Experience The Teacher, As We Know It - Chris Wilkie
Experience is our greatest teacher. The different experiences we encounter during our journey of life shape the dynamic of who we are as people--inside and out. Sports are one of the major teachers amongst people in society. Through sports, we can often experience several plateaus, the kind that structures our foundation and blueprint for who we are as people.
Chris Wilkie, a current collegiate hockey player from the midwest (Omaha, NE), whose father David Wilkie played eight years professionally, learned the ropes early and found a love for the game of hockey at a young age. “My love for the game came as a young kid by being around the professional hockey environment. The locker room was where my understanding of how hard it is to play at the highest levels began.” C.W.
When you have a calling in life and you are fulfilling your deed, life returns the fruits of your labor. With great reward comes sacrifice, practically trading his childhood in exchange to become better at the sport of hockey, he developed a mindset of solitude. ”One word that comes to mind when thinking about my journey is Sacrifice — starting with my parents hauling me around from 5 AM practices to tournaments halfway across the country. They were willing to put their lives on hold for me to do what I loved. As I got older and started to progress in my hockey career, I soon realized that I needed to start making sacrifices myself” C.W. At age 16, Chris shipped off to Michigan to become a member of the United States National team 17U, playing the following two years for the Tri City Storm(Kearney, NE). A great start for a young man with aspiring dreams to play hockey at the collegiate and professional level, but along the way life is very capable of giving us obstacles to overcome, not because life was too good for us--but because there is a certain growth period we need to experience to reach higher plateaus. Chris became draft-eligible his second year of junior hockey, with expectations of being drafted, the dream was short-lived at the moment. After 204 names were called and his not one of them, there were adjustments to be made. When reality sets in, it is our duty to respond accordingly, Wilkie did exactly that.
Failure does not mean you are not successful, failure means you still have some growing to do. When you have room to grow, life gives you the opportunity to fill that void before you can advance. “That following summer of training leading up to my next season, that feeling I had after the draft never left me. I carried that into the season as well, setting out to prove a lot of people wrong. In the next draft, in my second year of eligibility, I was selected by the Florida Panthers.” C.W.
Following the draft, Chris signed a scholarship to play at the University of North Dakota, to further his hockey career. At UND, Wilkie went through another growth phase--a phase that challenged him both as an athlete and a person. “I was fortunate enough to be a part of the National Championship winning team my freshman year. That accomplishment was the only point in my two years there that I am proud of. I came into school expecting to be an impactful player and someone that could be looked on to produce for the team, but it ended up being the exact opposite of that. My freshman and sophomore years went as bad as possible. It is easy to blame circumstances like playing time, and disagreements with the coaching staff. The only person who didn't get the job done was me.” C.W.
Chris went on to transfer to Colorado College to finish his collegiate career, in his first year he had to sit out due to NCAA eligibility rules. Now fulfilling his role and executing his purpose at Colorado College. “Transferring to Colorado College is one of the best decisions I have made for myself in my hockey career. Everything about it has been tremendous and has helped me immensely. The coaching staff has allowed me to prove myself and be a difference-maker every game.” C.W.
It is essential to recognize hardships, adversity, highpoints, low ends, etc. Throughout the course of our lives, these are the kinds of things that will be consistent, if we can adapt the mindset that no matter what phase of life we’re in-- we allow ourselves the chance to progress. Life does not provide blessings when we want them but rather when we need them. The power comes from the source above, don’t doubt the process trust it, don’t shy away from adversity growth with it and lastly, stay the truest version of yourself through whatever storm you encounter and sunshine will always have a reserved spot for you.
- Just Wait On It -
