“Small aim is a crime.” – A.P.J. Abdul Kalamazoo
I’m at Wendy’s conjuring up the words that will make me actuate. It’s been a whirlwind week for Cassio Machado, who by way of Brazil, has made his way to the playgrounds and venues of Long Island and the best venues in New York City to see first hand what he’s been hearing on The Rant. SMOKE.
And like smoke, it goes up, it evaporates, and dissipates in the air, and is aimed similarly to the aspirations of every official that takes officiating seriously. We all want to go all the way up.
And to get here, obviously he went up in the sky, on a plane, a few weeks back, because he had a dream. He had a dream to see what officiating is like. I shouldn’t put a limit on what he wants to do. Nor he should be. We, collectively, should go for anything and everything that we want in life, with gusto, stat.
“If you have a dream or if you want to do something, you have to do it, you need to persevere. Sometimes if the answer is not where you are, you got to move, it takes a little bit of a leap of faith, if you sit
down they will never come.”
– Cassio Machado, The Rant: Episode 21
It started out small. He came in the car, and I was surprised that he was taller than I imagined. Perhaps I put a limit on my own imagination. Within the first 10 minutes of our drive, we got to know each other. It was different hearing his voice that was devoid of iPhone’s, and FaceTime connections. He was here, like I was recording a podcast live, only it wasn’t. It was real life.
“Aim for the sky, but move slowly, enjoying every step along the way. It is all those little steps that make the journey complete.” – Chanda Kockhhar
I asked him what his immediate goal was; it was to observe any game I would officiate in the future; to hopefully do a few games himself, within the month. He thought big,
and got bigger results.
“Aim for the stars and maybe you’ll reach the sky.” – Reinhard Niebuhr
Not only did he see a few games, he’s seen a myriad of venues, including Rucker Park and Pro City. He’s even seen the local Long Island scene as I did 10 Flag Football games at Bethpage High School. He’s been everywhere, and in turn, has meet the connections that I have connected with over the years, to do his first few games. He’s everything you can ask for a mentee; and more.
“I got to testify
Come up in the spot lookin’ extra fly
Before the day I die,
Imma touch the sky.”
– Kanye West
Like my parents before me, I can’t relate to Cassio’s plight of leaving the country he knows and uncomfortably getting comfortable with starting a new. But here’s what I’ve learned observing him.
“We aim above the mark to hit the mark.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
BLENDING THE OVERHEARD & EMPIRICAL
It is impossible to experience everything that can possibly happen to you in a game; that’s why there’s other officials, that have their own brew of raconteur to color the black and white experiences they had. Mix that with your own experiences to develop your own story telling, and it’s a deadly combination and blend of learning on the job, and learning the theory.
“Not flattering you, but listening to many stories on your podcast made me really envision what officiating was like in the United States. Everything that was said, is true from my first hand experience – Cassio Machado
DO WHAT’S BEST FOR YOU
Through knowledge, due diligence, and research, Cassio decided to move to the U.S. because his stints with Australia was not working out, and his home Brazil was too restricted. “After living Australia, I realized I was never going to live in Brazil. And the U.S. being so big in basketball and it being an English speaking nation, made me a very easy decision. And Basketball is Basketball.” He says. He continues. “I love the way the U.S. treats sports, and develop top level athletes in comparison to other nations. Where I come from, we are good in Soccer, and maybe two more sports, and nothing else. That got me curious on coming here and seeing what goes on.”
LIKE-MINDEDNESS
There’s no better help then for someone not only build the path, but be the one to lead and show everyone what the path entails. Everyone that’s ahead of someone should help those behind, and those behind should try to keep up with those that are ahead. They book work hand in hand, and the chain is not possible, unless we are all on the same page of alike-minds.
“After we spoke on the phone, and told me you would mentor me and show me the way, I felt comfortable with leaving as opposed to trying to
figure it out for myself.” – Cassio Machado
EMBRACING UNCERTAINTY
As I asked him what he thought were the attributes that made him fearless, and putting no limits on his experience, he offered me a quizzical blank stare. In fact, he’s looking at my screen right now, trying to figure out what is next. I want to know what’s next. I lean over to my left shoulder and I ask him just that. His answer: To establish myself in the United States and make it as a great Official. But there’s no point if I don’t establish myself here.
Good luck, Cassio. We are rooting for you. Welcome.
“Stay far from timid
Only make moves when your heart’s in it
And live the phrase ‘Sky’s the Limit.’” – Notorious BIG
