My son's hockey team went to the national tournament this year. It is in itself a big honor because only the very best teams in the country go. For west michigan, and particularly the program we are at, it is very tough to do. Only one other team at our organization has even gone to this tourney.
So the competition is good to say the least. But our team didn't play its best hockey and were defeated in 2 of the 3 games. We did not make it to the next round out of pool play. It is quite disappointing as you work for this for many years. A successful season overall but not what you want going out. What lessons to learn?
One of these is one that I learned in my days and that is that when you play in a big time game, you must bring everything you got and play your best game. If you do anything less, you have a high chance of losing. I use the saying a lot "winners win and losers lose" It isn't meant to be anything harmful and I suppose it isn't always true, but in a general sense it is true.
Winning teams have the winning mentality and they bring what is necessary for victory. They have confidence and find ways to win when they aren't playing their best. They rise to the occasion and come up with wins. Losing teams come up with excuses and inconsistencies that will never allow you to be victorious in a competitive situation. In a tournament where you must string together a number of good games, a losing team has no shot. Losing teams don't have the mental strength to be victorious.
I realize this is a bit harsh. We all learn lessons all the time, even when we get older like me. I consider this topic to be like Sports 301 as it is for athletes that are participating in big time stuff, like Varsity athletics or high level club stuff--it isn't meant for younger players just learning and just trying sports out for fun only--just to make that clear.
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