The Story Behind One Varsity Letter
(In the book, Michele Smith's Book of Good Softball Cheer, authors Lawrence Hsieh and
Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith talk directly with student-athletes and offer practical
advice on leadership, perseverance and other intangible skills that will help them be the
best student-athletes that they can be. The following text is excerpted from the
Perseverance chapter, and offers an explanation of how Lawrence came up with the name
of his website.)
"Lawrence grew up when life wasn’t quite as overscheduled as it is for most kids today.
There was no travel ball, and the term “soccer mom” was barely a glint in anybody’s eye.
He picked up the sport of basketball mainly because it was the only sport he could
practice by himself, for free, and on the driveway without having to be driven anywhere.
Lawrence loved the New York Knicks and his favorite players were Willis Reed and later
Bob McAdoo. He attended Saint Matthias Catholic elementary school in Franklin
Township, New Jersey, and was cut from the school team in 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th
grade, 7th grade and 8th grade. Lawrence didn’t fare too well either in CYO basketball
and remembers feeling great about blowing by everybody and taking an uncontested lay-
up, until he realized that he had just scored a goal for the other team. But he loved the
game, and spent hours practicing his jump shot.
Change was soon on the horizon, and the Hsieh family moved to nearby Belle Mead.
Lawrence somehow managed to make the high school freshman and junior varsity teams
at Hillsborough High School, where he proceeded to score an amazing 2 P.P.S. (not a
typo, that's 2 points per SEASON!). The competition got more intense the next year and,
predictably, he was cut from the Varsity. Lawrence wanted to make the team badly, so he
practiced all summer. He shot baskets for 10 to 11 hours every day and finally found his
stroke. By the end of the summer, Lawrence could go for 5 minute stretches without
missing a single bucket. He also attended enrichment classes that summer at Rutgers
Preparatory School, which had one of the best high school basketball teams in New
Jersey. During a break between classes one day, Lawrence decided to shoot some
baskets in the gym and was noticed by the then Head Coach Richard O’Connell. Coach
O'Connell sent a letter home to mom and dad promising a spot on his Varsity if Lawrence
would transfer schools. Mom and Dad decided that Lawrence would stay at Hillsborough
High because they feared that Lawrence would lose his number 1 academic ranking if he
transferred. The whole family was on pins and needles all autumn, but Hillsborough
Coach Jerome Leonardi gave Lawrence the green light and he made the Varsity. He
came off the bench his senior year to score a modest 2 or so points per game. Lawrence
picked up his Varsity jacket about one week before graduation, when it was too warm to
wear it ever again.
While Michele’s and Lawrence’s sports backgrounds couldn’t be more different, they
share the common bond, and a common bond with thousands of student athletes around
the country, of sticking it out in the face of adversity. While we don’t recommend
Lawrence's way of going uphill for 9 years, especially when there are so many other youth
sports opportunities offered today, the lesson today is pretty much the same as it was
back then. Set a goal, work hard to achieve that goal, tweak and reinvent if you have to,
and enjoy the ride!
Click here to learn more about Lawrence, and his co-authors.
(In the book, Michele Smith's Book of Good Softball Cheer, authors Lawrence Hsieh and
Olympic Gold Medalist Michele Smith talk directly with student-athletes and offer practical
advice on leadership, perseverance and other intangible skills that will help them be the
best student-athletes that they can be. The following text is excerpted from the
Perseverance chapter, and offers an explanation of how Lawrence came up with the name
of his website.)
"Lawrence grew up when life wasn’t quite as overscheduled as it is for most kids today.
There was no travel ball, and the term “soccer mom” was barely a glint in anybody’s eye.
He picked up the sport of basketball mainly because it was the only sport he could
practice by himself, for free, and on the driveway without having to be driven anywhere.
Lawrence loved the New York Knicks and his favorite players were Willis Reed and later
Bob McAdoo. He attended Saint Matthias Catholic elementary school in Franklin
Township, New Jersey, and was cut from the school team in 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th
grade, 7th grade and 8th grade. Lawrence didn’t fare too well either in CYO basketball
and remembers feeling great about blowing by everybody and taking an uncontested lay-
up, until he realized that he had just scored a goal for the other team. But he loved the
game, and spent hours practicing his jump shot.
Change was soon on the horizon, and the Hsieh family moved to nearby Belle Mead.
Lawrence somehow managed to make the high school freshman and junior varsity teams
at Hillsborough High School, where he proceeded to score an amazing 2 P.P.S. (not a
typo, that's 2 points per SEASON!). The competition got more intense the next year and,
predictably, he was cut from the Varsity. Lawrence wanted to make the team badly, so he
practiced all summer. He shot baskets for 10 to 11 hours every day and finally found his
stroke. By the end of the summer, Lawrence could go for 5 minute stretches without
missing a single bucket. He also attended enrichment classes that summer at Rutgers
Preparatory School, which had one of the best high school basketball teams in New
Jersey. During a break between classes one day, Lawrence decided to shoot some
baskets in the gym and was noticed by the then Head Coach Richard O’Connell. Coach
O'Connell sent a letter home to mom and dad promising a spot on his Varsity if Lawrence
would transfer schools. Mom and Dad decided that Lawrence would stay at Hillsborough
High because they feared that Lawrence would lose his number 1 academic ranking if he
transferred. The whole family was on pins and needles all autumn, but Hillsborough
Coach Jerome Leonardi gave Lawrence the green light and he made the Varsity. He
came off the bench his senior year to score a modest 2 or so points per game. Lawrence
picked up his Varsity jacket about one week before graduation, when it was too warm to
wear it ever again.
While Michele’s and Lawrence’s sports backgrounds couldn’t be more different, they
share the common bond, and a common bond with thousands of student athletes around
the country, of sticking it out in the face of adversity. While we don’t recommend
Lawrence's way of going uphill for 9 years, especially when there are so many other youth
sports opportunities offered today, the lesson today is pretty much the same as it was
back then. Set a goal, work hard to achieve that goal, tweak and reinvent if you have to,
and enjoy the ride!
Click here to learn more about Lawrence, and his co-authors.
One Varsity Letter
One Student-Athlete's Story of Perseverance
One Student-Athlete's Story of Perseverance
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OneVarsityLetter.com
© 2007 Lawrence Hsieh
Attention Parents and Coaches!
Perseverance and Giving Back are two key attributes of being a great
student-athlete.
After reading the "story" behind One Varsity Letter (below), click here to go to our
Student-Athlete Hall of Fame. From there you can submit your
student-athlete's story of courage or good citizenship.
Thank you!
Perseverance and Giving Back are two key attributes of being a great
student-athlete.
After reading the "story" behind One Varsity Letter (below), click here to go to our
Student-Athlete Hall of Fame. From there you can submit your
student-athlete's story of courage or good citizenship.
Thank you!
Click here to Contact Us.