17Helmet Stickers
“Thanks for meeting again, Coach,” said Sam as he passed a bagel and coffee to Marcus.
“You get the thanks,” said Marcus. “Your Cor Unum has brought this team together!”
“Really?”
“Yes … it all started with this band,” Marcus said, showing his wristband. “After I finalized what Cor Unum meant, we made bands for the players to earn. We introduced it last month and they've become a badge of honor.”
“That's great to hear,” said Sam. “How do they earn one?”
“Our strength coach, Gunny,” replied Marcus, “uses a tough test called the beep test that players must pass.”
“Has everyone passed?”
“Not yet,” replied Marcus. “Most have, but the real value isn't if they pass or not – it's what's happening to our culture.”
“How so?”
“If you look here,” said Marcus, turning the band on his wrist, “in addition to Cor Unum, I added H.E.A.R.T. to the other side. It stands for our five core values – Harmony, Excelsior, Ambition, Respect, and Trust.”
“Whoa,” said Sam. “That is cool.”
“Thanks. The players think so too. It's hard to connect with a different generation, but the players love it. Since explaining Cor Unum, they've stepped up. That snowballed into last week's breakthrough.”
“What was that?” asked Sam.
“I went to watch players take another crack at earning their band.” replied Marcus. “I only expected a few players, but the whole team showed up! And the best part? Most weren't there to retest. They were there to pace and cheer on their teammates! To pass this test, you ...
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