So there we were, 4th down and goal, with the ball on the 2-yard line; we were down by 7 with 35 seconds left in the game. I called timeout and brought the players over to talk about what we were going to do.
It was a do-or-die moment… win or go home… and I knew that it was going to require a play that would push my team to its limits.
Sure, it was tense… there was a lot of pressure on me to pull something amazing out of my hat. But that was the easy part: The hard part was whether my team would be prepared to deliver on the field.
Thing is, that didn’t worry me. I knew what my guys were capable of. The long hours of training and practice had proved just how much they could achieve. I couldn’t be sure they’d win… but I knew they had the skills to succeed.
I knew, because I was their coach. I’d been right there with them, making sure they had the skills they’d need to meet any challenge they were likely to face on the field.
In a way, that’s kind of what the ATRA tech department is. We’re your coach, providing your team with the technical training and the skills they need to meet any challenges that come their way. We oversee the drills, we call the plays, and we make sure your team is ready to meet the challenges they’re likely to face in the shop.
Recently, ATRA’s tech department went through a series of small but effective changes. We’re pushing more technical material out the door than ever before. We have more technicians on the HotLine, ready to answer your call at the drop of a hat. We’ve dedicated technicians to researching, writing, and presenting the very latest information, all to provide the training your team needs to take the ball and run with it.
Of course, it’d be great if all those new techs on the ATRA HotLine and all that additional research they’ve been doing were enough for us to keep up with the changing technology. But there’s more to it than that. Our greatest strength — where we get most of our information — is from out in the field… from shops just like yours.
It comes from ATRA’s over 2500 Members all around the world, calling our HotLine or dropping us notes to ask questions or share what they’ve discovered. Those shops, with tens of thousands of technicians from every part of the globe, are the ones who let us know what type of problems are likely to show up at your shop, each and every day.
These problems are the, “4th down and goal, the ball on the 2-yard line, down by 7, with 35 seconds left” decisions we have to make. And we’re willing, able, and capable of helping you take your team farther than you ever thought possible.
And we promise to continue to bring you more of everything: more webinars, more seminars, more bulletins, more GEARS articles… all to help you develop the peace of mind that you will “get ’em out the door” …no matter what comes your way.
Now, some of the information we’re putting out into the field is way ahead of its time. Many of the vehicles and transmissions we discuss in our seminars and technical articles may not show up at your door for a couple years yet.
That’s okay; that new data is critical to making sure your technicians are aware of what’s coming down
the pike. That first look is how they prepare for those hanging technologies, mentally and physically.
Which means that, when one of those new units finally appears in your bay or on your bench, it won’t be a complete surprise. They’ll have a preliminary understanding of the new technology, thanks in no small part to all the training and practice they’ve received… from ATRA.
And, with ATRA’s always-available web library, they can refer to those webinars and up-to-date bulletins and articles at a moment’s notice, to refresh their skills before they run their next play.
Speaking of plays, I called a power run play (a ground play) to the right side. We scored, bringing the game to 27-28, them. I called our last timeout, called in a trips-right formation with a 99 X under-route (our favorite pass play).
My quarterback rolled out, got in trouble, and made the pass into the end zone as he was being forced out of bounds. Our wide receiver made a diving catch in the end zone for two points. We won: 29-28.
