The art of losing and the athlete
The Hopkins men's lacrosse team's first loss was a major downer for me. I had hoped the Blue Jays would fulfill my hopes for an undefeated season, redeeming the lack of one from my New England Patriots, but it appears that there will be no zero in the loss column this year.
The Blue Jays' disappointing game this weekend got me thinking about the art of losing. In a team sport like lacrosse, the blame can be laid on any one player who steps onto the field. Someone could have netted an extra goal. Someone could have blocked an extra shot. Someone could have won an extra face-off.
I recalled Al Pacino's speech at the end of Any Given Sunday, where he says, "Either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals."
When a team loses, its players help each other heal together. But what about those who step on the playing field alone?
Individual sports such as wrestling or tennis have to do what they do by themselves. They have teammates who will train with them or cheer them on during a match, but when they're in the middle of their battle, there's not a whole lot a team can do for them.
They're either going to win or they're going to lose, and the thrill of victory or the burden of defeat falls on their shoulders and theirs alone. The pressure is enough to make some athletes crumble.
"Losing in an individual sport is a lot worse than losing in a team sport because you have no one to blame but yourself," junior wrestler Tyler Schmidt said.
"When I lose, I don't make excuses for it. It's all part of the process. That means I wasn't prepared enough. That in itself is probably more hurtful than anything else. You can't make excuses. You just lost because you got beaten."
For many individual athletes, a loss is key to their development in the sport. There aren't very many Cael Sandersons out there, who can go undefeated throughout their career.
Losses develop the athlete. He learns from his mistakes, makes changes, and works harder to make sure that they don't happen again.
The Blue Jays' disappointing game this weekend got me thinking about the art of losing. In a team sport like lacrosse, the blame can be laid on any one player who steps onto the field. Someone could have netted an extra goal. Someone could have blocked an extra shot. Someone could have won an extra face-off.
I recalled Al Pacino's speech at the end of Any Given Sunday, where he says, "Either we heal, now, as a team, or we will die as individuals."
When a team loses, its players help each other heal together. But what about those who step on the playing field alone?
Individual sports such as wrestling or tennis have to do what they do by themselves. They have teammates who will train with them or cheer them on during a match, but when they're in the middle of their battle, there's not a whole lot a team can do for them.
They're either going to win or they're going to lose, and the thrill of victory or the burden of defeat falls on their shoulders and theirs alone. The pressure is enough to make some athletes crumble.
"Losing in an individual sport is a lot worse than losing in a team sport because you have no one to blame but yourself," junior wrestler Tyler Schmidt said.
"When I lose, I don't make excuses for it. It's all part of the process. That means I wasn't prepared enough. That in itself is probably more hurtful than anything else. You can't make excuses. You just lost because you got beaten."
For many individual athletes, a loss is key to their development in the sport. There aren't very many Cael Sandersons out there, who can go undefeated throughout their career.
Losses develop the athlete. He learns from his mistakes, makes changes, and works harder to make sure that they don't happen again.
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Lame
posted 3/15/08 @ 12:51 AM EST
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz..... Sorry, but this column couldn't have been more boring. And try not saying "I" and "me" every two sentences. There are stronger ways of making your point than inserting yourself in the topic all the time. (Continued…)
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