Embracing a Competitive Life

Embracing a Competitive Life offers an autobiographical sketch of the role that competition played, both informally and formally, in the life of Michael J. Hopkins for six decades. Nearly the first twenty-five years of this competitive life were as a student-athlete and coach in his hometown of Beloit, Wisconsin. After accepting a full-time position teaching high school social studies in Darlington, Wisconsin, in 1980, competitive actions intensified.

Both on and off the field of play, a sometimes arduous journey had to be endured through a series of personal and team trials and triumphs. Trials included coping with devastating losses in sports and beyond, the lifelong personal battle with social anxiety and bouts of depression, and being victimized by acts of violence. Triumphs included winning baseball and basketball championships, learning to better serve others with humility, and making strides in becoming more of a players-first coach. The wisdom gained from all these experiences has fueled the desire to share at least one hundred fifty life lessons related to embracing a competitive life.

Michael J. Hopkins graduated from Beloit Catholic High School as a two-sport athlete (baseball and basketball) and from Beloit College as a three-sport athlete (baseball, basketball, and golf), with a degree in Managerial Economics. He earned his master's in Humanities from California State University (Dominguez Hills). He was a substitute teacher and coach at Beloit Turner High School (1979-1980) and taught social studies at Darlington High School (1980-2019). His coaching experience from 1976 to 2016 includes five sports (baseball, basketball, football, golf, and wrestling), although mainly as a head coach for both boys' and girls' basketball for twenty-seven years combined. In 2021, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.