Rev Kev Corner

“So, how was your summer?”

I am on the first tee on the Old Course at St. Andrews, the birthplace, the sacred ground of golf. The starter has given us instructions for the round and when my caddy asks me about my game, I nervously tell him that I am the rank amateur in my group. I notice him roll his eyes a bit, as if to say, “This is going to be a long day.” I tee up my ball (with a BORGIA GOLF logo on it) and then go into my pre-shot ritual. I put my feet together, step out with my left foot and turn it at a bit of an angle. I step back with my right foot, placing my teed golf ball towards the front of my stance. I slightly bend my knees to give my legs a bit of flexibility. I grip my driver with an overlapping grip, and tense my arms, flexing my elbows inward toward each other. I position my ball above the arrow on my driver. I then relax my tenseness slightly as I think about slowly drawing my club back as if a string was attached to it, pulling it toward the clubhouse. (Only this particular clubhouse is the R&A, the Royal and Ancient, an old gray unsympathetic building. It looks like it is telling me: "you don’t belong here, sir.") I am careful not to over-swing, avoiding yanking the ball away. I am thinking about a million things, but I know I have to just let my mind go blank. Golf is a very Zen activity. But it is hard not to be self-conscious when you are imagining that the entire town of St. Andrews is watching you as you hit. “Please don’t miss, please don’t miss, please don’t miss. Oh, God, just let me get off of this tee with a decent drive.” It is then that it hits me like a ton of bricks. This is not a dream. I am not in a trance. This is really happening.

My trip to Scotland this summer was truly a trip of a lifetime. My classmates and I had been to St. Andrews before, but we were unable to get on the Old Course. This time, setting it up a year in advance and working with a tour agency, we not only got on, we got on… in prime time. And even though I am extremely self-conscious about my golf, I was determined to give the Old Course a go. But I cannot lie, it was absolutely terrifying. It was as though Old Tom Morris (Google him) was going to judge my pathetic swing. Life suddenly shoved me out of my comfort zone.

The theme I am sharing with our students this year is this: Discomfort is the price of admission for a meaningful life. Our culture wants us to wander through life with a minimum of pain, with a minimum of upset, with a minimum of discomfort. But think about it. All of the supreme moments of your life, all of your best memories, all of the things that make life worth living, call us to leave our comfort zones, our havens of safety, and take a risk. We do our students no favors by coddling them, packaging them in bubble-wrap. The best things in life are not free and easy, they come with a price, sometimes a very steep price: Discomfort. I could have made a fool of myself on the first tee (actually I waited until the 18 ^th hole to do that), but when I hit the ball and saw it fly (fairly) well, I knew that I faced a deep fear and created a beautiful, lifelong memory. 

Escape your comfort zone, you will not regret it.

 A new school year means the kickoff of our annual magazine fundraiser. With this drive, SFBRHS receives 48% of any renewed or new subscription through Great American Opportunities.

   We invite you to check out what Great American Opportunities has to offer in the way of magazines and other gift items, and consider renewing your existing magazine or digital subscriptions. Simply click the button below, enter the SFBHRS account # 2684322 and click on " Shop Now".

Questions?

Please call our office at 636-239-7871 ext. 122.

Welcome to another exciting year of Borgia Athletics and Activities. Together, let’s always, and in all ways, celebrate the efforts of our students, players, coaches, and teachers as they strive to make Borgia #1 in class, style, sportsmanship and competitiveness. Go Knights!!

Click logo at right to see a comprehensive athletic and activities schedule.

Borgia Football would like to honor the 1993 State Championship Knights on Friday, October 19 when we will be playing host to Sullivan at 7 p.m. Please come meet this year's squad before the game in the locker room at 5:30 p.m. During half-time, you will be introduced to the fans and celebrated for your tremendous accomplishment. After the game, join the entire Borgia family at the Knights of Columbus Hall for food and fellowship. Please RSVP to Coach Gildehaus at [email protected].

Each year St. Francis Borgia Regional High School gives away $25,000 in prizes through our annual Borgia Mega Raffle. There are two $1,000 drawings each month, and an additional $1,000 drawing on October 10 to celebrate the Feast of St. Francis Borgia. In addition, the student who sells the winning ticket receive free lunches for a week.