The 2013 Seattle Seahawks

For more than six years, Ronald Newman has led Puyallup company Milestone Investment Properties, LLC, as manager. Milestone's Ronald Newman is an avid fan of Washington sports and a follower of the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2013 Seattle Seahawks earned the franchise its Super Bowl championship. Like many championship teams of the past, the Seahawks experienced success as a result of world-class defense. 

Over the course of the 2013 season, the Seattle defense allowed just 4,378 yards, or about 273 yards per game, the lowest total in the league. Seattle had the top-ranked pass coverage and a top-10 rush defense, a combination yielding a league-low 231 points allowed.

The league’s top-rated defense held seven opponents to 10 points or less during the regular season, highlighted by a 23-0 win over the New York Giants in Week 15. Seattle’s defense remained stable throughout the postseason, managing 23-15 and 23-17 victories over the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, respectively.

The team’s defensive prowess was best demonstrated in the Super Bowl contest with the Denver Broncos. The Seahawks generated 43 points for the game while limiting the Broncos to just one touchdown. 

The game saw the Seahawks take an insurmountable 36-0 lead deep into the third quarter before the defense finally relented. The Most Valuable Player award went to linebacker Malcolm Smith.

Improving Skiing Balance

Ronald Newman serves as a managing member at the Milestone Companies, a Washington-based group that completes real estate development projects in the area. When he’s not busy with work, Ronald “Ron” Newman enjoys taking advantage of Washington’s regular winter snow and is very fond of snow skiing.

Good balance is a key component to good skiing. A part of good balance comes from maintaining the correct skiing posture. Ideally, the feet should be spread apart at a comfortable distance with the knees and ankles slightly flexed. Further, the spine should be curved naturally and the hips and shoulders should be aligned. In addition to posture, skiers must consider how they place their weight. Ideally, weight should be placed on the feet equally without favoring either the ball or heel of the foot. This keeps the ski boot from getting overloaded at either the back or front ends. Additionally, putting more weight on the outside ski, while seemingly counterintuitive, helps skiers stay more balanced while turning.

If skiers find that getting the right balance is difficult, the problem might be their strength. For many individuals, trying a strength exercise at the same time as a balance exercise is much more challenging than strength alone, which often results in poor balance while skiing. Rather than ignoring it, skiers can do exercises that combine balance and strength. Squatting on a balance board is a great exercise for improving skiing balance. Combining both aspects had better results than strength training alone because it trains the body to stay balanced during varying movements. Most skiers will notice improvements in skiing balance within just one month.

Keeping Your Team Motivated as a Coach

Ronald “Ron” Newman helps lead the Milestone Companies, a collection of corporations that he helped establish to develop and construct multi-family projects. An active member of his community in Washington, Ronald Newman spends some of his time outside of Milestone coaching little league football and basketball.

For many athletes, especially younger athletes, internal motivation is not enough, so it becomes your responsibility as the coach to keep your team motivated. This often starts with your own understanding of the game. Players, even young ones, can tell when their coach is unfamiliar with the sport, and it often decreases their belief that their team will succeed. If you do not know much about your team’s sport, make the effort to learn about it as you go and only teach the things that you do know. Doing this also makes it easier for you to show your team why their drills or practices are important. By understanding how their training will make them better, your team will be more motivated to continue working on themselves.

Motivation is not just about improving and winning, it is also about continuing past the losses. It is important that you discipline your team without being condescending. Athletes need a good mix of praise and discipline as they train. When you see a player doing something right, point it out and praise him or her. If a team member is doing something wrong, kindly tell the individual how to improve. When doing this, avoid making comparisons between athletes because it can kill motivation and create internal team hostility. Do not equate your team’s individual self-worth with their performance, either, as this can have a similar demotivating effect.