Mark Burke Jr.Mark Burke Jr.

The PIL was a wonderful institution. It was the beginning of a journey that would see me start as a boy and grow to play baseball professionally from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean, and as far south as Colombia, South America. I remember groomed, green and always chalked grass for every game I ever played. I recall in all 4 sports there were freshman, JV, and varsity programs who were managed by coaches with experience who took the time to teach the game. Whenever I twisted an ankle there was a professional trainer ready to tape me up. But the most impressive element of the PIL, by far, were all of the student athletes who were interested in sports and their parents, some who never missed a game. Attend a Wilson / Jefferson Basketball game on a Friday night and the electricity is palpable. As great as the PIL was and as many amazing memories I have of the sporting events I participated in, the true magic sauce of my development came from home.

I was blessed with two parents who loved me enough to actively participate in my development. Lessons from my father, my teacher and coach, were of toughness, grit and viewing failure as an opportunity to learn. My mother, a community college dean, taught me the benefits of discipline, compassion, consistency and a ‘never quit’ attitude. Before athletics, I spent years as a gymnast and musician. The daily routine of playing the violin and hours of practice on the gym floor would lay the foundation for the kind of athlete I would one day become. I was not the tallest kid in school, nor the fastest, nor the most athletic; however, I can’t recall a practice that I didn’t put in 110%. My dad used to say, “There’s only one way to be great at anything. It requires sacrifice and countless hours of work.”

By the time I was 12 I had become a three-sport athlete. Depending on the season I was either dribbling a soccer ball, bouncing a basketball or taking dry swings in my garage. My dad built a batting cage in our backyard, and we spent thousands of hours together throwing and hitting. There was a basketball hoop attached to the garage with an outside light, so I could still shoot around after the sun went down. I owned a bag of soccer balls and a net I would take to the local park so I could keep shooting, even after school practices were over. My father spent countless hours working with me on my physical development. My mother spent countless hours working on my intellectual development (and watching countless games). If I didn’t have a ball of some kind in my hand I could be found studying.

My parents’ expectation of me was to seek greatness in all things. My mother used to say, “Why settle for good, when greatness is inside you. You can do or be anything.” Whether it was leading the state in hitting, playing quarterback for the first time as a Senior and leading my team to a city championship, or graduating 5th in my class, the early lessons from both my parents would lead me to strive for excellence in the game of life. I have my mother and father to thank for creating an environment that allowed me to push to be the best version of myself every day. As a husband and father of 3 gorgeous kids, I can only hope my wife and I can come close to providing the same opportunities for our little ones.