Watching Niuafe Tuihalamaka workout, I was reminded why some people with exceptional natural ability excel and others don’t. It’s evident in the way they practice. They put in the work. Niuafe, or “Junior” as he is known, is headed off to Notre Dame to play football in a few days. He graduated early and is joining that football powerhouse in South Bend after having been an All-American in High School.

But here’s the thing… he has been training with the Alemany Track & Field team since football ended. He was told by one of his coaches, Coach “Mac” McIntyre, that my wife, Coach Rocky Turner, could help him improve his overall speed by focusing on improving his biomechanics. So he committed to the process. Rocky has been talking about this young man’s focus for weeks, so I was excited to see him practice for myself.

She was right. Even in the warmups, he was focused on doing exactly what she asked him to do to improve his running mechanics. He was even focused as instructions for improvement were given to other athletes. He was constantly in learning mode. All indications are the mechanics drills are working. And that is likely NOT good news for Fighting Irish opponents. 🙂

Thanks for reminding me what excellence looks like, Junior. And good luck at Notre Dame!