rising to the challenge

The most enduring lessons we learn are often forged in the teachable moments of our youth.

Rob Ukrop remembers vividly a time in Polly Williams’ second grade classroom almost 25 years ago when on a Monday he was assigned to memorize "Autumn" by Emily Dickinson and then recite it the following Friday. The first night, he complained to his parents, but they quickly set him straight. Teachers are there to challenge their students, they reminded him, and it was his responsibility to rise to the challenge.

Resigned to his fate, he dutifully rehearsed his lines each evening, and when he faced the class several days later, he presented them flawlessly and received the highest grade possible, a check-plus. Remember when you doubted yourself, his parents said. Look at what you’ve accomplished in a few short days.

One morning recently, Ukrop shared his vignette with the Lower School student body and faculty at a "town meeting" in conjunction with National Sportsmanship Day. His message, delivered with his typical passion and enthusiasm, was simple: diligence, persistence, sweat, and toil are the stuff of excellence, and the valuable lesson he learned as a 7-year-old has served him well in the years since.

Ukrop graduated from Collegiate in 1988, led the Cougars to Prep League soccer titles his last two seasons, and both years was selected All-Prep as a center forward. He’s an alumnus of Davidson College, twice an All-American (second team as a junior, first team as a senior), and a huge contributor in the Wildcats’ drive to the Final Four in 1992.

For 9 years, he’s played for the Richmond Kickers, and part of his responsibility is community outreach and motivational speaking. His athletic accomplishments and name recognition quickly get the attention of the nearly 100 groups he visits each year, but once he bounds onto the stage, it’s the person rather than the soccer star who captivates and enlightens.

With his knapsack of visual aids from the Dr. Seuss book Oh, The Places You’ll Go to a soccer ball to a Kermit the Frog hand puppet he seamlessly weaves the themes of sportsmanship, honesty, and academics into his central topic. He makes three main points: dream higher, work harder, and keep on smiling. "To make your dreams come true," he told his rapt audience at Collegiate that early spring morning, "you first must have the dream. Your dreams and your values of honesty and sportsmanship start right here in school."

As he flawlessly juggled the soccer ball, he added, "You’ve heard the expression, ‘Practice makes perfect.’ Well, practice doesn’t make perfect. Anybody can practice. It takes a special person to practice to the best of his ability. If you do your homework as fast as possible, you’ll pick up some of what you’re supposed to learn, but if you do it patiently, you’ll master the skill. What the saying really means is, ‘Perfect practice makes perfect.’"

Then he introduced Kermit, an unusual companion for a 31-year-old professional athlete who earned his stripes through a blend of innate talent, hard work, and sheer toughness. He had a point, of course. Seems Kermit travels with him, and it’s not unusual for Ukrop to pull him out, occasionally to the surprise of another driver at a stoplight or on the highway. He often gets incredulous looks. He almost always elicits a smile.

"It’s important to be yourself," Ukrop told his audience. "As you reach for excellence every single day, believe in yourself. If you want to strive for excellence, you need to smile. And I challenge you to make one person a day smile for the rest of your life."