A Long Fight To Success

A LONG FLIGHT TO SUCCESS

 

 

The average 12 year old athlete plays a sport with dreams of one day being a sports star.

 At 12 years old, Shawn Claud Lawson spent nine months across the Atlantic at the prestigious Feyenoord Youth Academy in the Netherlands, known for a philosophy based on developing student athletes into professional players.

That professional development continues at 18 years old as Shawn Claud wraps up his first year of college at Oakland University, holding on to that same dream of one day of being that professional sports star one way or another with thousands of miles of professional experience to prove it.

“I always said if I didn’t make it as a pro, I wanted to be into sports management just to be involved with sports period.” Lawson says.

Headline: Long road to michigan

That experience in Rotterdam at the academy has been one of several road trips that the business major at OU has experienced in his 18 years of life.

At 16, the Toronto native was a member of the Jamaican under 17 national team that competed in the U17 World Cup in Mexico continuing his pro like development as he continues toward the goal of one continuing these experiences at the professional level. 

A year later he was part of the Ajax Soccer Club that competed and won the 2011 Ontario Cup scoring two goals in the tournament.

Attending the school and gaining that experience is just one example of the freshman learning to adapt to any situation and culture.  While overseas he also learned how to speak Dutch continuing to develop not only as a well-rounded individual but athlete as well.

“The skills that I acquired there were really different from what I learned growing up and still help me today,” said Lawson.  “The basis of their training was based on technique with the intent to improve my passing and scoring and you see that in my game now.”

With that ability to adapt to change Shawn Claud gives credit to his father Samuel who was a member of the Jamaican National Soccer Team. 

“With his experience and going against the best players in Jamaica, he was able to teach me the ins and outs of being ready to play against the best and I carried that with me in my time as a member of the under 17 team.”

 

 

Home away from home

The Toronto native of Jamaican descent has proved to handle the challenges of different scenery and adapting well coming into his first year at OU. 

It’s something he has done since his childhood when at three years old he underwent surgery to repair one of his lungs. 

Spending a portion of his youth away from family competing and with the credentials to attend big time establishments like U of M, Shawn Claud looked to a family environment to fulfill his college experience.

 “Coach Pogue and his staff put it as being a big fish in a small pond,” says Lawson talking about the OU campus which he says was the deciding factor to attend the university. “I like that it has the feel of a bigger school with a smaller community.”

The small community feel at OU has helped Shawn cope with his new home away from home as he spends his free time off the field joking around and playing PlayStation 3 with teammates.

Aside from the family environment, Coach Pogue and his staff believed that the ultimate decision to attend Oakland is based on the belief Shawn Claud had the chance to an immediate impact on the Men’s soccer program.

“He loved the fact that Oakland was so close to Toronto but once we seen him a showcase we knew with his athleticism and versatility he was going to come in day one and make an impact.” Said OU Men’s Soccer Head Coach Eric Pogue.

That impact will be a different look for Lawson who off the field is the complete opposite from his active style of play.

“He’s a pretty quiet and reserved on and off the field,” Pogue says.  “We encourage him to break out of his shell a bit but it’s expected when he’s away from home, it’s a lot to take it.”

Forward thinking

Lawson and the Oakland Men’s Soccer Team finished this year’s campaign in disappointment with a loss to Western Illinois in the Summit League Championship Tournament Final.

Moving forward Coach Pogue believes the learning experience Lawson gained in his freshman year where he finished with two goals and three assists is a precursor to a breakout season.

“We expect him to do some special things next year along with the rest of the returning underclassmen, hopefully with the end result of being a Summit League Tournament championship.” Pogue said.

With another summer and spring under his belt along with his first year of college experience, Shawn Claud continues to adapt to the more physical style of American soccer not played in his native country.

“The learning curve has been different in playing the game here and how physical it is as opposed to back at home,” Lawson said.

 “I’m excited though because I’ll be able to get out there and knock some guys around adding to my game and it will help to score more goals.”

 

Patience is a virtue...

4-5, that is where the Detroit Lions stand after another frustrating loss on Sunday to division rival the Minnesota Vikings 34-24 in yet another tale of two halves.
Inconsistency has been the achilles heel of the long standing franchise for years and this year proves to be no different with continued slow starts on a weekly basis.
Granted the team reached the playoffs for the first time since 1999 last season in what proved to be a surprising campaign on the way to a 10-6 record in a year that ended with disappointment with a tough loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Though the season ended in disappointment, the team and the city had much to look forward to as fans looked to the team to take yet another step forward with possibly a playoff win this year.
Detroit's starting quarterback Matthew Stafford coming into the season passed for over 5,000 yards joining Drew Brees and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks in the league to accomplish the feat.
Pro Bowl wide receiver Calvin Johnson enjoyed a career year as well recording over 1,600 yards and 16 touchdowns in a career year.
But for as many positives, there were glaring negatives that needed to be addressed if the team were to move forward with aspirations of a championship caliber team.
Needs to fill holes in the secondary as well as in the backfield for the most part went unnoticed with the team drafting offense in the first two rounds before taking cornerback Bill Bentley who now out for the rest of the season due to injury.
With the main concern coming into the season being that on defense with the team giving up over 1,000 in it's last two contests against the Packers and Saints, it is of the furthest concern at this point with focus being on the offense.
Statistically the Lions are league leaders on offense and defense ranking number 2 and 9 respectively but those stats haven't translated to desired success on the field so what's the problem?
Last at this juncture they were on the other side of .500, at the top of the league in offense yet in the bottom half along with teams like the Patriots and Packers.
Honestly the defense as overachieved in a year ravished by injuries throughout the secondary, so what's the problem and why are fans so upset...who is to blame?
The fans are to blame for their disappoint for a variety of reasons....
Four years ago the Lions were at the bottom of the league in most catergories and were a laughing stock of the league coming off a winless season.
When Jim Schwartz took over the helm, the vision was that this was going to be a five year rebuilding process before the team would compete for a Super Bowl.
In every year since the team has improved leaps and bounds going from 2 to 6 to 10 wins in each season following until this year where they stand with four wins after week 10.
So if there was a five year plan according to the organization, shouldn't fans have the same thing in mind during a rebuidling process?
To me the problem lies within the fans and the fact that most are spoiled in a big market city like Detroit where winning as become a staple amongst it's many organizations. 
Realistically the team is ahead of schedule with it's progress by a year and the judgement on the regime shouldn't come until next year where little mistakes and slow starts should be in the rearview.
So I say this to fans, patience is a virtue and everything takes time in life. 
Last year at this point it wasn't expected of them to be close to a 10-6 record they played themselves to, but maybe a 4-5 record that they hold now.
Now the players and coaches deserve blame too because they are the ones receiving millions in compensation but it is on the fans for their disappointment.
So again, be patient this is all part of a plan to eventually be that title contender.
The old saying goes you have to crawl before you walk, and the Lions are just getting their legs under them.
After a off-season of hopefully better decision making then you as a fan out pressure on the organization to satisfy your thirst for winning.
Until then, your time will come....

Tigers Deadline Deals Done...Will It Be Enough?

The Detroit Tigers have come a long way within the last month of the MLB season.  As of June 25th, the Tigers stood at a horrific 36-37 and were 9 games out of the AL Central Division lead behind the Chicago White Sox.
Since then, the team has managed to go 16-8, averaging just over four runs a game with the big bats finally coming alive.  But with all the recent success the Tigers still have had glaring wholes in the team as a whole.
The team has continued to have fielding issues along with a disturbing drop in batting average among the second base position as well has continued lack of production from it's 4th and 5th starting pitching spot.  Even with the bats being able to carry the team through the month, pitching can't conmtinue to put the offense in a bind to where they have to outscore and get into a slugfest with every team.
Which brings us to the trade deadline which is will be on July, 31st this season.  It was also my deadline for a firm stance on what the team should and will be moving forward as we inch closer to the playoffs.
As of Monday July 23rd, the Tigers engaged in a trade with the Florida Marlins for starting pitcher Anabel Sanchez and utility player Omar Infante to address the gaping holes in the 5th starter spot and at 2B where Ramon Santiago and Ryan Raburn have platooned the majority of the season. 
Alot has been made about the team shipping off top prospects pitcher Jacob Turner and catcher Rob Brantly due to the lack of depth within the teams' farm system.  So now the question is, will this be enough to make a run at the World Series and win the whole thing?
At this point in time whether this was a Dave Dombrowski move or a Mike Illitch move is irrelavent, what is most important right now is will it be enough?  I've never been one to buy into saving the farm system for a team of this caliber at this point in time.
You look at teams like the New York Yankees or The Texas Rangers who for years have buit their teams off of bold moves made to win now.   With a 82 year old owner in Mike Illitch who has been waiting on a Championship to return to Detroit for what seems like ages I don't blame him. 
With this move, you didn't lose what you weren't willing to give up in top prospect in Nick Castellanos and although the teams farm system has a history of being known for lack of depth but it has been better than years past.
With that being said, you don't go out and make moves like signing Prince Fielder for half the countries worth, let alone have 70 million dollars tied up between four players and not have the expectation be World Series or bust. 
They have been at this point in recent memory in 2006 going to the World Series and losing to a much less of a team in the St. Louis Cardinals, and again last year being within 2 games of achieving the same feat. 
People like myself have been calling for GM Dave Dombrowski to make the BOLD MOVE to go out and improve this team.  Do I love the move for Sanchez and Infante, no...but I do like the move because it gives you a proven starter in Sanchez who's 5-7 record with a 3.7 ERA is a little more deceiving than it looks and Infante who not only gives you a all-star and Gold Glove at 2B but also gives you the batting production they have been looking for out of that position and the bottom of the line-up.
But remember this, the White Sox aren't going away anytime soon are currently in the running for a starting pitcher of their own in Zach Greinke.  Are we still a all-around better team in than Chicago, absolutely....but what wins you titles are pitching and defense, two of which have been the Tigers achilles heel for years and even in their World Series appearance in 2006.
So that brings me back to my original question of Will This Be Enough?  I am still firm on my deadline for the team that July, 31st will be the marker for where this team stands and what it will be moving forward.  Dombrowski has made his move and now it's time for the team to make theirs.....

When will it end..???

You know, we never really know when it's going to end.  Your life, your job, school.....anything in life really as it pertains to getting through it.  As I sit here watching CNN with it's continued coverage of the recent shooting in Aurora, CO I keep asking myself when will it end?  When will the senseless continued acts of violence that resolve nothing end?  When will the continued bickering of politicians over what the other hasn't done end so something can get done?  When will the ignorance that we live amongst within ourselves end and we strive to become better?  When will the ignorance that we see in the media and entertainment end and we see a life of enlightment? 
I sit here and I continue to ask myself is it really that hard for us as a human race and society to live together and look to look after one another.  I mean I know it sounds like a 1960's civil rights speech but it's also so simple.  What's wrong with looking out for the next person for the benefit of both parties?
There is no law that can protect us from ourselves as humans.  When it becomes too dangerous for us to go out in public, let alone send our loved ones out in public to enjoy simple pleasures such as going to a movie it makes every one stop and think.  For that one moment everyone as a society becomes one in thinking that this needs to stop.  From in our neighborhoods to public places, we need something to hang our hats on as a example to better ourselves on a daily basis.  At the end of the day, it doesn't take religion but more common sense and courtesy. 
If we have more examples other than violence and ignorance on t.v and the things around us which we base 90 percent of our lives, we woud all be better for it.  I don't know, this is my first blog and hopefully many more to come.  I enjoy the structure of free thought on display.  But again, as I sit here, my mind isn't in free thought....but stuck on the thought of, When Will It End???