Friday, April 28, 2023

Comments on Competing


Melrose won ten sectional titles and a state championship in twenty years. Have the will to compete and the humility to be gracious in victory and defeat.

The hard work of your families, coaching staff, and players allows Melrose to be "in the conversation" most seasons. 

Outstanding players such as Victoria Crovo never had the good fortune to win a sectional title. Success depends on many factors including talent, health, luck, and whom you play. 

The goal is always to win the final game of the season. Giannis comments that Michael Jordan played fifteen years and won six titles. Losing the other nine meant failure? Dean Smith won a pair of NCAA titles as coach at the University of North Carolina. He explained that he never felt that he was a loser because they hadn't won a title. 

John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" defines success, "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

Ask whether you did your best, prepared, and competed to the best of your ability. It gets back to developing skill, implementing strategy, and being physically and psychologically your best. "Repetitions make reputations." 

Success works from the top down AND the bottom up. Communities decide whether athletics, music, art, robotics, and other extracurricular activities have value. Schools hire the coaches they feel will best reflect their philosophy to create cultures of success. As an individual, you decide how much work you'll do. Nothing works unless you do. 

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