August 31, 2026
“Use it!” Blade
Now Blade: Trinity (2004) is fictional…lemme give you a true story. In the 1990’s there was a movie that came out called Rudy. Rudy was based on the real-life story of Rudy Ruettiger. The movie was an idea that took nearly 20 years to become reality. Why did it take so long?! Maybe because the whole story seemed fake. A 25-year-old Navy veteran with dyslexia got into Notre Dame?! And then he got on the field as a 5’6” defender on the football team?! And he tackled the quarterback in a real game?! Seems unreal, right?!
It might seem unreal, but it's all true! Rudy
Ruettiger had a learning difference. He was 5’6” ...He was 165 pounds. (That's
tiny for that position!) Parts of the crowd were screaming his name! He did
tackle the quarterback at the end of the game, and he was carried off the
field. For everything good that we remember about Rudy, there were so many
things that were working against him. Rudy was a true underdog. He found a way
even when people said he couldn't. He used everything thrown against him as
food to fuel his success. For those who are not underdogs, it is easy to not
see what Rudy and other underdogs have achieved as not a big deal. Maybe a
thought is that the underdogs achievements didn’t change the world. But, if any
of the achievements changed the reality for an underdog, those acts are worthy
of being celebrated.
Underdog stories are great until we are
the Underdog!
I had a chance to witness the underdog first-hand recently. I gave the underdog the nickname of The Comeback Kid. The Comeback Kid had every reason to stop trying. She had every reason not to believe in the possibilities. And somehow, she trusted the process to make changes…she embraced the idea of resilience. She was often told by me, “You know what we can do?! We can do hard things! We can do hard things when we have low energy…we can do hard things when we have an aching heart… we can do hard things, and we feel like no one believes in us.” Over time, The Come Back Kid found a way to use it all. And I'm so grateful I was there when what she thought was impossible became possible.
Underdog stories are great until we are
the Underdog
The great underdogs had to take on all the
haters…they had to take on all the setbacks…as underdogs, people have to
navigate around every person who failed them…every person who said they
couldn't…all the pain that comes with all that negativity needs
to be used. Underdogs gotta use it all…every single bit of
it! Pain is always going to be
there…negativity is always gonna try to drown you. Are you
willing to channel it all into something useful or are you
going to allow it to chain you down to a life of wish-I-could-have? Don't be
that person! Find a way to channel it all…Turn that pain and negativity into
power! Use the power into action…use that action to change your world! That's
the charge! You ready?! Just know, I believe in you! Lean in!
Elgrie J. Hurd
- A Member of the Underdogs
