Balancing the scoreboard and a winning attitude

Sometimes a game is decided by one miscue following a night of exceptional play.

That one missed pass, net serve or field goal that deflected off of the goal posts decided who is a step closer to the big show and who is turning in their uniforms the next day.

The story doesn’t stop there, however. Too often players and fans alike leave the definition of success with the scoreboard.

“A W is a W,” many will say when their favorite team wins.

But we need to remember the coaches, notably high school, who encourage their athletes to “leave it all on the field.” It is a reference used in a few movies where underdog coaches motivate their players to commit everything they have to victory.

The coaches seek 100 percent commitment from the team; anything less is not a win regardless of the scoreboard.

Recently I had the pleasure of witnessing two powerhouse volleyball teams go at it for the win and for the chance at the next level of competition. Of course both teams wanted to win.

They wouldn’t have made it that far if they didn’t. Each team, each player wanting the win, stepped onto the court recognizing they were in a one-game season; win and you move on, lose and you go home. They also recognized the opponent as a team they have faced time and again throughout the season. The familiarity had to be a detriment and an asset. There would be recognized strengths and weaknesses, and probably adjustments since the last meeting of the two. If both teams are playing their best, the decision would come down to who adjusts best, who wanted the win most and who has the most endurance.

Fans attending the match hoping for a good game were not disappointed. There was almost as much hype and adrenalin in the seats as on the court.

To paraphrase movie quotes, clearly both teams left everything they had on the court, and then some. Yet another paraphrase, a movie title, tells what happened: “Any Given Sunday.” The result of the match could have gone either direction. It is one of those contests where a person could say “if only we didn’t have to decide a winner.”

But that is not why this caliber of teams come to play. They come to exhibit their skills against their opponent. They are the kind of competition that either team could have walked away with the W.

Likewise, each team needs to remember when the lights are out and the floor is swept in preparation for the next event, the winner is the players, and the teams, who can say with confidence they left it all on the court.

That is what happened in this event. That is what caused a roar that could have been heard to the county line.

Call it a moment of remorse because you wanted the win. Then, get up and stand with pride that you took the match to the limit. Winning is about performance as well as the score. It is about walking off of the court a better player, competitor, person.