Lance Loya's Blog

What has become one of America’s quirkiest traditions will take place today—the presidential pardoning of the White House turkey.

Since the Truman administration, White House staff have staged a pre-Thanksgiving Day photo op with the Commander in Chief and the turkey. However, History.com notes that the actual “pardoning” tradition didn’t begin until President George H. W. Bush started it in 1989.

Standing in the White House Rose Garden before a crowd of reporters and school children, Bush remar...

The first big snowstorm hit western New York last week. The National Weather Service was advising motorists to stay off the highways, warning of low visibility and potential whiteout conditions.

I chuckled when I saw the news report because it reminded me of a treacherous bus trip home during my coaching days. Our team was traveling west on I-90 when we encountered a lake effect snowstorm outside of Buffalo, NY.

Lake effect snow is a meteorological phenomenon that occurs when Arctic air moves ov...

Today is 11/11—a numerical sequence with several ties to the art of being a good teammate.

For starters, November 11th is Veterans Day. Today we honor those who served in the United States Armed Forces, a group that most definitely embodies “good teammate” qualities.

In binary code, the fundamental language of computers where 0 represents an “off” electrical state and 1 represents an “on” state, the sequence 1111 means “all on.” When it comes to commitment, caring, and effort, good teammates are...

Happy Halloween week!

One of my favorite Halloween memories is the year one of my daughters dressed up as an angel and the other dressed up as a devil. I shared a photo of them on social media, jokingly writing, “Look, they dressed up as each other.”

If you were familiar with their personalities at that age, you would’ve understood.

The term “devil” is used in various pop culture expressions, inclu...

I spoke at a conference last week, and afterward, someone approached me and asked, “How do I get my team members to be more engaged?”

This is one of the most common questions I am asked. While I understand the depth of the question, I am not always certain the person asking it does. My response to those who approach me with this question is: “How engaged do you want them to be?”

To which they usually reply, “I am not sure.”

On teams, e...

The English word “gift” comes from the Proto-Germanic word geftiz, which means “that which is given.”

Etymologists, experts who study the evolution of words, point out that the noun form of gift was originally only used in the context of marriage, meaning a “dowry.” A bride’s family was expected to provide a “gift” to the groom and his family in the form of money, goods, or land.

This offering was intended to enhance the bride’s desirability for marriage but also served as a conditional form of ...

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is happening this week in New Mexico. What started in 1972 as a modest gathering of 13 balloons launching from a shopping mall parking lot has grown to be the largest hot air balloon event in the world.

Nearly 600 balloons now launch from a 78-acre field (the equivalent of 54 football fields) within the massive 365-acre Balloon Fiesta Park.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta attrac...

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is happening this week in New Mexico. What started in 1972 as a modest gathering of 13 balloons launching from a shopping mall parking lot has grown to be the largest hot air balloon event in the world.

Nearly 600 balloons now launch from a 78-acre field (the equivalent of 54 football fields) within the massive 365-acre Balloon Fiesta Park.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta attrac...

As many regular Teammate Tuesdays readers are aware, I live in Florida—a place synonymous with hurricanes.

The Atlantic hurricane season extends from June 1 to November 30, meaning Floridians have recently passed the season’s peak point. This year, the season has been relatively calm, with no significant tropical storms making landfall thus far.

I know hurricane season is far from over. (Only last year, Hurricane Milton, the most intense hurricane ever recorded over the Gulf of Mexico, hit Flori...

Does any song capture the essence of a cultural phenomenon more perfectly than Kenny Chesney’s “The Boys of Fall?” Anyone who’s ever played high school football or experienced the magic of Friday Night Lights cannot help but be moved by this song.

As a former high school football player, I am instantly, as the lyrics suggest, back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads every time I hear it.

M...