Imagine being the only student in Creighton history to earn first team, all conference, all four years in a row, and all American academic, all American athlete as a pitcher. That's the reality for our guest Tara Higgins, who together with her husband Mike, joins us on this intriguing episode, taking us through their roller coaster journeys through the world of sports. Tara shares her inspiring journey from playing select softball at 8, to becoming a formidable player in her college years, while Mike, a former football player at UNO, New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, reflects on his path to success.
Transitioning from their early successes, our conversation moves into the impact of faith, identity and dreams in Tara's life. She opens up about her Christian upbringing, the realization of God's love for her, and the thrill of playing against the USA Olympic team. Mike, on the other hand, recounts being scouted and the consequential decisions he had to make. Further, we shine a light on Tara's life as an NFL player's wife, exploring the highs of moving to New Orleans, the lows of losing her sense of purpose, and her triumphant return to her love for softball.
Rounding off the episode, we unpack Mike's emotional journey to an NFL career and his decision to prioritize family above all. Now parents to four children, Mike and Tara share their approach to managing their kids' involvement in youth sports. Offering invaluable advice, they discuss the pros and cons of early specialization in sports, emphasizing the importance of personal development, setting individual goals, and avoiding comparison. Tune in to absorb the wisdom from Tara and Mike's personal experiences, as they inspire us to strike the right balance between ambition, passion, and personal growth.
Imagine being the only student in Creighton history to earn first team, all conference, all four years in a row, and all American academic, all American athlete as a pitcher. That's the reality for our guest Tara Higgins, who together with her husband Mike, joins us on this intriguing episode, taking us through their roller coaster journeys through the world of sports. Tara shares her inspiring journey from playing select softball at 8, to becoming a formidable player in her college years, while Mike, a former football player at UNO, New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, reflects on his path to success.
Transitioning from their early successes, our conversation moves into the impact of faith, identity and dreams in Tara's life. She opens up about her Christian upbringing, the realization of God's love for her, and the thrill of playing against the USA Olympic team. Mike, on the other hand, recounts being scouted and the consequential decisions he had to make. Further, we shine a light on Tara's life as an NFL player's wife, exploring the highs of moving to New Orleans, the lows of losing her sense of purpose, and her triumphant return to her love for softball.
Rounding off the episode, we unpack Mike's emotional journey to an NFL career and his decision to prioritize family above all. Now parents to four children, Mike and Tara share their approach to managing their kids' involvement in youth sports. Offering invaluable advice, they discuss the pros and cons of early specialization in sports, emphasizing the importance of personal development, setting individual goals, and avoiding comparison. Tune in to absorb the wisdom from Tara and Mike's personal experiences, as they inspire us to strike the right balance between ambition, passion, and personal growth.
Hello and welcome to the Kingdom coaching podcast, where we discuss the world of club sports through the lens of Christ. I am your host, micah Beaton. Hey, hey, hey, what's going on? Everybody? Thank you again for tuning into the Kingdom coaching podcast. I'm sitting here today with the only female student in Creighton history to earn first team, all conference, all four years in a row and all American academic, all American athlete. Please welcome Tara Higgins. And along with Tara is her tall drink of water husband, mike Higgins. Mike played, mike played tight end at the University of Nebraska and Omaha. For you youngsters out there who aren't aware that UNO did have a football program back in the 1900s, as my kids like to remind me that we grew up in the 1900s but Mike, mike played football for UNO for all four years, right, mike? And then went on. I can't remember where you drafted, or did the Saints pick you up for you? I was under, okay, okay, but regardless. So you went and played for the New Orleans Saints and then the Minnesota Vikings, right? Did you know? You're on Wikipedia?
Speaker 2:I did not know.
Speaker 1:Yes, so I was checking. It's right here, like I was checking out stats and stuff and I Googled your name and you know you've arrived when, like you actually have a place on Wikipedia, mike. So I mean, mike Higgins, american football is what it says. So very similar to, like Dion Sanders. It would say, dion Sanders, american football. Mike Higgins, so you're on the same level as as prime time, in my opinion, because you're on, you're on Wikipedia, so yeah.
Speaker 2:Don't go too close at the stats. They're pretty unimpressive.
Speaker 1:Last time we talked, you kind of let me in on a little bit of your story and I want to. I want to touch on that a bit. After we talked to Tara and I want to get her story because, you know, as, as any good husband you know, you're you've definitely, like you know, lifted your wife up in that sense and said, like you know, my, my story is cool and like I did all these things that are that are cool, but like Tara's story is so much cooler and, see, she's such a better athlete than me and you know, I think that's.
Speaker 3:There's no way he said that I did.
Speaker 1:Yeah, he did. I mean there's, there's no lie. And Tara, you, you, you were a pitcher all through college. So let's, let's start back at the beginning. When did you start? First start playing softball?
Speaker 3:I remember starting when I was eight but, I, know I did some T-ball before that, but I don't really remember that.
Speaker 1:Okay Did gosh did? They did? They have like a cause, you from Beatrice, right, yes, right. Did they have like a select or travel team? They did.
Speaker 3:They did have a travel team Okay.
Speaker 1:Did. Did you play on that? I did what. At what? What age did you start playing?
Speaker 3:So I started playing what we would call select when I was eight. But well, I said that to my mom recently and she said yeah, but you never played.
Speaker 1:Oh, really, so I was like you were there when you were just on the bench. Yeah, I was young.
Speaker 3:It was a ten and utter team.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:Eight. But the travel it wasn't a whole lot of traveling, it was pretty local to Beatrice Still Beatrice Lincoln.
Speaker 1:Okay, how, how many years did that go on for travel wise?
Speaker 3:Until I was 18.
Speaker 1:Until you're 18. Okay, so just like, just like today, basically. And then you, you played high school softball, yes, okay. At at what point in time did you start to see that you've developed into a pitcher? I mean, I don't know how softball is like, but I'm sure it's very similar to baseball. Up to a certain point where you'd need everyone to pitch. More or less Everyone needs to have some ability to pitch. But there's a certain point when you know the, the cream rises to the top and you start to see like this person is, is going to be a pitcher, and this, these people, they're, they're, they're athletic, they're good. Maybe they're more of an end field or outfielder or whatever. You know that's not the one one's better than the other, you know. But at what point in time did did you start to start to realize that?
Speaker 3:I would say about the time we were 10, there was me and another girl who kind of just became. We alternated every other game. We were the two pitchers.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, that's right, cause it's softball. It's such a better rotation for your arm you don't have. It's not a pitch count. You guys could? I forgot about that. Yeah, softball is is a different, different animal, in the sense that you can pitch multiple games in a row, yeah, if the coach really wanted to, but so. So at 10 years old, you knew that you were just going to be Hall of Fame creating softball player, definitely not 10 years old, you're just like oh yeah, I've got this, this is this, is it so?
Speaker 1:not so much.
Speaker 3:No I was the person who was still practicing outside of practice.
Speaker 1:So nice, okay, so that was when did that start, about 10 years old that you, you, you were going above and beyond.
Speaker 3:I started pitching when I was nine.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:And my dad caught me, caught me and really kind of taught me and he was pretty sick, he was really serious about it. I mean, if we're going to do it. We're going to do it, right, Love it.
Speaker 1:No, I love that mentality. That's. I think that's very important. So you, you mentioned your father. He caught you, helped develop you. Would you say he was the first person to kind of like, notice the like, like the ability in you and the drive, or did he have to bring it to your attention or did you already kind of know?
Speaker 3:I don't think I knew I had the drive. I actually would say when I was an eighth grader, the first day of school we had to write a paper saying you know where we wanted to be in five years, I think and so I started out my introduction and said this probably won't happen, but I want to play for Nebraska. And my teacher said why would you write that? And he made me rewrite it. So then I wrote well, I thought, well, I might as well go big. So then I wrote I was going to play in the Olympics.
Speaker 3:I like it so he, I feel like, was the first person who was like you know, like think big or believe in yourself here.
Speaker 1:That's cool. I was glad you you said you wanted to play for Nebraska and I was kind of waiting for you to say your teachers like was a Creighton fan and I was like, think bigger. You know what UNL tier you need to be aiming for Creighton?
Speaker 3:Be a blue jay. Yeah, all right.
Speaker 1:That's okay. That's yeah. No, I like that. Okay. Did he help coach the team too, or?
Speaker 3:not really. I mean he was a farmer so he helped when he could.
Speaker 1:Okay, yep, nope, I understood. So, other than your, your father, were there any other like coaches or or family members that that stood out to you in your early development years, positively or negatively?
Speaker 3:I mean, my mom also had her fair share of bruised shins and black eyes. Um, so she, she was a trooper too. Um, the cool thing about Beatrice there was a coach who just loved softball. He even actually coached my aunt, and so he just started this program where he found girls. He can, you know, convince their parents to buy in.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And so Beatrice was kind of a softball dynasty for a while.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:And so the the pitcher, a year ahead of me and then two years ahead of me, their dads, if we were at the field, were always so generous to say like, hey, I noticed this, why don't you try this? Or just to help each other out.
Speaker 1:So it was a very cool environment. No, that's good. Did you have any toxic coaches around you? You know, in your early like early stages.
Speaker 3:I'm not not early on, okay, nope.
Speaker 1:That's good. That's uh, that's really good. Okay, Did you grow up in a Christian home?
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Okay, Okay, so early on. Would you say that you know you're, you found your identity in Jesus at an early age, or did this kind of come later?
Speaker 3:No, I was definitely a baby Christian.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's fair. That's fair, just really really trying to figure it all out. Was, was there a point and maybe this was in your um what I'd call, like your travel ball days or your high school days that softball started to kind of become more important than than uh, than Jesus, than church, than anything? It was, was there a point?
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean. So I don't know if my parents had a conversation Like we should go to church instead of going to this game on Sunday during church time, but I don't know that I ever missed a game for church. So, um, and there were was a girl on my team who did, so, yeah, okay, so did did you.
Speaker 1:I'm curious so when? When did you commit to, to Creighton?
Speaker 3:When I was a junior.
Speaker 1:When you were a junior Did? Did you have other offers at the time too?
Speaker 3:Uh, a few, but not a few like 10, like being modest right now. No, no, I'm not, it's probably like 11.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I need to tell them what happened with Nebraska.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:What happened with Nebraska the?
Speaker 2:coach called you no, no, told you you weren't going to play for Nebraska or she wasn't going to offer you a scholarship. She was going to expect you to walk on.
Speaker 3:Oh yeah, I don't know that. She called me and told me that I don't remember I should. Yes, I, if I wanted to play for Nebraska. They told me I could walk on, but how did you know that If she didn't? I don't know, you just know things, you just know things.
Speaker 1:It could have been.
Speaker 3:I mean, I feel like by that time I was playing select ball in Omaha, so it could have been communicated through a coach or I don't remember Fair enough.
Speaker 1:Fair enough, okay, so let's let's back up a little bit. So committed when you were a junior, you had Collidus start to talk to you when you were a sophomore junior.
Speaker 3:I would say junior.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, so was. Was there? Was there a point in your travel ball days that a D one scholarship became like the driving factor? You know like I got to get up at six AM today and keep pushing. You know I can't, I'm going to miss church because if I take this game off there's going to be a scout there. You know, did that ever end, or?
Speaker 3:end. No, I feel like that was way over my head. I didn't know the process, I didn't know anything, so it was just kind of one of those times where simplest is best.
Speaker 1:So he's had a simple approach to it. Okay, okay, so walk, walk me through that a bit. So Creighton, creighton offers you a scholarship. Okay, then what happens? So you commit when you were junior, you finish out your senior year in high school, then you move to the big city. What was Creighton's program like at the time? What attracted you to Creighton?
Speaker 3:So actually, when I was playing with my summer select team, we were at a restaurant and Creighton was playing in the Missouri Valley Conference Championship. We were watching the game. So I honestly didn't even know about Creighton before.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 3:I mean, yeah, so just they looked like they were having fun. Yeah, I wanted to be close to home, especially since my parents had put in so much time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:I wanted them to be able to come to games, so I want to be close to home and I did want a Division I scholarship, sure and yeah. Creighton fit the bill.
Speaker 1:So when you, like you, said you wanted to play for the Huskers, and when that ship had just kind of like left you in the dust, more or less, did that leave some kind of like that animosity of like you know, I'm going to join Creighton or whatever. I'm going to beat you bad and I'm going to throw at your head. You know what I mean. I'm going to throw at the first batter without even question.
Speaker 3:I mean, I definitely had hurt feelings.
Speaker 1:Sure.
Speaker 3:Gosh, I feel like I, aside from a few games, I don't feel like I ever played very well against Nebraska, so that's still kind of disappointing. I wish we just would have swept on every time, yeah.
Speaker 1:Did you think that when you went out there to pitch against Nebraska, you had just an extra level of intensity? I just some almost like a chip on your shoulder or something to prove. Yeah, definitely. If the Huskers would have came back, let's say, sophomore year at transfer portal wasn't a thing. No, wasn't a thing back in the 1900s. But you weren't playing. You weren't playing. You're not that old Tara. I know that you were. It was 2010.
Speaker 3:That was my last year, yeah, so yeah you're not there, not that old.
Speaker 1:No, if UNL would have came to you after your freshman year, sophomore year, whatever, and offered you a spot, would you? I mean, the hindsight game is always funny, like it's just, it's all hypothetical. So I mean, if they would have offered you a spot?
Speaker 3:I don't think so. I think, my parents were really big on loyalty. I think they would really frowned on, frowned upon that.
Speaker 1:So yeah, Okay, nope, I like that. So was there a time in your career and Creighton that you started to kind of snowball and started to really just gain momentum as an athlete, as a person? I mean looking at your resume online, I mean I joke with Ryan Sears, who's a basketball holofame. Or Creighton, that they just let anybody into the holofame. I joke with him, but like that's really really not true, not even close. So like looking at your list of accomplishments there, I mean it's big, but it started as a freshman. But I'm curious if there was a certain point in time in your college career that you know, it just I don't know all of a sudden clicked and you were just like the girl on campus, you know.
Speaker 3:I don't know if I was the girl on campus, but I feel like throughout my entire freshman year I remember every series. I would go and look at the lineup card to see if I was starting the first game and I, even at the end of the year, I'm like, okay, am I starting? Well, maybe I'm not, and I'd started every first game of the series up until that point. So then, kind of when my sophomore year rolled around, I was like, okay, I'm pretty sure, pretty sure, now I'm gonna start.
Speaker 1:You didn't have to worry so much. It's like you've done it. Yeah, so did you feel like you were a leader from day one, when you stepped onto campus, of just like your personality and like your work ethic? Do you feel like other girls were looking at you for dry, for encouragement, for guidance from like day one?
Speaker 3:No, I don't think so. Actually, I had somebody tell me that they were really afraid I was just going to be a cocky jerk and go with. I'm glad that you're nice.
Speaker 1:Yeah, okay, I thought you were going to be a jerk, but you're actually really nice. Yeah, like that's always like a funny, like backhanded compliment. Like you, you looked like this, but, like you know, I like you now, so that's okay. So was there a time in your, in your softball career in Creighton that that softball took, took place of everything else? I mean, like I'm just, I'm just curious of like the balance. You know, because it's with athletics, school, family and, most importantly, you know, jesus, it's really hard to balance all those, all those, and especially when you, when you, when you are a top performer in any field, you're getting all these accolades thrown at you, you're, you're having all these reasons that man's giving you to look in the mirror and say I'm great, I'm great, I'm great, and forget about the one who created you. So I'm. I'm just curious if there was ever a moment you know that that those you know intrusive thoughts started to make their way to the forefront of your brain.
Speaker 3:This is I'm embarrassed by this. But so I, even in high school, like had a habit of reading my Bible every day, I mean on and off. But before I I don't know if it was my senior season I was like I'm I'm going to like read my Bible every day, even if we lose, like I don't care, I'm going to read my Bible. Well then we lost a few games and I was like, okay, if that's the problem, I want to win. So, uh, I maybe like took a few days off and then we won some games and that's. I mean I'm embarrassed, embarrassed by that now, but definitely I wanted to keep winning.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. So so there was. So was there a point after that where winning became more important again? I mean like because so tell me if I'm wrong, like if that's that's kind of what I'm hearing right there, and then that part of your story, that winning for a brief season became more important than your not I don't want to say Jesus, because that's not, that's not what happened, but it was more important than your, than your daily quiet time with Jesus. Like for for a small season, right.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 1:Okay, I didn't get any crazier than that.
Speaker 3:I don't think so, but I definitely. I think I found my identity and I thought I was valuable because I was a good softball player. And so, yeah, I I, once I was done with softball, struggled to figure out well, who am I now? And Okay, yeah.
Speaker 1:So so when did that happen? So you, you, you go through your, your all four years you're getting all these accolades. I know it's, I've always thought it was it's. It's still kind of unfair at like in the softball world that you know for, for men's baseball, I mean it's, you know, draft day, you know it's minor league ball, major league ball and indie ball, but softball, I know they have professional softball, but it's not even close to the same level. So I mean it's hard to even make a living as a professional softball player. And so, like the greatest softball players you know that are playing like they have, I have to work a part-time job. So so walk me through that, like your junior, senior year. Obviously you're getting a degree, so you can, you know, do something outside of athletics to. You know, to bring in an income. But at what point in time did you know you start to see that there was something there, there had to be something else outside of softball.
Speaker 3:I would say it probably wasn't until we moved to New Orleans, because at that point, I mean we were, I was away from everybody. Nobody, you know, cared new or cared about anything that I'd accomplished, and all of the attention was on Mike, and so he's still like this great athlete and I felt like I was a nobody.
Speaker 1:Okay, so what I'm hearing there it's it was Mike's fault. Yes, that Tara had a midlife crisis because At 22.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:That's, that's. Oh, I love that. So I want to back up a little bit in your story. So you guys met in college how early in college.
Speaker 3:Actually met. We dated in high school.
Speaker 1:Oh, that's right. I'm sorry, that's that's right. You both went to be at risk. You dated in high school, so did you. You went into college as boyfriend, girlfriend.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay. So, mike, you, you were Christian at the time as well, correct, okay, so were you guys, you know, kind of sharpening one another, I mean, throughout your college careers? You know, because I'm, because I'm curious for both of you being again, you know, decorated athletes, all the reason to look at yourself, and, you know, listen to all these accolades people are throwing at you and and I'm curious how, how you go through, you know, through that process and still, like you said, tara, not losing your identity. You know, because, because you see that so I'm, so I'm curious one of how, like what, what strongholds you guys had in place individually, and and then you know, and then as a couple because I think that's huge too you know to to make sure you guys were staying, you know, faithful to, to Jesus and the identity that he is instilled in you since before birth. So I'm just just curious.
Speaker 2:Well, I was a rule follower, I still am, and so that's true. I would say that's. That's how I would define you.
Speaker 1:If anyone asks, like Mike follows the rules, that's yeah, that's, that's a good trait, that's how I'm wired.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I would say through college my relationship with Jesus was pretty non-existent and non-non-existent, just wasn't very strong at the beginning and about halfway through some things changed and and my relationship completely changed with with him and that created changes in our relationship and the dynamic of how that all worked.
Speaker 1:Do you, do you mind me asking what?
Speaker 2:what changed Sure Well, you know I talked to you a little bit about. You know I talked to you a little bit about my story. So real quickly, my dad passed when I was 11 years old.
Speaker 2:And really have to pretty big hole in my life that I didn't know how to fill. And I grew up in a Christian home but very much feeling that God was a just a judge sitting on the throne waiting for me to grow up and bang the gavel. And and it was. It was about, you know, following the rules, basically, and that was there, was God, was not present, not very interested in me personally.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and my sophomore year in college I read a book called Wild of the Heart by John Eldridge and there's there's a passage in there that talks about how we as humans project our, our, our earthly father onto our heavenly father. And for the first time in my life I recognize that my my view of God, because I had projected the absence of my earthly father onto my heavenly father, my view of God was inaccurate and I realized for the first time that God loved me, that he was present, that he desired a relationship with me. And it changed my life. Yeah, from that point on it was. I Truly had a relationship and wanted to pursue that and certainly at that point was still very young and naive and figuring things out. But that was a turning point in my life and I thought, probably for our relationship as well.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, I can appreciate that. There, you have anything to add to that. I mean anything, you, you, anything you did individually to keep your. You know, keep your mind focused.
Speaker 3:I would. I'm, I also follow the rules, but I'm also very introverted. So I feel like there were, you know, things that happened in college that just did not appeal to me. Yeah, and so I, and it probably helped that I had a Boyfriend and so I was happy. Yeah hanging out but boring things.
Speaker 1:Did. Did you guys get married in college?
Speaker 2:Yeah, we both had a semester left.
Speaker 1:Okay, okay, so let's. Let's walk through that for a second. So, senior years, tara what were you thinking the next step was gonna be? So I know you, you had written down and in your journal when you were a Little girl that you wanted to play in the Olympics. I'd imagine, through through your years at Creighton, that was still. Was that still on the forefront of like your brain, of like this is like, this is my goal?
Speaker 3:I mean I thought I would want to take it as far as I could. Yeah, sople actually was taken out of the Olympics when I was in college okay but I Was asked if I would. If the profession, one of the professional teams, drafted me, would I say yes and at that point I said no.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Partly because we were engaged. Like they play in the summers and we were engaged, so we were gonna get married that summer, sure, but also I just felt like I wanted to give Creighton my all and one of that to kind of yeah.
Speaker 2:Be thened, I guess you should tell about the opportunity had to play against the Olympic team.
Speaker 3:So after my sophomore year yeah, after my sophomore year that was when softball was they were having the last year where softball was in the Olympics. So the USA team traveled around the United States playing all-star teams and I had the opportunity to play on a team pitch against team USA in South Dakota really, how did that go? We lost four to nothing. Okay to earned runs.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's. That's not bad.
Speaker 2:It was. Yeah, she made some of the Olympic players mad.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean like that's, that's awesome yeah a Couple.
Speaker 3:A year later I went to the college World Series just to watch with a friend, and actually a Olympic softball player came up to me and said you struck me out and that pitch was a ball. Now the Empire calls it a strike.
Speaker 1:Yes, that's exactly. That's exactly right. Yeah, so I'm curious. So when you were playing against, you know, team USA, were there any hecklers in the crowd like calling you a communist and playing against? Playing against team USA? No, but what?
Speaker 3:was what was really cool, is. I mean, they were just expecting us to lose 20 to nothing. Yeah yeah, that came. You know, there were thousands people there, but yeah, they were there to see team USA like dominate us. But you know, as the game went on, you could feel the atmosphere just change and they were like oh yes.
Speaker 1:South.
Speaker 1:Dakota, people can play softball too, yeah well, like I could imagine, to you know that that instance would be an amazing opportunity to Directly witness for Jesus Christ that you're the underdog, you know, and you have all this reason to be all like cocky, right, and you know, especially when that one you know ball player comes up and you know, gets all nasty with you and you could get nasty back. But I don't know, do you have any any story like that, that kind of goes along with with that or any other, yeah, any other game like that?
Speaker 3:Well, actually we were placed with host family, so we went okay. The players all went to Rapid City for a week sure and were placed with host families and I had brought my Bible with me and the mom where we were staying had come into the room. I was in and saw my Bible staying sitting there and they were Christians and actually the man who was coaching they were Christians and so they decided that they were gonna do like a have a service.
Speaker 3:Okay, we had a church service you know, because it kind of the spurred from them seeing my Bible and like, oh well, we should do something like that.
Speaker 1:So yeah, that was cool.
Speaker 1:Yeah, oh, I like that, okay, so let's, let's get back on track here, back up back on the timeline. See, senior years coming to a close. You guys are getting married. Mike, at what point were I mean coaches, scouts talking to you about, hey, you're, because we all know how it goes. You know, scouts are always like, hey, you're gonna go in the third round, they're gonna tell you stuff that's not always true, because they want. Yeah, I mean, I've had a lot of conversation with other guys that have that have gotten drafted and not gotten drafted, and they all get told a lot of the same thing. So so I'm curious at what point in time, you know, and in your junior senior year or whenever did did those conversations start to start to happen?
Speaker 2:I had scouts come in my junior year. I had a pretty good year Statistically and started getting noticed, so had a few guys come in my junior year and then my senior year.
Speaker 1:There's, there's quite a good guy out so so did I mean obviously they're not gonna promise you anything and you're you're a real smart guy, a rule follower. Now You're an engineer. So I mean a plus B has to equal C. There's no middle ground, that's true. Yeah, so did was. Was there a time in your senior year For either of you actually that you thought it was gonna be an absolute, that Mike was gonna be drafted and you were gonna Live a life of an NFL player and a NFL wife, like was was no no, okay, I think I was kind of a long shot.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm division to school. I was. I was good, but I wasn't very. I wasn't probably as big as the scouts wanted to see. Yeah, a lot of more. Well, can you put on weight? Still do what you're doing?
Speaker 1:Yeah cuz how, how big were you like in your, in your prime? So in college I played about 240. Okay, and you're 6, 5. Yeah, so funny story. Do you know there's another Mike Higgins, playing right now? No, I did not know that. He's 6, 5, 240. He's a tied in for Rutgers, I'm not kidding you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah no, no, no, not not in the NFL again. I think you will, I mean, but it's just like I saw that when I was looking up stuff I was like this guy is not you like, but he's playing for Rutgers. Tied in same name spelled the exact same and same size. So it's just. I thought that was kind of kind of funny. I didn't know if you knew that or not. I did not. So senior year, you're being talked to by these scouts, tara. You see that softball is coming to a close. You're not wanting to take it to the next level. You're seeing yourself with Mike. You're seeing yourself in a future that's unwritten. You're getting your degree in engineering. College ends. You get picked up as a free agent that year.
Speaker 2:It was a weird year because it was the year of the lockout, so they had the draft, but then teams were not allowed to talk to players. So we got to the draft. It was undrafted so I worked out all summer not knowing what was going to happen. I don't know if I was going to get picked up. And then the lockout lifted about a week before campus was supposed to start and I got calls from three teams and decided New Orleans was the right spot and I was on the plane on Tuesday and we were practicing on Thursday. Ok, so it all happened pretty quick.
Speaker 1:Pretty quick, OK. So I'm curious, what was that conversation like for you, for your parents? You know, you know, especially for you, Tara, right, I mean telling mom and dad like, hey, we're moving to New Orleans, right, we're not going to be close to family. I mean, Mike, you, for that matter too, I mean that's, that's got to be a little interesting.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, and I guess, for those who aren't aware, in the NFL they start with 93 players on the roster and they cut it to 53 in six weeks, so just getting invited didn't mean anything. Right, I had to make the cut, basically, and so it was exciting, just for the opportunity, I think, and my mom's always been really supportive of me, so you know they were excited but really didn't know what was going to happen yeah. They didn't have a hotel for six weeks and so did.
Speaker 1:Did you go out there by yourself then? Yeah, ok, you go to camp, you make the cut.
Speaker 2:Sort of OK, so I was released and signed to the practice squad. Ok, so it did not make the active roster, but at least back then it was eight guys. They kept on. A practice squad basically is hitting dummies for scout team and then guys are they can call up if somebody gets injured.
Speaker 1:OK, so then, at what point in time did you call up? So, terry, you guys were married for what like six months. This time ish.
Speaker 2:Well, it would have been almost, it would have been over a year now over. Yeah, we got married this, oh, ok, before my senior, ok, that's right, yep, yeah, ok.
Speaker 1:So at what point in time did you call her and say hey, here, tara, pack your bags. Bag.
Speaker 2:We're. I don't really remember the conversation.
Speaker 3:I was down for that last preseason game.
Speaker 2:OK, I was in New Orleans.
Speaker 1:Ok, he found out OK.
Speaker 3:So then I flew home and then, in like three days, put everything in storage.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:Found an apartment in New Orleans and drove down.
Speaker 1:So kind of a stressful, exciting day. Yeah, you know, I'm just like, ok, this is exciting, ok. So then I want to go back to something you said earlier, tara, when you mentioned that when you, when you guys, moved to New Orleans and you were no longer around, you know people that are like, hey, you know, that's, that's Tara, and you're what? Was your maiden name? Oltman? Oh, that's Tara Oltman. You know, did you ever have like like Every once in a while.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you walked on the street and someone points to you and asked for an autograph. Actually at one of.
Speaker 3:Mike's football games. A kid in front of me I thought some of my friends put him up to it had me autograph his back.
Speaker 1:Like his, bare back His bare back. That's no, that's pretty epic, that's. That's really good. Actually, that's a. Really I'm going to remember that one. I've. I've tried to get some weird stories like that of like what's the weirdest thing you've signed? You know, because I always go to, like you know, talladega nights when Ricky Bobby signs a baby's forehead and I'm just like I'm waiting for someone to drop that story. I was like, yeah, I signed like two babies.
Speaker 2:And I'm just like man epic, you know.
Speaker 1:But, and so you're in New Orleans, you're away from anyone who knows you. It's got to be kind of a double edged sword. You know breath of fresh air, or people aren't, you know probably. You know recognizing you, you know holding you to a, to a standard that you just don't want to be held to anymore, maybe, but at the same time you've kind of lost that, that sense of purpose a little bit. Is kind of what you said, you know, because you, you know you identified a little bit as a softball player I mean right, wrong or otherwise and now that was kind of gone, like no one knew who you were. You were, you were the wife of Mike, who was an NFL player. So for all they knew you were just a gold digger.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and I guess. So I went to school to be a teacher. So, yeah, I never I didn't even know there were scouts ever watching Mike his junior or senior year. This was not on my radar at all. Okay, but you know, I wasn't encouraged to find a job. They're like you could we weren't. We were encouraged to just live in a hotel, you never know. Practice squad, yeah, going to be gone. So you know, I'm sitting down there feeling like what do I do with my day? Yeah, I had nothing. So yeah, it was very, you know, lonely and also just felt very purposeless.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so how did, how did you get through through that?
Speaker 3:We actually found a church nearby and found just amazing people in New Orleans that became very good friends.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 3:And then I did eventually start substitute teaching and then I our last year there I actually worked full time as a teacher.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Did. Did softball ever try to like creep back in? I mean, people ask you to coach, I mean anything like that.
Speaker 3:Yes, well, so I played on our church slow pitch team. Okay.
Speaker 1:Was that a good or negative experience?
Speaker 3:Well, I ruffled a few feathers because there were no other girls playing Right?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I could imagine like you walk up there and they're like I pitched and they're just like ain't you just like, get out of my way? You don't know who I am? Yeah, well.
Speaker 3:I didn't pitch because I. I have no problem in throwing a ball hard at somebody and you know, but just lobbing it up there seems very stupid.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no that's not true. Yeah, no, that's, you'd get up there and it'd be. Yeah, I could see that would be. It'd be pretty funny.
Speaker 3:Um, but then also, I think part of the reason I got my first job was because they wanted me to coach their middle school.
Speaker 1:Okay, softball team Okay.
Speaker 3:Um, and actually I ended up having a baby that first year, so I was on maternity leave during softball season.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, so, so you didn't pan out, so you didn't even get to get to coach. Okay, have, have you coached softball since then.
Speaker 3:I volunteered as an assistant coach at Gretna High School. Okay.
Speaker 1:A couple of years Did. Now I'm kind of getting ahead of myself and I'll come back in a minute, but I'm curious when you, when you took on the responsibility of a coach, did, did you start to see yourself and some of those young girls of like the these are young, young athletes that are looking for accolades, they're looking for purpose, right Like that's something that I talk about very openly. That is young, very, very young kids are always looking for affirmation. They're looking for, um, adults to affirm them, you know, in something or another. So they can, you know, identify with that. And so I'm curious, as a, as a coach, because I I see that um as a struggle sometimes when you see these individuals and you're just like man, these kids are just looking at you with, you know, eyes wide open, you know, wanting you to breathe life into them in some, in some way. So I'm I'm curious did, did you? Did you feel that sense of responsibility? Did you? Did you see anything like that?
Speaker 3:I don't know that I ever thought that deeply about it while I was in the moment, but now that you say that, I think I could reflect upon it and notice that, but I definitely felt that as a teacher and even could see that, um, from students who were athletes. Um, you know, chasing after the next thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, did you? Did you have any, any young girls? Um, so when you came back to Gretna you know it was a few years later Um, did people forget about you? Were you, or yeah?
Speaker 3:I mean, I don't, I saw, unless somebody told them. Nobody knew, okay In Gretna, okay, who I was, yeah.
Speaker 1:So I mean, I'm just curious if, if, if anybody came up to you and asked you like you know how, how, how do I get to the next level? Like those kind of conversations you know, no not really Nothing like that.
Speaker 1:So no crazy story of like some, some girl like you know in the shadows. You know this Tara, like my life's falling apart. I, I, I want, I want to, I want to do this, this and that, and we're not going to write a hallmark movie about this Tara. If so, we have to embellish a lot, which I'm okay with. I'm okay with that. That's, that's hallmark anyways. Right, it's all embellished and fun. Yeah.
Speaker 3:No, nothing crazy like that, okay.
Speaker 1:Well, I mean, you're still young. I mean the you know life's got a lot more curves for you, so I wouldn't be surprised if, uh, you know, god's going to use you guys in the future and some you know really unique ways like that. So okay, so now I'm going to jump back. So Mike signed a New Orleans Saints practice squad and you, you were with the Saints for for how long? Three years, three years, um, did they? Did they release you or did they trade you? What? What was the transaction like?
Speaker 2:Uh when I was done there. Yeah, yeah. So my last year there actually, I heard in the preseason I uh towards some legumes my ankle but attempted to play through it because I felt like if I didn't, they were just going to release me and I was going to be dead. So um, battled through that the rest of the year and ended up having surgery at the end of the year and then they released me. They had uh at during camp that year. They brought in a rookie tight end and actually ended up keeping him over me. Okay, so I was on the practice squad again my my third year and I think they felt like they were done with me, basically.
Speaker 2:So, they did not resign me Um, that would have been in 2014. So after the season, I had surgery, um, and worked out, got healthy again, and then later that summer, the Vikings called and said they wanted me to come to camp. So I flew up to Minnesota for camp and only lasted there about six weeks, got released at the end of camp and then we were back in Omaha.
Speaker 1:So I'm I'm curious in in that process, you know when, when you're up there um playing for the Saints, did you ever have a moment, kind of like we talked earlier there were Tara if the identity of football crept in into spaces that it shouldn't have, I mean, was there anything like that?
Speaker 2:To me. Actually and this goes back again to not having a dad around I think really big part of my athletic career was getting affirmation from my coaches. I desperately wanted that affirmation from older men and I got that through performing well.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:And my experience in New Orleans. It was great, but one of the things that happened was, I mean, I was continuously released and re-signed and that was hard right. So, like football and the NFL is something where you are constantly scrutinized they're always looking for somebody to take your spot. Yeah, you know, if there's somebody better out there, you're gone and they're signing them. That other person and man, I just battled with my deep need for affirmation and just feeling like I was constantly under scrutiny and you know they film every practice, they break down every play.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and after that third fall camp where I got released, they kept the rookie over me. Man, I was devastated and it, I think, really opened my eyes to the unhealthy mentality that I had, putting that need and desire for human affirmation in a spot where it really shouldn't be, and it kind of broke into that. I adopt the mentality of like screw that I don't care what anybody thinks.
Speaker 2:And it started out of spite but actually has grown into something that I think is really healthy and has helped me in my adult life. Yeah, beyond football. Just recognizing that you know what I'm gonna do, what I feel like is right, and if people don't like it, then Whatever I'm not gonna be concerned about it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, no, I can. Yeah, I can appreciate that a little bit, mike, I'm curious if there was anything you could you know now that you've matured, you've grown on, if there was any like anything you could have put in place. And again, this is kind of like projecting, for like athletes that are in a situation that you were once in, right, if there's athletes right now that are in the same boat you were or they're going in that direction that you were, where they're signed to a practice squad, maybe they're signed to the situation that they didn't necessarily dream of, but they're there and they're struggling with. I don't know if you struggled with anxiety and depression as much as you struggled with just the affirmation and the accolades of your purpose coming from man's approval. But what things could you have done differently to help yourself through those struggling moments? I don't know. Have you thought about that? Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think just recognizing that my athletic career was temporal and you know it was gonna come to an end, it was a season that I was in and that I just needed to have more of an eternal perspective. I think I was very focused on the moment, the present, right now, and doing the best that I could, which is a good thing. But I think I got caught up in that and again, the affirmation making sure I was doing things the right way. So I still had a job the next day and the atta boy from the coach and I lived and died on that and if I had a good practice and got compliments, things were good and I didn't, then it was just like, oh, it was in the world and I just needed some perspective, I think. But that's really hard to see when you're in the moment. Yeah, I know.
Speaker 1:I can see that. So, from what I'm hearing there, what you would want at current athletes that are in a similar situation to here is enjoy the moment, but it's not gonna last forever, right? I mean that's-.
Speaker 2:Correct? Yeah, I think. Live within eternal perspective, right? I'm sure I missed opportunities to represent Jesus because I was so wrapped up in my performance.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, I mean that's kinda hard to admit, but I mean that's. I appreciate your honesty there, but that's something we see that regardless. I think if you're first round, first pick, or if you're signed to a practice squad, you need to have that eternal perspective because you're one injury away from not playing that sport for a long time, or if not ever. So after they keep the rookie tight end, minnesota calls you hopes get built back up. You kinda go from that lull of like, oh man, maybe I should just go back be an engineer, I mean. All these intrusive thoughts probably start getting creepy in, like this was a mistake, you gotta, you gotta all these things that aren't necessarily true. But then all of a sudden you kinda get picked back up and you're able to kinda keep doing what you dreamed about doing. Speak to that a little bit, if you guys don't mind.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean adding to the roller coaster. Was recovering from the injury in surgery after that last year in New Orleans and went well.
Speaker 2:Rehab went well, but obviously was trying to bounce back from that and I lost weight. So was trying to gain weight again, which was a constant battle for me, but trained hard in New Orleans, had a good trainer down there and felt good. I was in pretty good shape and so, yeah, was excited when they called and actually really liked Minnesota. I was obviously disappointed that I didn't make that team, but that was. It was the beginning of the Zimmer era. Mike Zimmer was the new head coach and really liked him, liked the situation.
Speaker 2:So much of making a team is about opportunity, being in the right place at the right time, and that was really the case in New Orleans and I felt like Minnesota was a really good opportunity too. They had another guy who'd been there for a couple of years, was a pretty good player but was injured and so he didn't play all of camp. So I got a lot of opportunity and felt like I played pretty well. But then he got healthy at the end of camp and played like the last week and they just decided to keep him over me. So, yeah, it's just one of those things. It's cutthroat and they brought me in and said you did a great job, but we just don't have a spot for you. So we packed our stuff up and headed to Omaha and didn't know what we were gonna do really, but we lived with my in-laws for about three days until we could find an apartment in Omaha and how fun was that on a scale from one to 10?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was a tough three days we had to spat about what we were gonna do, and you know yeah.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna remember.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:No, it's so funny how that is, because my wife and I can relate where it's just like there's certain things that have a certain traumatic impact in my life that I remembered. My wife has no idea, and vice versa, and so it's just yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it was hard but we did. We found a spot in Ralston, nebraska, and we hung out there for about six months. I kept working out. I had tryouts for probably six teams. They flew me out, worked me out, didn't sign with anything, didn't get an offer from anybody, so that was kind of disappointing. And at that point our oldest son was six month old, Okay, and just felt like it was time to hang it up. I needed something more consistent.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, that would have been the January of 2015,. After the 2014, 2015 season decided it was time to be done.
Speaker 1:Okay. So, tara, I'm curious was there ever a point where you either didn't want Mike to go try out for a team? You had moved back? You know you're trying to get your life onto a different track and I know this is kind of personal, I know. So if you don't want to answer, I completely understand. But I'm curious if there was ever a point where you, like you're like Mike to stop, like, give it up.
Speaker 3:No, I when. So before Mike tried out for other teams, he told me that he thought this would be his last year, even if he got picked up by somebody. That he that he was going to be done at the end of that season and I felt like, well, if you get picked up and you play, like why wouldn't you play and try another year? Like that seemed very silly to me, but Mike's facial expression tells me that I am wrong about how I remember this, okay, all right.
Speaker 1:so, mike, here we go, let's go.
Speaker 2:I can't believe you don't remember this. We were sitting at your parents' counter this is right after I'd gotten released in Minnesota and we were talking about like what is the future hold? What does this mean? And I said I think I want to give it one more year. I want to work out, try and get picked up. If I don't get picked up, I'll probably get invited to camp. Right, they invite twice as many people as they keep.
Speaker 2:So, I'll likely get invited to camp in 2015. And you did not want me to do that, and we fought about it.
Speaker 3:Well, I graciously forgave you and then jumped on your bandwagon.
Speaker 2:So, Right, and I feel like that is why I said this will probably be my last year.
Speaker 1:I'll try to get picked up. So you go through that last year of working out with other teams and then it was there. It was just like when the last team worked you out, you were just like, OK, I'm done, I'm going to.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, it was really when the season was over. January, the playoffs start. Rostros are pretty much set. Nobody is very likely to get picked up at that point. Now you're looking to the fall. Ok, am I going to keep going? Yeah, I just felt like it was for the health of my marriage and my family. It was time to be done. It was too much instability.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's tough. I mean, I can imagine that's one of those decisions that you knew was the right decision to make, but it was still hard to do it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's always hard to walk away, but again it was one of those where it was like all right, I don't know. Think about it. It's time to grow up Like I got to do what's best for my family. As much as I'd love to keep chasing this dream, it's there are other factors in play.
Speaker 1:I'm curious. So I experienced something that when I realized that my thing was cowboy and that's what I loved, and when I had to give that up, that was tough. But when I realized that's what God needed me to do, and I turned around and I remember going back to my family because I was on the road and when I got home and this is maybe just because I was on the road to my wife looked that much more beautiful to me. So I'm curious. Tara is very beautiful, but I'm very curious if, when you made that decision, the first conversation you had with her after that, if she just if you looked at her differently, or if you looked at your kid you had one kid at the time, right? Yes, I'm just curious. If you looked at them differently. You're setting me up for failure.
Speaker 2:Micah, Absolutely, I did.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. That's not my intention. I'm sure you did, you just don't remember. Yeah, I'm sure that's exactly what it is. Yeah, but OK. So now I want to fast forward a few years. So now you guys have four kids. How many of them play sports right now? Three, three of them play sports. Do you guys have difference of opinions on youth sports now? Because, as you know, I mean it's so different now. I mean even the travel softball world. I mean I could talk all day about how different travel sports are from then to now, because before I hate saying this, but it meant something back in the day If you were on a select team, you were usually something pretty elite. And now it's just, it's a money grab, and it's just they're trying to convince every parent that their son or daughter is an XD1 athlete and just give me $4,000. And I promise I'll get you there. If I don't, it's your fault. It's a parent, not mine. So I'm just curious, because it didn't sound like you had any real bad baggage from travel softball, right? Sarah?
Speaker 3:I don't think so.
Speaker 1:OK, and Mike, you didn't necessarily play any travel. Well, not football, but what about basketball? I?
Speaker 2:did play some AU basketball in high school.
Speaker 1:OK, did you have any bad experiences, bad vibes? Ok, so go ahead and speak to that, if you guys don't mind. I'm just curious of what your opinions are on club sports and if you're aligned.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I think we are. So we live just outside of UTN. Part of the reason we wanted to be in a smaller community is so our kids could participate in sports in a more relaxed manner. They could be involved in more than one sport. They didn't have to choose or say, all right, you know, I'm nine years old and I'm going to play basketball and that's it, because I'm going to play 100 games a year. Yeah, we are very much. I feel like working hard to fight to protect our schedule. I think one of the fallacies of our culture is busyness. If the enemy can't necessarily keep us from being Christian, he wants to keep us busy and tired, because then we're not very effective. And that's nothing against club sports, or it's not, yeah, Talking down on that, but it can be a factor Sports and all the other activities that you could be involved in.
Speaker 1:That's the timer. That's OK, we're good. My wife hates that she wakes me up in the morning, wakes everyone up too, by the way. Yeah, that's how I know. To wake up at 5.30, is weasers start playing. Sorry, mike, I interrupted you.
Speaker 2:But anyway, just protecting our schedule. I think it's pretty easy to go through your life with zero margin, and then I had a good friend of mine that taught me a principle to be interruptible and in order to really follow Jesus. I think that's important because there's things that pop up that aren't in the schedule and you need to have margin to be able to do that. And so we try to do our best to allow our kids to participate in sports. We've got a great program through the Wahoo Sports and Rec for a lot of those, and the seasons are pretty short. It's fairly unintense. They practice a couple times a week, but we're not traveling any further in about 20 minutes from our house to do it.
Speaker 2:And it allows them to participate and enjoy playing without just filling up our schedule. Yeah.
Speaker 3:So if we had a kid that just was completely passionate about one sport and they reached an age where they wanted to do more than what was offered, what would you say?
Speaker 2:I think we would evaluate it. But what I like is that we don't have to do that Like I feel that's not necessarily true in Omaha. You don't have to do it, but there is a. That is definitely a bigger push in the bigger city, yeah, and it's a lot easier in the smaller community to say we're going to play every season.
Speaker 1:Well, and here's a question I want to ask so what would you say to a parent or a kid that would say that, in order for my son, daughter, to play at the next level, they have to play on these elite teams from a young age? Because, again, I want to remind people like you guys aren't that old Mike, the last time you played was 2017?
Speaker 2:I played in the fall of 2014.
Speaker 1:OK, so 2014. Like, not even 10 years ago. So like we're not talking about playing, you know, with Dick Butt, but because here I can like this isn't that long ago, the world is not that different. I mean, I get it, the club sports and youth sports are different now, but the athletes aren't that I mean, they're different, but it's not. The game is still the same, you know. So I hear that all the time.
Speaker 1:You know and I think a lot of it is just garbage that in order for your son or daughter to make it to the next level, they have to buy into this, and I feel it's almost like a pyramid scheme, almost, whereas it's like, hey, you're coming here, listen to my garbage and, you know, buy my garbage, you know, because that's not true. You know, development can look so different. Development doesn't have to look like 70 games a summer and then 50 games in the winter and you know, just like you said, kind of a crazy schedule. So I'm curious, what would you say if you're sitting across a table from somebody who said, well, that's all fine, mike, you know, but I, my son, you know, he wants to be a professional football player, and so we're doing seven on seven, half the year and then the other half of the year. We're doing flag football because, because he has to, because the competition's fierce, like what would you say?
Speaker 2:Well, I guess the first question would be is to confirm that is your child's passion to make it to the next level.
Speaker 1:That's right.
Speaker 2:And then I think, if they're old enough to really have the conversation, to sit down with them and talk with them, well, what that really means, what that commitment means, like it's fine to have a dream and I certainly you know I'm not going to talk anybody out of something they want to do but with anything like that you want to count the cost and understand what. What does that mean? And then to your point, I would say I think that if you are good enough to make it to the next level and you get the right opportunity, you certainly do not need to be playing all year round. You need to be developing your skills, taking opportunities to compete when you know certainly you're playing during the season. Right, you're putting in the time by yourself to develop yourself as a player and you know club sports aren't bad right.
Speaker 1:No, not at all.
Speaker 2:But you can overdo it absolutely, you can get burned out, you can neglect some other really important things to become a well-rounded individual. I mean, I know there's all sorts of research that talks about actually playing different sports makes you a better athlete.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah. No, I've heard a lot of good insight on that and there's a lot of truth to that. I mean, if for no other reason than just giving certain muscle groups a break, you know that's a huge one. But yeah, I would agree. I was like club sports to me is like it's another tool in the toolbox. That I think is good. And I think, tara, to your point earlier when you asked Mike if there was at a certain age. So I'm curious, do you have an age in your head of like? So you were 10 years old, so is that kind of like the age in your head of like when?
Speaker 3:No, not necessarily, I would say high school.
Speaker 1:High school. Ok, I think it's an absolute fallacy when people say you have to do this to get this. Like anytime you make absolute statements, there's going to be a lot of outliers in those conversations and I think you're a really good example of that. You're not playing. You didn't grow up playing selects football, nothing like that. And regardless of. I don't know how you look at your football career now, but regardless you made it to the highest level that anybody can for football. And Tara, I mean you had a slightly different experience where you did play select softball, but you didn't have any bad experiences with that and it hasn't jaded you, but it also hasn't created this absolute for you because you were developing regardless. I mean, if select softball wasn't a thing in your area, I'd venture to say your dad probably would have found a way.
Speaker 3:I think so, but actually one of the best things. I think my dad did. So I also played basketball in high school and I would have had no business playing select basketball, but when it was basketball season we did not.
Speaker 3:I mean I might do a few drills, but my dad said, if your legs are tired, if we practice pitching, you're picking up bad habits, and so even when I was 17, 18, I was playing on Omaha teams and driving up to Omaha to practice and my dad said she's not coming in the winter, during basketball season, she's not coming to practice. And I don't know that you could get away with that. How easily you could get away with that on a club team. Now.
Speaker 2:I'm curious if you feel like Tara, if you feel like if you had not played select until you were in high school, would you have had as successful of career.
Speaker 3:Probably not. I mean no, but one. I think just the level of softball play in Beatrice at that time was very high. So I feel like I could have played if I was in a different school. I could have played or maybe developed from there.
Speaker 1:What advice would you give to any youth athletes listening?
Speaker 3:You don't need to spend a lot of money on pitching lessons. I have kind of a soapbox on that.
Speaker 1:OK. Ok, we'll have to get into that at a different time, ok, mike. So same question. So you have one, and this is kind of unique because you coach football, you help coach high school football, so I'm sure you have those conversations. So walk me through a conversation like that.
Speaker 2:Well, I think. I mean, it's not rocket science. Jesus wants to do what we do to the very best of our ability. So you show up every day, and I see this when I coach. Sometimes the kids come in and it's kind of like eh you know lacks a day. As a call, I'm going through the motions.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:I'm laughing with my buddies, but you show up every day and you give it everything you got Right. You work to become a little bit better every single day. What are you working on today? And $n, that's a great word. You will improve more than you could ever imagine. I think. Just just be like that attention to detail, that, that focus and drive to to be your best, and it Hopefully to having that mentality of like, okay, I'm gonna be my best, right can help prevent some of the Unhealthy competition where I'm comparing against the guy next to me, yeah, or this guy who got offered a scholarship but I haven't gotten offered yet. Oh, you know, mm-hmm, I'm better than him, or that type of thing with it. That is really not, not Not a healthy mentality to have. But, yeah, it's about being your best every single day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, something I tell my son regularly is, like, don't get it twisted. You're not competing with anyone else. You need to compete with yourself. You need to go out there, whatever sport it is, and you need to have a standard in your, in your mind, of, like, who you are and what you're capable of, and if you're not, if you're competing with that, and again, that that should be pushing you. Nothing else, like I think that's that's a healthy balance. You know, that's that's how I checked myself as an athlete. It is like when, when I start looking at the guy next to me and I was trying to compete with him, that's when it would get Out of sorts for me. But when I would internalize it and I was competing within myself, like that's when I kept it and check a little more and so that's. You know something, you know that that's worked for me. Yeah, that's something I kind of you know, remind my son of, but I but I like that.
Speaker 1:I'm not gonna appreciate that, because you know there's there's so many narratives out there and there's so many kids and families that just are buying in. They're drinking the Kool-Aid, you know, and you know I think it's important. As humans, we need to always question things. You know, just because everyone's doing it. You know we need to question it. You know because, at the end of the day, you know Jesus and family have to come first, and there's too many things that already exist, that are Entering into families to divide us at a younger age. So the last thing we need is just to buy into something because someone else is doing it. And so you know my, my advice to anyone. You know, listening to this right now, just to kind of Piggy back on Mike and Tara, you know you know If you love athletics, if you want to get to the next level, you, you need to internalize that, have that eternal focus. You know that it's it could end tomorrow. You know we're all one bad injury away, one bad decision away from completely redirected life.
Speaker 1:And at the same time, I want want people to remember that Just because your, your friends, are doing it, just because your neighbors are doing it, doesn't mean it's right. You know. And just because mom and dad want you to do it doesn't necessarily mean it's right. There's, there's a million ways to skin a cat and you know if, if playing at the next level is something that somebody wants to do. You know, I would challenge someone just to you know. Get out there and talk to people who've done it. Well, that's all the time we got for today's episode.
Speaker 1:Guys, again huge shout out to Mike and Tara Higgins for taking time out of their schedule to join me in the studio and having very open conversation about the path to becoming a D1 athlete and a professional athlete, and just how different that looks and how there is not one clear cut formula to becoming a D1 athlete or becoming a professional athlete. And you know the. The other big takeaway that I would want anyone listening to this episode to to get Is it's so important to have those goals, but don't be so fixated on the goal that you miss the process. Fall in love with the game, fall in love with the development and have fun with it. An old hippie once told me that the journey is the destination. So don't get so focused on where you want to go and where you want to be that you forget where you are.
Speaker 1:Again, guys, you're a huge blessing to me. You'd be an even bigger blessing to me in the podcast if you would drop me a comment. Like the podcast, follow the podcast, share it out there to your friends, family, athletes, anyone else out there again, guys, your huge blessing. You are blessed. Go out there and be a blessing, take care.