Keeping Score

Facebook

Comments Box SVG iconsUsed for the like, share, comment, and reaction icons
Cover for National Police Credit Union
Happy National First Responders Day! Thank you for your service, dedication, and sacrifice. #FirstResponders #ThankYou

Happy National First Responders Day! Thank you for your service, dedication, and sacrifice. #firstresponders #thankyou ... See MoreSee Less

6 days ago
🚨 Meet the Hosts! Get to know Deputy Scott Brown and Victoria Newman, the voices behind the “Facing Evil” podcast. Learn more about their journey and what inspired them to share this story. Visit FacingEvilPodcast.com. 🎙️ #TrueCrime #PodcastHosts

🚨 Meet the Hosts! Get to know Deputy Scott Brown and Victoria Newman, the voices behind the “Facing Evil” podcast. Learn more about their journey and what inspired them to share this story. Visit FacingEvilPodcast.com. 🎙️ #TrueCrime #PodcastHosts ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

📚 Must-Read Book! Before the podcast drops, check out “Facing Evil: A Cop’s Story of Murder, Mayhem, and the Aftermath” on Amazon. Get the full story behind the podcast. 📖🔗 FACING EVIL #TrueCrimeReads #FacingEvilBook

www.amazon.com/Facing-Evil-Murder-Mayhem-Aftermath/dp/B09HFT9H9S/
... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

🎥 Trailer Alert! Have you seen the trailer for the “Facing Evil” podcast yet? Watch it now at FacingEvilPodcast.com and get a sneak peek into the chilling story. 📽️✨ #PodcastTrailer #TrueCrime ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago
📅 Countdown Begins! Only five days until the launch of the “Facing Evil” podcast! Get ready to dive into a gripping true crime story. Visit FacingEvilPodcast.com to sign up for episode release notifications. 🎧🔍 #FacingEvilPodcast #TrueCrime

📅 Countdown Begins! Only five days until the launch of the “Facing Evil” podcast! Get ready to dive into a gripping true crime story. Visit FacingEvilPodcast.com to sign up for episode release notifications. 🎧🔍 #FacingEvilPodcast #TrueCrime ... See MoreSee Less

3 weeks ago
Jim Bedinger and Vivian Abraham attended the FOP Great Lakes Coalition meeting held in Indianapolis, IN, on October 3- 4, 2024.

Jim Bedinger and Vivian Abraham attended the FOP Great Lakes Coalition meeting held in Indianapolis, IN, on October 3- 4, 2024. ... See MoreSee Less

4 weeks ago
Today is National Thank a Police Officer Day! Wed like to take a moment to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who protect and serve. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to keeping us safe. #NationalThankAPoliceOfficerDay

Today is National Thank a Police Officer Day! We'd like to take a moment to express our gratitude to the brave men and women who protect and serve. Thank you for your dedication and commitment to keeping us s#nationalthankapoliceofficerdayerDay ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago
Thank you for 30 years of service!! And counting …
Stay safe!

Thank you for 30 years of service!! And counting …
Stay safe!30 years and counting!

Denise Sledge has been a valuable part of the OCSO Communications team for three decades! Thank you for your dedicated service and for answering the call for so many years! We appreciate you!🌟👏
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Great work Officer Harris and K-9 Rocky! Thank you! Stay safe.

Great work Officer Harris and K-9 Rocky! Thank you! Stay safe.Great work Officer Harris & K9 Rocky and congratulations on being the District 5 Officer of the Month!!!
****************************************************
Congratulations to Officer J. Harris and K9 Rocky of District 5, C Squad, who are being recognized as this month’s Officer of the Month.

Officer Harris recently completed a four-week K9 Handler course with his new partner, K9 Rocky. While attending K9 Handler school, Officer J. Harris and K9 Rocky conducted rigorous training to master working as a K9 Team. The curriculum is designed to equip handlers with the expertise needed for effective law enforcement. The curriculum focuses on narcotics detection, tracking, and evidence locating. Officer J. Harris and K9 Rocky have quickly become a unified team. Their combined efforts have led to the successful locating and apprehending of three suspects wanted in connection with felony incidents. Officer J. Harris and K9 Rocky have recovered not only two discarded firearms from fleeing suspects but also other discarded evidence pertinent to the crimes currently being investigated. Their work, including assisting with K9 callouts and routinely responding to 9-1-1 calls, has significantly contributed to maintaining public safety.

Thanks to Officer Harris and K9 Rocky for your hard work and dedication to protecting the Durham community. Excellent work!
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Great picture! Thank you, Deputy King and K9 Vito! Stay safe.

Great picture! Thank you, Deputy King and K9 Vito! Stay safe.Don’t mind us as we carry around "ruffly" 90 lbs. of K9 love.
Happy National Dog Day from Deputy King and K9 Vito!
#nationaldaydog🐾

📷 Nevada County Sheriff's Office
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
We will Never Forget.

We will Never Forget.The Chicago Police Department offers our condolences to the family, friends, and coworkers of Police Officer Austin Machitar of the San Diego Police Department who sadly lost his life in the line of duty on August 26, 2024. Officer Machitar's partner was also injured in the crash and is currently listed in critical condition. Our thoughts are with the officers and their families. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Thank you, K-9 Haywire! Enjoy your well-deserved retirement with your handler, and stay safe!Image attachment

Thank you, K-9 Haywire! Enjoy your well-deserved retirement with your handler, and stay safe! ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Great job! Thank you! Stay safe.

Great job! Thank you! Stay safe.Earlier today, when a kitten in Staten Island fell through the grates of a storm drain, concerned residents reached out to your NYPD cops. NYPD Special Operations ESU officers responded, and with help from NYC Department of Environmental Protection, they successfully brought the cat back to safety so it could dry up in today’s warm sun. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Welcome, K9 Raider and K9 Titan! Stay safe!

Welcome, K9 Raider and K9 Titan! Stay safe!Join us in welcoming K9 Raider and K9 Titan! 🐕

“The Gwinnett County Police Department is proud to introduce two new K9's into service. After completing their training in North Carolina, Raider and Titan will both begin work in the county. Titan will work with Cpl. Bartkowiak and Raider will work with Officer Copley. Both dogs are 2-year-old Belgian Malinois.”
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe.Image attachmentImage attachment+1Image attachment

Congratulations! Thank you! Stay safe. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Hello, K9 Diesel and Officer Ryan Coll! Thank you! Stay safe.

Hello, K9 Diesel and Officer Ryan Coll! Thank you! Stay safe.Meet K9 Diesel and Officer Ryan Coll of the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department . Diesel is a half Belgian Malinois and German Shepherd and will be 4 on his next birthday. When he’s not working, Diesel LOVES spending time relaxing with his human siblings and mama at home. Photo by Erik Larson. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Congratulations and thank you! Stay safe!

Congratulations and thank you! Stay safe!Congratulations to Officer Dalton Koch!

We are proud to announce that Officer Dalton Koch has been selected as the O'Fallon Police Department's Officer of the Month for July. This recognition is a testament to his dedication, hard work, and commitment to serving our community. Please join us in congratulating Officer Koch on this well-deserved honor! 👏👮‍♂️
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Congratulations and thank you! Stay safe.Image attachment

Congratulations and thank you! Stay safe. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Welcome!! Thank you! Stay safe.

Welcome!! Thank you! Stay safe.We welcomed a new recruit class at the Lexington Police Department Training Academy this week! For the next 30+ weeks, the recruits will cover topics that will help them Set the Standard.

Please join us in welcoming Recruit Class 08-2024 and thank them for choosing to serve our community!
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago
Great job, K9 Milo!!!! Thank you!

Great job, K9 Milo!!!! Thank you!Good Boy K-9 Milo 💙👏
#thankyouforyourservice

"K9 Milo of the Colorado Springs Police K-9 Unit was off duty this past Friday but that didn't stop him, or his Handler, from assisting with the capture of a fugitive.

Thank you Milo for doing such a great job which meant that everyone went home safe!"

📷 Running 4 Heroes- K9s
.
#heroes #policedog #k9 #k9officer #workingdog #malinois
... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Latest Tweets

Feed Them Social: TikTok Feed not loaded, please add your Access Token from the Gear Icon Tab.

Keeping Score

I do not have a soccer background.  I did not play soccer as a kid and, while I appreciate the sport, I did not have a burning desire to coach a soccer team until my daughter asked me to coach her team last season.  I agreed to coach, mostly because she has some type of mystic power over me that I can’t quite explain, but also because I thought it might be fun to work with kids that were 4 and 5 years old. All of them were participating in their very first organized competition and playing on their first team.

I learned many things from the experience, starting with the fact that I needed to quickly adjust my expectations.  I went from giving motivational speeches to just hoping that my team would pay attention long enough to stop picking up sticks and pulling grass while the game was being played.

There were no scoreboards, but I witnessed first hand what I had long suspected.  We are born with an innate sense of competition.  Despite the fact that the score was never advertised or discussed during the game, these 4 and 5-year-old kids knew who was winning and who was losing.  This experience confirmed that before we are old enough to fully reason things out or to think logically, we know the importance of keeping score.

My team lost more often than we won, but when we did win a game, the kids felt great.  They congratulated each other and the other team on a good game and they talked about how many goals they scored and they talked about looking forward to the next game.  They earned the satisfaction of knowing that their efforts had paid off and they experienced the reward of teamwork.

When they lost a game, they still congratulated the other team, but they didn’t feel all that great.  Sometimes they talked about the mistakes they made and sometimes they moped for a while.  They knew they didn’t like that feeling and many of them went home thinking about what they were going to do to make sure that they did not lose again.

Even though my focus was on teaching fundamentals and promoting good sportsmanship, I never discouraged the kids from keeping score because they were learning valuable lessons whether they won or lost.  They participated in a competition individually and as a team and found out for themselves what it was like to achieve success and what it felt like when they fell short.  Unfortunately, these are lessons they would not learn if a growing trend on the part of our society to not keep score continues to gain momentum.

If you are a parent of a child who has recently participated in any type of sport, you have probably already seen this trend in action.  You have likely heard phrases like “everyone is a winner” or “there were no losers today.” In these cases, great efforts and hard work tend to be diluted and those who are not dedicated and actively engaged are encouraged because they will receive the same reward as everyone else after the game or at the end of the season.

What does this teach our children and what type of false mentality are we passively or actively creating with these examples?  Whatever the answer, it is not consistent with real life.

Winning and losing are part of life and keeping score is the main measurement of how well we are doing or not doing in the pursuit of winning.  Winning is not an entitlement and the joy of winning cannot be created by a false or meaningless declaration.

If your life isn’t about the pursuit of excellence in every way, shape, or form then what it is about?  If you are not out there every day attempting to be a better person, a better neighbor, a better employee, spouse, or parent and keeping score of how well you are doing, then what are you doing?

Keeping score can apply to a competition with others, but it should most often apply to your own personal competition to be the best that you can be.  Whether you choose to keep score or not, be advised that the world around you will keep score for you.

If you don’t apply yourself at work and make it a point to accomplish goals, you will ultimately lose your job.  If you don’t keep track of your finances in a responsible manner, you will lose your credit rating and eventually your access to credit and if you don’t set out to win the heart of your spouse everyday…well, you get the picture.

Vince Lombardi, often thought of as an expert on winning, is credited with saying “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence” and that “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.”

He was absolutely right.  He also probably knew that the more vested you are in something, the more likely you will be to work to protect it and nurture it.  Only then, will you appreciate the true value of your efforts and you can only appreciate the true value of your efforts when you appreciate the difference between winning and losing.

For the kids on the soccer team who are just beginning their life learning curve, they will go forward a little wiser and a little better equipped for their future.  They have many wins to look forward to and many scores to keep.

The poor coach, on the other hand, is having a much harder time.  He knows full well how hard it is to win in life and all he can do is think about how he can improve his coaching skills and lead next year’s team to a championship, but that’s a story for another time.

Scott Arney
Chief Executive Officer
Chicago Patrolmen’s Federal Credit Union

Share This Post

Recent Posts

I am sure that you have read an article or listened to a reporter outline a story that included a reference to the source or sources responsible for the information being reported.
If you are experiencing any of the feelings or frustration associated with being overwhelmed; it is because you are either looking too far ahead or thinking about too much at once.
Knowing how to establish your goals is the most essential aspect of developing any useful and relevant plan and there are several key ingredients of successful goal setting.

GO!

Learn more about Strategies for Investing at the Credit Union’s next Financial Fitness for First Responders, a free online virtual educational seminar created for Law Enforcement Officers and their families. For more information, visit our website.

GO!

Learn more about Strategies for Investing at the Credit Union’s next Financial Fitness for First Responders, a free online virtual educational seminar created for Law Enforcement Officers and their families. For more information, visit our website.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

We’d love to add you to our mailing list.