What a Great Game!

I am a parent, albeit an older one, with grown children. Both of my kids played sports and I coached sports at the same high school. So I learned to separate the two roles, parent and teacher/coach in the same school.  Events this week at Covington Latin reminded me of my days as a parent sitting in the gym watching my daughter playing volleyball or my son playing basketball.

I am a highly competitive individual but I have learned to bring my desire to win under control. I guess not going undefeated has that effect on a person. What I realized is that there is so much more to learn in a loss. Humility, there is always that, but learning to care about your teammates, to develop empathy and how to cope with disappointment is just as important. Not losing can cause anxiety about not winning. Learning from one's mistakes is an important life lesson.  In a loss, children learn to identify with others who have lost. Never losing may cause the inability to realize that life is a struggle. The great basketball coach from UCLA John Wooden said it best, “Losing is only temporary and not all-encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it and try hard not to lose the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it.”

Winning does build confidence especially when that win represents a true accomplishment; (i.e., I've beaten a worthy opponent). Learning that practice, practice, practice does not always produce a victory but if those hard practices produce a will to win—that is a great life lesson learned.  At its core, a winning attitude can be defined by a person’s ability to recover from failure and his or her ability to encourage others to do the same. The skill requires a can-do attitude as well as benevolence toward self and others.

As I attend Covington Latin’s various athletic contests during the Fall season I am thankful for the trip down memory lane they engendered. I truly enjoy seeing our student-athletes participate in various sports. If you have not attended a Covington Latin athletic contest  I encourage you to attend one, even if your child does not participate bring them along, it could make for a great evening out. The time watching your child play or sitting next to them watching their classmates play will pass by quickly—don’t let it pass you by.

See you at the game.  GO TROJANS!