my family. They sometimes served as an extra set of eyes on my visits. They were able to notice things , both good and bad, that I would never have noticed. They also were able to provide opinions of their own that helped me make my final decision. My parents have been on this world longer than I have. They might know a thing or two that I don’t. Without them, this decision would have been way harder than it needed to be.

Finally, was there ever a doubt that I needed help from the man upstairs? I wouldn’t have chosen UMHB if I didn’t feel as if it were the place where God wanted me to be. In Philippians 4:7, it says, “And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your heart and your minds in Jesus Christ.” I know that this is the place for me because I have felt a peace within my heart about the university. I don’t fully understand why I feel this peace, but I also know that it is truly impossible to fully understand what God does in our life.

When your head and your heart are saying the same thing, you should listen. My head tells me of the wonderful education that I would get and how amazing of a football program this place has. My heart tells me that this place will leave me with more than an education, but an experience that I will never forget. All of the decisions that I have made from a young age until now have led me here. I am blessed to even have this opportunity. All glory to God as I start this new chapter in my life.

And one more thing… Go Cru!!!

Cutting Out the Crap in 2017

The year of 2016 ended and I think just about everyone couldn’t wait for it to be over. If you think about it, there was so much negativity that carried on all throughout the year. There were bombings, shootings, and one of the most brutal presidential campaigns in history. I don’t mean to be completely negative, but it is worth noting all the pain that we endured throughout the  year. There were good times and there were bad times, but I think we all can agree that some change would do us all some good.

With all that pain in mind, I actually came up with the perfect New Years Resolution. My idea is to cut out anything in my life that dragged me down. It isn’t a focused goal like losing weight or playing less video games. Rather this resolution requires a little soul-searching. I had to ask myself around the end of December, “What all do you want to get rid of for 2017?” After some thinking, I came up with a few topics but there are three that stand out the most.

The first one is to cut out my negative feelings towards a few people who are both in my life or once were in my life. My ex-girlfriend and I broke up midway through 2016 and it wasn’t the prettiest of breakups. There has been lots of soreness between the two of us ever since. I always felt the need to bring her up in conversations and rant about her, but I realized that the longer I did that, the longer that pain would have power over me. I lowered my pride and dropped her completely. Maybe there is someone who is holding you back from being happy. I suggest cutting them out. You will feel so much better when you do.

I also decided to get rid of my tendency to not do things out of fear. We’ve all experienced a time where we felt like talking to the girl or trying out something new, but our fear keeps us from seizing the opportunity. This has happened to me several times in my life. I often found myself not wanting to participate in something fun out of fear of embarrassment. I went to Bremond with a friend for the Polish Festival and while I was there, I met a girl who was nice and very good-looking. I got to talk to her for a little bit, but as the night went on, I never asked for a number or anything of the sort. When she finally had to go home, I realized that I missed my opportunity. I was afraid of the answer she would give. I actually got a head start on this part of my resolution, for I found myself trying new foods at my sister’s office Christmas party.

Finally, I decided to cut out my tendency to retaliate. You know those times when someone says something that is absolutely horrible about you and you can’t help but show him what your hands be talking about? Well, I have had troubles as of late to retaliate to people who made the mistake of crossing me. There was a lot of trash talking before we played Cuero during our football season. Some people said negative things about me personally, calling me things like “trash” and a “non-factor.” I played that game with a chip on my shoulder. One bad thing about that is when I play emotionally, I don’t play as well as I do when I am focused. I made several mistakes that I am sure I wouldn’t have made had I been zoned in on performing.

I am sure that you may have something that is holding you back from making 2017 better than 2016. For me, it was all that negativity. Once I realized that cutting all of it out felt so liberating, I couldn’t help but be happy. What do you want to cut out of your life in 2017? Let me know in the comments!

Finishing Strong

All good things eventually come to an end. I’ve been playing this game for a long time. After our State Semi Final win which sent my team and I to the Texas State Football Championship, I found out when and where this storybook journey would finally end. The final chapter of my 59 varsity game career will end on Thursday, December 15th in the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. I only have 48 minutes of High School Football left to play, and I want to make sure that not a second is wasted.

It is said in 2 Timothy 4:7, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Though my story isn’t over just yet, I want to be able to say the same when that final buzzer goes off. I want to live without regrets, knowing that I have given my all. And with that effort and the passion I have for this game, I want it not to bring glory to self but to give the glory to God.

From the beginning of this season, I wanted to be able to look at myself in the mirror and to honestly say that I had no regrets, that I had done everything I could to help my team get to their goal. I remember when we played Cuero in one of our bigger non-district games and I had a big mistake that possibly cost us the game. One of their defensive ends was coming off the edge and I went for a cut block. Unfortunately for me, the right tackle had a hand on the guy and the referee called back a third and long touchdown pass with a chop block penalty. We were unable to convert on our next try and had to punt, which was returned for a touchdown, causing a 14 point swing. We lost 14-7.

I could look back at that situation and possibly hate the fact that it caused the problems that it did. I could say that I regretted going in for that cut block, but in reality, I don’t.  In that moment, I wanted to do what I thought was best for the team. I don’t regret that cut block. I knew from the beginning of the season that it wouldn’t be perfect. I was gunna make mistakes, and frankly, I am still making mistakes. As many times as I get a first down carry or make a tackle for little or no gain, I will have one screw up or another. But there is one thing for certain, and that is that I will never not give my full and undivided effort to my God or to my team.

And with all of that in mind, I will make sure that I treat this game like I have the others. Everyone on the team is fired up to be given this opportunity. For the rest of the seniors on the team and I, this will be our final three high school practices. This will be our final team dinner. This will be our final time to run out of that bulldog to our fight song. This will be our final game. It is my hope and my prayer that everyone on that field-both Mineola and Yoakum players alike-can say that they gave it their all and that they fought the good fight for their God first and then for their team.

 

 

 

 

 

The State Semi-Finals

 

As the clock ticked to zero on the scoreboard at Heroes Stadium in San Antonio, the emotion within me swelled. I almost began to cry right then and there. I turned back to my sideline and saw the coaches, players, trainers, fans, ballboys, cheerleaders and photographers celebrating in their own way. After going through the line of handshakes with the amazing-and salty-players from Hallettsville, I ran back to my dad who I hugged with a tight squeeze. That is when the blockade of my attempted manliness fell. The tears finally fell. They weren’t tears of defeat that our opponents felt but tears of joy, for my dad and I are going to the State Semi-Finals for the third time in four years.

It’s funny how my freshman year, when I played in my first playoff game, my dad told me, “Enjoy this game. This may be the only playoff game you ever play.” Here we are three years later and I have played in a total of eighteen playoff games so far. Knowing all of this in that moment, I couldn’t help but shed a tear or two. I have been blessed to play with many great players and to be coached by great coaches. With this being my final year in high school, I get one last shot at my ultimate goal of a State Championship.

My dream of a State Championship seemed hazy at the beginning of the year. Coach Bo, our head coach, offered a job to my dad here in YT and after weeks of debating, we decided to make the move. Our family felt as if it was the move that God wanted us to make, so we took a leap of faith and did it. Our faith was surely tested, for we started the year of with a losing record of 2-4. We even lost to Hallettsville who we faced during district play. We went into our bye week and refocused. I talked to some of our players and said, “Alright guys, this ain’t gunna be easy. We need to practice hard and get on a roll.” I can honestly say that I never lost faith in my God or my team. I just knew that we were going to turn it around. It is safe to say that we did, for we are on an eight game win streak.

But now we have a matchup against a tough team hailing from Malakoff, Texas, who defeated Cameron Yoe, a team who has played in the State Championship several times the last few years. We know it won’t be a cake walk, and though we have a dream and a desire to play in Arlington for a State Title, we have to take care of business this week first. The seniors who I am with are loving every minute of this experience. They have yet to taste the feeling of a Semi-Final game, while I have already tasted it twice before. I can only imagine the excitement they feel for this wondrous accomplishment.

I am not sure if God brought me to Yoakum to compete at this level. Everything goes according to his plan, but one thing I do know is that I will trust in the Lord through this game and for the rest of my life. I am proud of this accomplishment, but I know that all the glory goes to Him.

First blog post

Hello, I am Ethan Owens. I am a twenty-year-old sophomore at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in Belton, Texas. I am a coach’s kid, and as a result, I want to follow in my dad’s footsteps and be a coach like him. I love sports, especially football, and writing. I have written countless short stories and poems in my journals as well as a full fledged novel. (I currently have another one in the works.) I also love my family. My mom, Rachael, and my dad, Rick, brought me up in a Conservative-Christian home, and they raised me to be the young man I am today.

I got the idea of starting this blog from my sister, Kelsi. She constantly maintains and posts to her blog, discussing many topics. Mostly she sticks to politics and motivational pieces.

I am not sure what all I will include in this blog. I plan to discuss current events and throw out my own personal opinions about them. I also hope to write short stories so that other people may have the chance to read what I have to write. Who knows where this blog will take me. I am not sure whether I will be a guy that has constant political rants or a guy with the occasional sensible topic that has absolutely nothing at all to do with anyone other than myself. Hell, this might even turn into a personal journal of sorts. But no matter what this blog turns into, I hope that whoever reads what I have to say can find something they can relate to.