Some of you will be on Spring Break soon.  This is the perfect time to recuperate.  I  believe that most court reporters are hard-working, driven individualists.  There are very few that need advice about how to stay busy.  If you are a steno student, you can probably talk for a half hour straight about all the things that you want to do if you ever get the time.  We keep hectic schedules.  Court reporters go the extra mile, but only when they cannot go two extra miles.
    
   That's commendable.  But step over here and let me talk to you world-beaters for a moment.  You can overdo it if you don't watch out.  We need you to be fresh and energetic at school.   Proper rest is critical to your top performance. 

  Here are two analogies straight from the sports world.

   Golfers do not go to every tournament.  They take off now and then.  It is true that they may miss a payday here and there, but they look at the big picture.  If they are refreshed, they are more likely to play their finest golf. 

   Baseball players do not play every game.  By July, they start to get tired.  Crafty managers give their players a game off here and there before they become lethargic.  They get days off during the season even when they are not hurt. 

   Some of these guys earn $10 million a year.  They get that money for their performance.  They need to be at their best.  A guy who gets 6 hits out of 20 earns about twice the amount of the guys who only get 5 hits out of 20.  They can't afford to just go through the motions.

   Quality beats quantity every time.  It doesn't matter if they are kicking the ball, throwing it, running with it, hitting it, catching it, pitching it, rolling it or whatever they do with it.  They want the top performance.  And they get that by resting occasionally.

   Now for you doubters who say that stenography is not comparable to sports, let me expand a little. 

   Musicians burn out on the road.  All they do is travel and play music, and they break down. 

   Race car drivers do nothing but sit in a car and turn left about a gazillion times per race.  They need to do that with a high degree of skill.  And they need rest.

   In chess, a championship match consists of two guys who sit in comfortable chairs and occasionally move little pieces of ivory.  The matches leave the players drained of energy and spirit.  If they would immediately play another match, they would not perform at the same level.  They need a rest.

   Truck drivers sit in a big vehicle, push pedals, and turn wheels.  By national law, they can only push those pedals and turn those wheels for a certain amount of time.  Even our own dear government recognizes the importance of quality over quantity.