Odin's Thoughts

  The Tiger Woods Dilemma ________________________________________________________________________________ The Masters weekend is almost a holy weekend to golf fans, specifically those of us from Georgia. In most years, it often ends up on an actual holy weekend with Easter in the Spring. This year is different, and while it is exciting to watch both the Masters and football on the same weekend, I hope we can all get back to more normal traditions in the upcoming year. But despite the uniqueness of this year’s tournament, there is a constant that remains: the excitement for Tiger Woods. There’s something about Tiger playing well that gets any golf fan hanging on to every swing. Maybe it’s the fact that he changed the sport forever as a young fitness-focused golfer. Maybe it’s the Georgia bias in me when he wears red and black on Sundays. Maybe it’s the barrier that was broken as he crashed the party of a relatively pale community. Whatever it is, it’s hard to argue that he isn’t one of

  The Undeniable Connection of Athletics and the Military __________________________________________________________________________ Commitment. Courage. Discipline. Loyalty. Teamwork. These are words that many would use to define traits of service members and veterans. They are terms ingrained into the mottoes and values of all our branches of the military. But these are also words used by countless sports teams and organizations. There are many factors of my life that made and make me who I am today. My faith and my family are primary among those, but very close behind are athletics and the military. I wouldn’t be half the man, husband, leader, or soon-to-be father without sports or the Naval Service. As I will always admit, I could be wrong, but I’m a pretty good husband, and a hell of a leader. Point is, I wouldn’t be those things without the structures, activities, and people that have shaped me. Athletics molded me in many ways at an early age, and then I joined the service a