Movie Motivation: ALI

I feel like I've been way to "business-like" over the last few blogs.  Kinda like, "We play soon" or "We won - here's how."  But that isn't what you came to this blog for, is it?  No -- you want the funny stories, the SAC moments*, and a little more insight into the pseudo-Austrian experience.**  So, without giving away the secret to our success (ask Gonzalo Segovia), I thought I would talk about a real cool source of motivation we found over the last few days -- the movie ALI.***

As a little backstory, my grandfather Frosty Westering constantly used movie clips as illustrations for his Pacific Lutheran University Lutes while coaching them to 4 National Championships.  He would take obscure scenes from movies like The Mighty Ducks, Hoosiers, and The Karate Kid to help his players get into the proper state of mind.  I guess the gene rubbed off because I too am always looking for movies that hammer home an inspirational message.  Which brings me to Ali.

I'm sure most of you saw the 2001 Oscar nominated picture starring Will Smith that depicts the life of boxer Muhammad Ali.  However, it is one particular scene that really helped get us motivated for our final game of the season.  It comes from the end of the movie, where Ali is preparing to fight George Forman in "The Rumble in the Jungle" in Zaire, Africa.  

In the scene, Ali is running through the African countryside, still questioning whether or not he can beat the younger and more powerful Foreman.  All of a sudden, he is surrounded by hundreds of local children, who lead him to a small village where he sees a mural of himself painted on a small building.  The crowd lifts him up and starts chanting "Ali Bumaye!"  (Which - most people don't know this - literally means, "Ali, kill him!")  It is at this moment that he develops the Eye of the Tiger that allows him to later beat Foreman in stunning fashion.  This is the mindset we needed heading into the final game of the regular season, and the song, entitled Tomorrow by Salif Keita, gives me goosebumps every time I hear it.  So without further ado...

Of course, once you see this scene, you have to watch the fight.  Check out the final scene:

So if you've watched these clips, you can understand how ironic it is that at the end of the fight, a torrential downpour began.  It was the exact same yesterday at our game against Danube, as the heavens opened up while we were in warm-ups.  I looked over at Alex Hoad, our defensive back from Canada, and he had the biggest grin I had ever seen in my life.  "Tomorrow!!!" he yelled, quoting the movie.  It made me laugh, and set the tone for one of the most enjoyable football games I have ever played in my life.  And yes, I did raise my arms like him in slow-mo when I threw a touchdown...

~ J. Twice

* For those of you who haven't been with me since the start, SAC stands for "Smiling at Computer."  I use SAC because LOL might be the most ANNOYING statement ever... because let's be real, how many times are you actually Laughing Out Loud when you write LOL?  More often than not, you are really just Smiling At Computer... so please, let's keep LOL on the bench until you actually need it!

** It's actually more the real Austrian experience, I was just dying to use the word "pseudo" in a blog.

*** I love using asterisks.  They are addicting!