What we really celebrate today is far more than a championship. We applaud a culture of success, of demanding expectations, of refusing to accept mediocrity.
Has anyone asked the question why Melrose hasn't won a team state championship in any sport since the 1960s and why no girl's sport has previously won one?
Yes, it takes a lot of ingredients to develop a successful program in education, business, or in the more mundane world of sports. In additional to passion and tireless effort, you need to get some breaks, but sometimes you also manufacture your own luck. Pasteur put it thusly, "chance favors the prepared mind." But whenever we accept mediocrity, we cannot even hope for exceptional achievement.
I am not so delusional as to define success in terms of championships. In every race, only one winner emerges, but as a community we want to foster the message that 'best effort' matters in the classroom, on the field, and in daily endeavors that count.
The legendary basketball coach John Wooden defined success as “peace of mind, attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you made the effort to do the best that you are capable.”
That definition doesn't mandate championship performance, but insists on relentless effort and preparation. Coach Dick Bennett instilled the pentad of passion, unity, servanthood, thankfulness, and humility in his players. Adopting those values might never win you a championship, but they create valuable people.
Applaud the achievement of the volleyball team...and examine and promote the lodestar that defines them within our students, our other teams, our citizens, and leaders.
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