21x04 - Game Day

[bunniefuu]

♪ Butterfly in the sky ♪

♪ I can go twice as high ♪

♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know
and ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can be anything ♪

♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Captioning made possible by
u.s. Department of education

Whether you're running a race,
kicking a ball,

Or scrambling a play,

Sports are a great way
to have fun.

They're also a terrific
opportunity to grow

Because as you play,
you're challenged

Emotionally, mentally,
and physically.

That's why a lot
of professional athletes say

That the lessons they learned
in sports while they were young

They still use
in their everyday lives.

Tiki and ronde barber
are nfl superstars.

Tiki is a running back
for the new york giants,

And ronde is a cornerback
for the tampa bay buccaneers.

They're twins,
and growing up,

They played together
on the same team.

During that time,
they learned a lot

About how to treat others
and themselves.

Now that tiki and ronde
are seasoned pros,

They've written a few books
about their experiences
as young football players.

This one tells how they
discovered the true meaning
of playing as a team.

It's called "game day"!

[Crowd cheering]

James avery: game day written
by tiki and ronde barber,

Illustrated by barry root,

Read by james avery.

It was the play coach mike liked
to call old bread and butter.

Tiki and ronde knew it by heart.

It went like this--

The quarterback took the snap
and looked left

As both ends broke
to their left;

Then with a quick spin,
the ball was pitched
back to tiki,

Who followed his brother
to the opposite side.

From right behind ronde,
tiki sprinted into the clear.

At the 20-yard line,
two defensive backs
closed in on tiki.

Ronde, leading the way,
dove at the knees
of the first defender

And bounced into the second
as all 3 players went down.

Tiki leaped high
and kept going.

Touchdown vikings!

[Whistle blows]

"Tiki barber,
number 22, scores,"

The announcer called out.

Ronde saw his whole team
converge on the end zone,

And he sat up and made his way
to the milling crowd.

He was limping a little.

"Tiki, tiki!"

All the vikings crowded
around tiki and cheered.

He wondered, "if I hadn't
made that block,

"Tiki wouldn't have scored.

Didn't anyone notice
that i"--

Coach mike came up beside ronde
and patted him on the shoulder.

"That twin brother of yours,
he's amazing.

That's seventh long
touchdown run this season."

"Yeah," ronde said,
his head down.

"You ok?" The coach asked.

"Yeah, I'm ok," ronde said
in a quiet voice.

Later as the boys' mother
cooked dinner,

Ronde mumbled in a soft voice,

"Guys who block
and stuff like that--tsk--

"Nobody notices.

People just notice the guy
who scores touchdowns."

His mother seemed
to be thinking.

Then she popped
a funny question.

"Who cooks dinner here?"

"You do," he answered.

"And if I were to stop?"
His mother asked.

His mother jumped in
with an answer.

"I'll tell you.
We'd all starve.

And who carries out
the garbage each night?"

"Me and tiki."

"Right on, buster,
and if you guys didn't"--

Ronde smiled.

"We'd all have to walk around
like this," his mom said,

Then pinched her nose
and laughed.

"It's a good thing we work
together here, isn't it?"

Saturday arrived,
but ronde's ankle was
still slightly swollen.

He sat on the bench
in his street clothes
next to coach mike.

"Can't I maybe play a little
in the second half?" He pleaded.

"No way, jose,"
the coach said firmly.

"Besides, next week's game
is the big one.

Let's get you ready for that."

Tiki trotted over to the bench

Out of breath
from pregame warmups.

"Hey!" Coach mike said,
pointing to ronde.

"Let's win one
for your brother here."

[cr*ck]

Yet easier said than done.

Again and again,
tiki cut through the line

Only to find himself trapped
by 2 or 3 defensive backs,

Who hemmed him in
and drove him out of bounds.

"Cheering helps,"
coach mike said,

"But not as much as a few
solid blocks."

Then he added softly,
"he's missing his main man."

It was the following wednesday,
practice day before their game

With the toughest team
in the league, the knights.

Coach mike told ronde and tiki
to take turns catching

And returning punts.

As tiki watched from the bench,

Ronde caught 10 high,
spiraling punts in a row
without dropping one,

And after each catch,
he zigzagged and sprinted
downfield for 20 yards

And then came back.

Ronde felt like a colt who had
been let out of the barn.

He loved the breeze on his face

And the feel of the cinders
under his shoes.

Saturday was overcast.

The wind swirled and dived down
and swirled again.

The knights were wearing
shiny, black uniforms.

The gray sky seemed to make
the players look even bigger.

Ronde looked over
and spotted his mother.

She smiled, gave him
a thumbs-up,

And mouthed the words
she always used--"play proud."

The game was expected
to be close,

And at halftime, it was tied.

Only once late
in the third quarter

Did tiki, behind a great block
from his brother,

Break away
for a long touchdown run,

But the knights' bigger size
began to show.

Slowly, yard by yard,
they drove to a touchdown
and then edged ahead.

The vikings were on their
own 40-yard line.

It was starting to drizzle,
and the clock was running down.

Ronde sprinted to the sidelines,
listened to the coach,

And then raced back.

He ducked into the huddle
to announce the play.

"Coach mike says"--
he looked at tiki--

"It's time for
old bread and butter plus one."

Jason, the quarterback,
glanced up.

"Huh?" He mumbled.
"What's the plus one?"

Tiki broke in,
"don't worry.

It's the same old play
with something added."

"Let's do it!"

Jason took the snap.

He faked a pass to the left
and wheeled around.

He shoveled the football
back to tiki,

Who veered outside
the onrushing end.

Tiki threaded his way downfield
behind his brother,

But 3 defensive backs
were closing in.

Then something strange happened.

Ronde seemed to miss his block
and slide sideways

Past the defenders.

The 3 tacklers, sure
of themselves now,
headed for tiki.

It seemed like it was all over.

In a split second, tiki
leaped into the air
and spun around.

With all his strength,
he lobbed a cross-field
lateral pass to ronde.

The football wobbled and dipped,

But ronde,
without breaking stride,

Bent forward and snatched
it cleanly just above his shoes.

He tucked the football
under his arm and was off.

Ronde ran faster and faster,
his eyes on the goalpost,

The 30-yard line,
the 20, the 10.

"Touchdown ronde barber,"
the announcer called out
in a loud voice.

"The vikings win 20-15."

Ronde stood in the end zone
and looked back.

The whole team was racing
downfield toward him.

Tiki was there first.

Together, he and ronde
held the ball high in the air.

The vikings gathered around.

Many hands reached in
to touch the winning football.

"You did it,"
tiki shouted at ronde.

Ronde laughed.
"No, bro. You did it!"

Then he stopped.
"We both did it!"

Then he stopped himself again.

"We all did it! Hooray vikings!"

[Cheering and applause]

Tiki and ronde found out
that playing together

Really means working together.

When they took the time
to understand how each brother
could contribute to the game,

Then they were able
to succeed as a team.

Playing a sport with someone
who's close to you

Isn't always easy.

Sometimes, you'll want
to compare yourself
to that other person

And wonder whether you're
as good as they are
or maybe even better,

But it doesn't have
to be that way

If you focus on your own goals
and play your own game.

Ashley and kristen steenvoorden
are nationally ranked

Competitive swimmers.

Yeah.
Oh, my gosh.

They're also


Who practice just about
every day to become
olympic hopefuls.

When you guys were
in california.

Girl: I'd say my relationship
with my sister is definitely
a tight one.

I love being a twin.

You don't ever feel
like you're alone,

And you always have a person
to do something with,

So you're never
bored or anything.

The person that knows
the most about me

Is definitely my sister ashley.

I can't definitely tell her
everything and anything.

Our daily routine usually
begins with us waking up
at, like, 4:30.

Man: hey, kris.
It's time to get up.

You got practice.
Come on.

When we actually wake up,
it's just, like, I want
to go back to bed,

But you know
that you can't,

So you just--
you're getting up anyway.

Hey, hey.
It's time to get up.

You got practice.
Come on. Let's go.

Ashley, voice-over: being woken
up at 4:30 in the morning

Is very difficult,
but I always realize

That to accomplish what
I've accomplished so far,

I need to be woken up at 4:30.

Kristen: our school friends
don't really know

How much time and effort
we put into it.

Like, they always say,
"oh, why can't you
just skip practice?"

But they don't know
that it's hard to.

Hey, girls, ready!

Ashley: my dad is very great.

I don't think many dads
would wake up at 4:00

To shower and get
their daughters up for practice

And take them to practice.

He's always been so supportive,
and that's what I like the most.

Kristen, voice-over:
he makes us our breakfast,

And he always puts our
school bags in the car

Just to make sure
that we're ready to go.

Ashley, voice-over:
we eat our breakfast,

And my dad drives us
down to princeton

For practice at 5:15.

All right, guys.
Make sure you count
your strokes.

Ready, go!



Kristen, voice-over:
practice definitely helps you.

Like, if you're going to
put the time into it,

You definitely need to practice.

It just doesn't come naturally.

It's your choice.
It's whatever you want.

Ashley, voice-over: our coach
is tom speedling.

Ready, go!

Tom's always pushing you
to push to your max.

Lift yourself up
out of the water

And then drive forward.

Drop elbows and go.

All right. Butterfly.

Finish up here,
all right?

Don't finish here.

All right.
Nice and long.

Good! Good!

And he's always supportive
of, like, how you're
doing and stuff.

Two years ago,
my freestyle was probably
one of my worst strokes.

He told me that
if I stay longer I'll go faster,

Which is what has happened,
so now it's my best stroke.

My better strokes
would be the butterfly
and the breaststroke.

Swimming has shown me that
I can push myself harder
through things,

I can, like, push myself
to do things

That most--that
the average person can't.

Tom: all right, guys.
Let's set up here.

We're gonna go ash, kris,
levette, and andrea in lane one.

Darren, james, austin,
andy, lane two.

Here we go. Ready, go!

Ready, go! Come on!
Let's do it!

Do you want to go?
No!

Then why are you
going on my feet?

I'm not.
Yes, you are.

Tom: guys, relax.
We'll talk about this
later, all right?

We're finishing the set.

All right, guys.
This set we're gonna go--

Ashley, I want you
in lane one,

Kristen, I want you to move
over to lane two, all right?

We're going on the top.

Ready, go!

We always get
in those little fights.

We, um--we hate it when
each other's on our feet.

Just little things like that
just get on our nerves.

Hey, guys.
Come here a minute.

So what was
the problem before?

Oh, she's so annoying.

Whenever I swim
with her,

She always thinks that
she has to get on my feet,

Swims down the middle,
comes out of the wall,
and hits my hands.

Well, move faster
then, like--

It's not like go
slow purposely

Just because you're
in my lane.

She usually takes it out
harder on me

Than, like, anybody else
just because she knows she can.

I think I take it out more
because she's my sister

Than as if it was just
a friend or anything

Just because I know that--
well, I don't know that
she's doing it on purpose,

But I think that she's
doing it on purpose

Just because she knows
that it gets on my nerves.

So tom always tells us
just to cool down,

Like, not worry about it.

Tom: listen. This can't be
an issue here in practice.

There's gonna be some days
where you're gonna have
to swim together.


In the same lane together,

But there's gonna be days
where we're doing
the same stroke,

The same interval.

This is not a big thing.

If the worst thing that
happens to you in your week

Is that you had to swim
in the same lane
with your twin sister,

You're having
a pretty good week.

All right?
You see what I'm saying?

Yeah.
I guess.

Ashley, voice-over:
yeah. We fight. We just
yell at each other.

It's never like--it
never lasts over a day
or anything like that.

Tom: ready, go!

Make sure your elbows
are chopping clean.

Burton: their schedule is
very demanding.

They practice before
and after school every day

And on the weekends.

This demanding lifestyle
is beginning to pay off
for the girls.

Recently, they competed
at a national event

Where they scored very high.

Come on, ashley!
Go, go!

Ashley: we did very well.
I placed 21st in the mile.

[Beep]

Man: go, kristen!

Woman: go, kris!

And kris placed 22nd
in a 4 i.m.

Overall, I think, my coach and I
was definitely very happy.

It makes me really happy to see
that I'm doing well.

Burton: their strong finish
brings their coach tom over

For a discussion
about their future.

Hey, tom.
How are you?
Thanks for coming.

Tom: I'll tell you
right now.

There's not a lot
of people who can do

The sets
that they do,

And that's
the truth.

They train
as fast as anybody
in the country,

But I think that
they're ready to
take the next step

And to be a player.

I think both of them
are good enough

To try to do
something

At the olympic
trials.

It's a big
commitment.

Dad: it is
a big commitment,

Giving up
their vacations.

Is that what you want
to do, you know,

To strive to get up?
This is what you want?

Yeah. I think so.
Like, this will be

Best
in the long run.

Sounds good.

Knowing that we're going
to be, like, the stars,

Like, we definitely
have to commit more,

And we have to be able
to give up our spring breaks

And not really miss
any practices at all,

So we have to really give 100%.

Ashley, voice-over: sometimes,
we just sit out here

And think about stuff
that we've done,

And you never know,
but I think we have a good sh*t

At making the olympic team.

It would be very exciting
if one of us did

Bring home a medal one time.

When I was a kid,
I used to love
to play football.

Problem was, I just wasn't
built for the sport.

I was small and a little slow.

I had to practice hard
just to compete,

But you know what?

I loved every minute of it,

And over time,
I got better and better.

When some people play sports,

They have special
physical challenges,

And when they get out there,

They really have to
sweat for it,

And when they do,
they build up their
confidence here

And here.

Daniel thrush experienced
an injury when he was younger

That affected his legs
and other parts of his body.

How you feeling now?
Good.

Yeah? No pain?
No.

Everything's
going good?

Yeah.
Ok. Keep it up.

Thank you.

Burton: with help from his dad
and the rest of this family,

He's worked
on his physical challenges

And regained a lot
of his movement.

I want you to
take one arm
off at a time.

Bend those knees.

Yeah. They're bent.

Go with the flow.
Here we go.

Ready.
Ready?

Yeah.
Whoa! Got you.

Good job.

Burton: physical therapy
and plenty of love

Has him back playing
the sports that he loves,

Like basketball
with his younger brother mike.

Daniel, voice-over: I like to
play basketball, baseball,

Pretty much anything
with sports.

I love sports very much.

Every time.
Whoa.

Burton: even though
daniel is older,

His injury has changed
their relationship.

Michael, voice-over: it's kind
of an interesting relationship,

Whereas even though he's
the older brother,

I--i have to look out
for him sometimes.

I have to take care of him.

Hey!

sh**t it!

One!

[Clang]

Another
heartbreaking loss
for danny.

Daniel, voice-over: we've kind
of reversed roles, I guess.

He's, like, the big brother
now in ways,

But I never let him
take advantage of me. Ha!

Nice.
Thank you.

Burton: before his injury
at 12 years old,

Daniel was a healthy child.

Dad: there's daniel,
looking at the thing.

It's a sh*t by mike.

Dad, voice-over: we were
a normal family.

We did everything
that everyone does.

You know, we played
baseball together.

We played basketball together.

Burton: but everything changed

When daniel began
not feeling well.

Daniel: I had been having
really bad headaches
for a few weeks,

And my parents brought me
to my pediatrician,

And he thought that they
were just migraines.

Come on!

Dad: on march 9, 1997,
he was playing basketball,

And our whole family
was watching him,

And he took a sh*t,

And he came running
off the court holding his head,

And he collapsed in my arms.

I had a brain aneurism,
which means a blood vessel
popped in my head.

Burton: daniel was taken
to the hospital,

His family by his side.

Dad: and at this point,
he was in a coma.

I was in a coma for 30 days,

And I was in the hospital
for 341 days,

But who's counting?

Burton: although daniel
did wake up,

He faced a long recovery.

Daniel: it was hard at first.

I couldn't walk for two years.

The wheelchair became
like my legs.

I started walking
with a track club called
the achilles track club,

Which is a track club
for people with disabilities.

I did the whole lap
in less than
a minute.

Whoo!

He has tremendous
determination, perseverance.

The first race he did,
which was a mile,

Was such a great goal
because he walked a mile.

It took him 45 minutes,
but he walked it
under his own power.

I did it!

He really looks
at his accomplishments

And celebrates
what he can do

Rather than what he can't do.

♪
♪

Daniel, voice-over:
music has just always been
a big part of my life.

I picked up the keyboard
because the guitar's hard

Because I only have full use
of my right hand.

Sometimes when my left hand
spasms and comes up like this,

I need my right hand
to open the fingers

And help bring it down.

So, dan, you ready
for the race tomorrow?

Yeah.

You're gonna go
for a personal record?

Gonna go for a p.r.

Excellent.
I think you can do it.

Me, too.

Daniel, voice-over:
challenge means a lot to me

Because I can, like, set goals
and then try to achieve them.

Burton: today, daniel plans
to b*at his last 5-mile race
by at least a minute.

Daniel: we break up
into teams of athletes
and volunteers,

And then we go,
we walk or run.

Man: have a great run!

Daniel: ok.

And then we
walk a little,

And then we speed
it up a little.

Ok.

Here. Go.

Man: yeah, danny.
You're moving.

Daniel, voice-over: my coach
jimmy's a great guy.

He has cerebral palsy.

He's done the last 3 or 4
new york city marathons,

So he's a big inspiration
for me to keep going.

Jimmy: thank you.

And here we go.

Are you ready
to pick it up?

Yep. Pick it
up again.
Come on!

Keep pumping,
moving the arms.

Daniel, voice-over:
I just keep trucking

And thinking
about the finish line

And how good it's
gonna feel to get there.

[Cheering and applause]

Man: let's give danny
a nice round of applause.

Coming to the finish line
right now.

Burton: daniel finishes strong,

b*ating his old race time
by 4 minutes.

Daniel, voice-over: my motto is:
mile by mile, it's a trial;

Yard by yard,
man, it's hard;

Inch by inch, it's a cinch.

So that means just keep trying.

It will be a happy future.
I'm positive about that.

Whether you're
trying out a new sport
or improving your game,

It takes a lot of determination,

And when we struggle,
we sometimes need

A little encouragement,
a little push

To get out there
and keep playing.

Well, here are 3 books
that will coach you
to stay in the game,

But you don't have to
take my word for it.

Hi. My name is jitan,
and I read the book
"the blue ribbon day."

It's about a girl named carrie
and her best friend ellie.

They want to play soccer,

But when carrie goes
to the tryouts,
she isn't good.

The next day,
she looks back at the list

To see if she's
on the soccer team.

She doesn't make the team,

But her best friend ellie does.

In my soccer team,
I really wanted to make a goal,

But I haven't made one yet.

I learned that in sports
you have to have a lot
of patience.

When I read this book,
I realized that

When you try out for teams
you don't always make the team,

But you could always
find something else
that you're good at

Or even better at.

This is "pecorino" plays ball,

And it's about this boy
named pecorino

And his first time
playing baseball.

He thought it was easy,

But he found out it wasn't.

He doesn't know how to hit
a baseball or catch one.

He strikes out
a couple of times,

And he's relieved that no one
hits the ball to him.

He meets a kid on the other team
who has the exact same problem.

Even though they're
on different teams,

They become friends
and help each other,

And pecorino makes the big catch
at the end of the game.

If you read this book,
you'll get to see

More of the funny things
that pecorino does.

This is one of those books
that you just have to read
for yourself.

I just finished this great book,

And it's called
"winners never quit."

"Winners never quit"
is the story

About the great
soccer player mia hamm.

It takes place when mia
is my age.

Every time she misses a goal,
she wants to quit.

She was afraid that she might
continue losing and losing,

But her friends want her
to continue playing.

In the end, does she
learn her lesson?

If you want to know,
you have to read this book.

This book inspired me
to try my hardest.

I'm katherine,
and this has been a true story.

Please read it now.

When you play a sport,
you could score a winning goal,

You might break a record,

You could even become an mvp,

But even if you never make it
into the hall of fame,

You can always become
a stronger person.

Physical exercise,
personal discipline,
and teamwork always pay off.

So the next time you're
rushing for a goal,

Crossing a finish line,
or reaching for a catch,

Remember, the real trophy is
you just staying in the game.

I'll see you next time.

♪ Take a look, it's in a book ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ I can go anywhere ♪

♪ Friends to know
and ways to grow ♪

♪ A reading rainbow ♪

♪ Reading rainbow ♪

Burton: today's
"reading rainbow books" are:

"Game day"
by tiki and ronde barber,

Illustrated by barry root,

Published by simon & schuster
books for young readers;

"The blue ribbon day"
by katie couric,

Illustrated
by marjorie priceman,

Published by doubleday,
a division of random house;

"Winners never quit"
by mia hamm,

Illustrated by carol thompson,

Published by harpercollins;

"Pecorino plays ball"
by alan madison,

Illustrated
by annalaura cantone,

Published by simon & schuster.

Hi. I'm levar burton.

In uncertain times,
there's no more effective way

To make your kids feel
good and safe

Than to spend time with them.

We at "reading rainbow" suggest
sharing a book with your family.

Read for fun, read for family,
read for our future.