Having The Right Equipment

HAVING THE RIGHT EQUIPMENT can often help win championships. And when an athlete actually designs the gear, it gives him or her an even bigger edge. At the 1999 X Games in San Francisco, California, David Rogers took home street luge gold on his specially designed sled.

At first glance, street luge may look like a sport for athletes with a death wish. Traveling at speeds of more than 70 mph on a glorified skateboard, with their head inches from the pavement, street lugers certainly take some risks. But the fact is that many street lugers are in their 30s and hold down serious jobs. Rogers certainly fits that description. A mechanical engineer in his mid-30s, Rogers tinkered with his sled’s design prior to the 1999 Games.

Starting with a group of competitors in the Super Mass competition down Seal Rock Run, Rogers wasn’t expected to be among the winners. He had finished 21st in the previous X Games and claimed 32nd in the super mass in 1997. Plus, three-time X Games gold medalist Biker Sherlock was in the field.

Wearing a motorcycle helmet, a leather body suit, and thick gloves and shoes, the lugers rocketed down the course. With less than 100 feet remaining, it appeared as if Sherlock would claim his fourth gold. But Rogers accelerated through the Cliff House Turn and passed Sherlock 75 feet before the finish line. Sean Slate stuck his foot out at the line to edge out Bob Pereyra for third.

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POINT Top players in any sport demonstrate skill and craftsmanship. Natural ability coupled with practice creates excellence. David Rogers put his engineering know-how into his street luge and drove it to the gold.

Many people outside of athletics show knowledge in their craft as well. In Exodus, the second book of the Bible, God told Moses that he chose Bezalel to design the gold, silver, bronze, wood, and precious stone for the Tabernacle. Bezalel would help fashion a beautiful worship place.

Today, architects, sculptors, and stained-glass window artists create inviting settings for worship. They use their skills to build churches that glorify God.

GOAL! Do you have a special skill? It’s up to you to choose how to use your ability to praise the Lord. Thank God for the beauty that skilled craftspeople add to worship.