Sport, properly directed, develops character, makes a man courageous, a generous loser, and a gracious victor; it refines the senses, give intellectual penetration, and steals the will to endurance. It is not merely a physical development then. Sport, rightly understood, is an occupation of the whole man, and while perfecting the body as an instrument of the mind, it also makes the mind itself a more refined instrument for the search and communication of truth and helps man to achieve that end to which all others must be subservient, the service and praise of his Creator. (Pope Pius XII)

Tonight, of my favorite kids around, Malcolm Houze, had one of those glorious nights all athletes hope for when playing sports! Malcolm, who is a 6th grader at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic School in Fishers, won the 100m event at the CYO City Championships! Not only that, but then, as part of the 4×100 event, he and his teammates were crowned CYO City Champs in that event as well! Here’s a photo of the sweet teammates below (including Dylan James, Cameron Parker, Malcolm Houze and Alex Myers).

Malcolm is the son of Tim and Lisa Houze, my dear friends, and the younger brother of Christian Daniels (also a very fine human)! He is pretty solid at every sport he tries, and I am fairly sure he’s tried almost ALL OF THEM! He’s fierce and competitive like his mother and incredibly handsome like his dad.

When I was diagnosed with cancer this winter, I got a nice note from Malc. He’s a faith-filled and all around solid young man. Today, I just wanted to take a moment to celebrate today’s sports success with a kid whose smile definitely lights up the room, and whose sense of humor and silliness spreads the smiles to others!

CONGRATULATIONS, MALC! You’re speedy AND you can hit dingers out of the ballpark? You’re having a good month of May, kiddo! The entire Thieme family is happy for you and we’ll be cheering you on now and in the future…whatever sport or academic successes are sure to come!