Coaches Corner
The Legacy of a Great One

By: Ian Robertson

...It's never easy to stand tall and proud like a GREAT ONE in the ominous face of defeat. Society cherishes winners and shuns losers as if they were contagious. Peers roundly criticize innocent miscues and readily chastise performers who do not measure up to their lofty standards. It takes a GREAT ONE to withstand and thrive amidst the constant abuse. The solution to this ancient problem is far from simple - everyone regardless of their age, must learn to modestly relish the obvious thrill of victory, but they must look upon defeat as an invaluable learning experience that can be neatly stored away for future use. Players need to avoid the temptation of fabricating excuses to explain a loss and instead be thankful that they at least tried. Society needs to somehow return to their earliest childhood years and their first steps. Only encouragement, never criticism or laughter was provided as they valiantly attempted their initial walking steps. When they fell flat on their face, they were neither embarrassed nor disheartened - they just tried again. So the next time you are faced with defeat, get back up and try again. Remember everyone is on the ROAD to SUCCESS, it's just that many of us are convinced by others to step off sooner than we should. A WINNER makes commitments, while a LOSER makes hallow promises. When a WINNER commits an error, they accept responsiblity, a LOSER directs the blame to someone else. A WINNER listens, a LOSER is only concerned with their point of view. A WINNER is not nearly as afraid of losing as a LOSER is secretly afraid of winning. A WINNER knows that there is a miracle waiting in the wings, a LOSER foolishly hopes for one before any other solution has been tried. The bottom line describes an individual willing to sacrifice for the team while their counterpart whines about the unfairness of the situation.