God bless the underdogs in this world. The person that against all odds rises to the top and triumphs. I believe that there is a little piece of underdog in all of us. Human spirit, by nature, is one of belief. If you believe in something enough and work towards this with passion, dreams become achievable.
Represent.
If there ever was a movie to embody this concept, it is Rudy. “Rudy,” as he was nicknamed, was the 3rd of 14 children, and he was dyslexic. Despite his not-so-menacing-stature of 5’6″ and 165 lbs soaking wet, he loved playing football. His dream was to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, which was a pretty lofty goal in the 70’s for a man of normal size, let alone someone with his stats.
His grades were marginal, he had to apply 4 different times to get into Notre Dame. He spent 2 years at Holy Cross College near Notre Dame just waiting to get his chance. It was beginning to become clear at this point, that there was no quit in this particular human. He finally made it into Notre Dame, he then attempted to walk on the the football team. Head Coach Ara Parseghian always encouraged students to walk on. Rudy finally had his opportunity. There was not a time Rudy was on the practice field that he didn’t give everything, many times definitely to the detriment of his body. Although, that was as far as Rudy was going to get because he was only on the scout team. This was a team used to prep the Varsity athletes to represent the Irish.
In Rudy’s last year playing, Coach Parseghian stepped down as the Head Coach, and Dan Devine stepped into this role. This was Rudy’s senior season, his last chance to fulfill his dream. The Irish hosted Georgia Tech in the last game of the season. Rudy still had not seen one play. I believe that each person that watches this movie has a place in their heart that this touches.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZI63g64kDgY]
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This movie still brings tears to my eyes.
#Fakegym is a place for underdogs. Our own story is that of an underdog. It is a vibrant community which lives and breathes because of our belief. If you go out on that bluff anytime outside of class you would see no walls, no weights, no office, no showers, no class schedule, nothing that even resembles a gym. But, if you were to ask one member of the “Nation” what this #fakegym means to us, a beautiful monster will be revealed. A whole different world then the one you see. It’s a place of passion and vitality. It’s a place to call home. I believe Rudy would fit in well. And boy, I am proud to be an underdog.
To Rudy, to underdogs, to #fakegym!
Danny Lesslie
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Tuesday’s Workout:
30-20-10
Romanian Deadlift (185/105)
Candlestick
200M Run
