Speaking Kurtly

With the COVID-19 pandemic all around us, social distancing is the temporary new normal. For some, the push to stay at home causes stress as they worry about their health and the health of those they love. Some worry about the impact on their economic situation, present and future. The impulse to turn inward has never been greater. Yet, as I look around I see so many people whose eyes and hearts have turned toward others instead. It's great to see people reaching out to help a neighbor, check in on a friend, or assist someone they've never met before. Thinking about those I've observed turning their hearts outward towards those in need, I'm drawn to an interview I did recently with Dustin Smith, the founder of a Utah-based program called Especially For Athletes. Dustin encourages students to keep their eyes up, and then do the work, and we can all use that message right now.

The joy of sports comes when we choose to focus on the true enjoyment that comes from watching and playing games, from appreciating that for that two or three hours, we get to hang out in the toy store of life. The COVID-19 pandemic has removed spectator sports from all of our lives for a time, and while I miss them, I'm hoping their absence provides all of us with a little perspective so we're ready when they come back. Hopefully we can see the value of sports as a release, a source of enjoyment, not an additional source of stress in our lives.

Every year at this time in Utah, the debate (well it's mostly a one-sided expression of opinions) heats up about the lack of a shot clock in Utah high school basketball. I sat down with Quincy Lewis, Mike Russell, Curtis Condie, and Jon Oglesby to discuss a number of topics related to the shot clock.