To the Band of Brothers: May 16, 2023

On Saturday, we held the Belen Sports Hall of Fame Banquet. Seven alumni and one team were inducted and recognized for their excellence in their sport of choice. The event was held in the Sarria Family Dining Hall and packed with parents, alumni, coaches, and administration. It is sponsored by the Belen Alumni Association and oftentimes delves deep into Belen’s rich history to bring back to life the athletic accomplishments of men who once graced the fields of competition both in Cuba and Miami.

 

They presented to the crowd in attendance each inductee with a great video that featured an interview with the athlete. Each honoree answered a series of questions. The questions were varied, but there was one in particular that was the same across the board: “Who do you want to thank?” The most impressive thing is that each and every one of them, without exception, thanked their parents first.

 

While the vast majority of these guys graduated years ago, are college graduates, have successful careers, and are married, it was their parents they thanked first. This just goes to show the powerful impact moms and dads have on their children. Impacts that never disappear with time but remain ever-present and are held as keys to success. Drop off at early morning practices, car trips on weekends for sports camps in foreign cities, attendance at every game, cheers in victory and consolation in defeat, all these experiences with parents make a mark that lasts a lifetime.

 

You know, when you’re a kid, you don’t really realize the significance of a parent as much as you do when you are all grown up. It took me many years removed from childhood to look back and notice how hard my mother and father worked to raise my siblings and me. Dad worked hard, getting home late from work, and then spending time with us on the weekends at baseball and soccer games or taking me to the golf course early Saturday mornings when I am sure he would have much rather slept in. Mom ran the house making sure we were ready for school, were well fed and clothed, and forced us to do our homework when all we wanted to do was rush outside and play. She even was ingenious enough to buy a used van to take my classmates to school and make a little extra money on the side.

 

Sometimes I feel when you are young you can take these things for granted. You may even take on the attitude that you are entitled to these things because they are your parents, and you are their child. That’s a nasty word… entitlement. I can't think of anything more devastating than a person who feels entitled to anything in this world. Entitlement encourages laziness and an absence of gratitude. It’s entitlement that enslaves us to our past and keeps us from working hard and moving ahead. Anytime a person or organization creates a culture of entitlement, it forces us into a relationship of dependency where we are made to think we can’t do things on our own. Nothing stunts our growth more than entitlement.

 

That’s why it is so important to examine our lives and look back on the people and experiences that empowered us to work hard to become the people we are today. And this is why sports create such a great environment of empowerment. Referees, the opposing teams, and coaches don’t care about what you think you are entitled to. At the end of the day, your parents can’t catch the ball, swim the lap, or run the mile for you. Ultimately, these are things you have to do on your own and crossing the finish line is totally up to you. And, simply put, if you don’t score more points than the other team or get the golf ball in the hole in fewer strokes than the rest of the field… you lose.

 

So, congratulations to the 2023 inductees of the Belen Sports Hall of Fame. They didn’t always win, but they clearly understood the hard work necessary to succeed and, most importantly, the people who helped them compete. Ultimately, it is a clear example that what is most important in life is not the number of trophies sitting on your shelf, but the people held lovingly in your heart.

 

Auspice Maria.