In this episode, Martinez reflects on a question he was asked by a member of his team. During breakfast, he mentioned the names of Kristian Story, Camron Dooley, KD Hutchinson, and Jordan Walker. He showed highlights of each player and talked about how they were all great athletes who made it to play sports at the college level. All four players are from Chambers County, AL, the same county Martinez grew up in. Story and Dooley are defensive backs at the University of Kentucky. Hutchinson is a wide receiver at Western Kentucky, and Walker is a defensive back at Chattanooga.
The specific question Martinez was asked was, "do you ever wonder if you could have played at the next level had you been bigger, stronger, and faster?" Without hesitation, Martinez answered that he believed he could have played at the next level based on his talents, abilities, and skillset. However, he admitted that he would have needed to put on some weight. He also admitted that he lacked the dedication and commitment he would have needed as a high school player to make it to that level.
Martinez went on to talk about other great athletes he competed against who played collegiately and even former collegiate athletes he has competed against throughout eight years in the military in basketball, football, and even track and field. Not every great athlete played college sports or made it to the pros, but it does not mean they were not great athletes. As a man and an 8-year Army veteran with various competition victories, Martinez has the confidence, dedication, and commitment that he lacked as a young man. He encourages everyone to strengthen their belief system and to work hard at the things they want in life. For young athletes who have aspirations to be great, he wants them to understand that talent alone is not enough. The greatest of athletes such as Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Michael Phelps, Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams, and so many more were not only talented. They put in a tremendous amount of work. They were also dedicated, committed, and driven to succeed at all costs.
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