Build Your Inner Citadel - Two Z's Two T's

Today's Fit as a Fiddle Friday is brought to you by two z's, two t's Kyle Cazzetta and his father, Vinny. One of many stories I love Kyle to tell starts with an explanation of what is a kicking block. 

One summer, when Kyle was in high school excelling on the soccer pitch, Vinny went to the local sporting goods store to pick up what I imagine was a one-inch kicking block. He brought it home and suggested to Kyle that his soccer skills, while quite strong, might need to improve to get him into the best schools. He suggested trying to kick a few field goals. Kyle nailed his first kick from some 35 yards! A short while later, after a call to the high school football coach, the rest is history.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal hanging with Kyle at Yale.

This came to mind when reading the chapter, Build Your Inner Citadel (p. 134), in Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle is the Way. The chapter starts with a story about Theodore Roosevelt and his father visiting the young, frail Theodore's room. "Theodore, you have the mind but haven't got the body. I'm giving you the tools to make your body. It's going to be hard drudgery, and I think you have the determination to go through with it." Theodore's response: "I'll make my body."

A couple of good stories below on how Vinny's suggestion set Kyle on the path to an outstanding college career at Yale.

Chip Malafronte: Kyle Cazzetta a military mind in a Yale helmet

FOOTBALL: Close ties bind Cazzetta and Cadets

'Foot' note from Vinny: 

Wow, that takes me back to some great memories. The other fun part was Kyle playing in a soccer match on Friday afternoon and a football game on Friday night. One, in particular, comes to mind when we had to drive Kyle one hour to an away football game after the completion of a soccer match. On the way, the football coach kept in contact with Kyle to see how much longer we had to drive so he could make a decision on whether to kick off or not if we won the toss. We dropped Kyle off, he ran through some woods to the 40-yard line and did the kickoff.

See: Proud of Kyle - Inducted into his high school Hall of Fame!