The Man in the Arena

The Man in the Arena

“The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twister pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Shame on the man of cultivated taste who permits refinement to develop into fastidiousness that unfits him for doing the rough work of a workaday world. Among the free peoples who govern themselves there is but a small field of usefulness open for the men of cloistered life who shrink from contact with their fellows. Still less room is there for those who deride of slight what is done by those who actually bear the brunt of the day; nor yet for those others who always profess that they would like to take action, if only the conditions of life were not exactly what they actually are.

The man who does nothing cuts the same sordid figure in the pages of history, whether he be a cynic, or fop, or voluptuary. There is little use for the being whose tepid soul knows nothing of great and generous emotion, of the high pride, the stern belief, the lofty enthusiasm, of the men who quell the storm and ride the thunder. Well for these men if they succeed; well also, though not so well, if they fail, given only that they have nobly ventured, and have put forth all their heart and strength. It is war-worn Hotspur, spent with hard fighting, he of the many errors and valiant end, over whose memory we love to linger, not over the memory of the young lord who “but for the vile guns would have been a valiant soldier.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

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Wembley Waves summer swim team registration at the Wembley Club

Can you hear the birds? Can you feel the warmth in the air? Hopefully this is not yet another “False Spring” followed by “3rd Winter” that North East Ohio is famous for.

We are about 86 days from Memorial day and for those of you who like to plan out the whole summer; Wembley is recruiting for its summer swim team! The Wembley Waves is a fun experience for swimmers of all ages and skills levels. We have daily swim team practices with morning and afternoon options to choose from. Swimmers can attend swim team practice during or after summer camp hours. The fee includes access to all practices and swim meets. The swim meets are scheduled every week and include home and away meets at local neighborhoods and clubs.

Come join the Wembley Waves team! It is more fun here!

You can get more info and register online on the website or email swim@wembleyclub.com for more information!

Personal trainer, Erin

Our own Erin Hagen repping at Arnold Festival this weekend!

We are wishing great success and the best of luck to Erin Hagen who is off to the Arnold Sports Festival this weekend in Columbus Ohio! She is participating in the Pro bench bash starting at 2 PM on Saturday! You can also view the whole event on Pay-per-view on Fanmio.

She will be competing in the 56kg division. Erin will go up against 25 of the best powerlifters who have been invited to compete. These include powerlifters across all weight divisions, ages and genders. She will be attempting to build on her success from winning at Nationals last June!

Did you know that in between competing in powerlifting tournaments and driving her kids around to various soccer and baseball practices and games; Erin also teaches fitness classes at Wembley and runs a successful personal training program!   Come join one of her sessions to experience getting trained by a National Champion!