“Don’t be a sore loser..”
It’s one of those statements that makes me shake my head. I mean, what in the heck does that mean, anyway!? “Don’t be a sore loser”????!!!! What other type of loser can you be? Every time I hear that statement I can only imagine what my face looks like…
I really don’t know if I should tell this story but what the heck… When I was in grad school I took a course called TEACHING VOLLEYBALL in which we coached (we were only allowed to say “teach”) the game of volleyball to each other and kids.
(Some of you that know me are already wincing).
So, day in and day out we learned the correct terminology from our instructors and we put them into practice with our classmates. At the end of the tutorial we would split teams and play the best of 3 or best of 5.
During one of these games, the score was tight. Each classmates focus was dialed in on the task at hand. Our instructor, a former professional European soccer player, was starting to actually TRY! Volleys were becoming more and more intense. Communication became loud and purposeful! Every point seemed to end with someone diving across the acrylic floor of the student rec center and a loud spike of the volleyball.
It was intense.
On one particular volley I sensed our instructor was going to attempt a “power spike” on my teammates and I (really just me…). I suddenly became really motivated and decided that junk wasn’t going down that way. I took my trigger step and jumped up even with the net to challenge the dominate male!
He definitely attempted to power spike the volleyball.
I heard a loud slam…
I felt the ball bounce off my forearms.
My feet hit the ground and I saw we won the point…..
I may or may not have given the fist pump….ok..I did…and pointed at him.
But thats not the point of the story…
The next point didn’t end like that! He spiked it into my grill! Yes, you read that right….
Things got intense immediately after….REALLY INTENSE!!!! You probably thought Nick Saban showed up at the rec. The following statements may or may not have left my mouth:
“Focus on one volley at a time!”
“That’s fine! Great effort! You just set up the next point for us!”
“How much do you want to win this game!?”
“Don’t look at the scoreboard…don’t even think about the score…just this point!”
“Trust each other….aight….TRUST!”
We lost the game!
I was exhausted!
I was irritated!
One of my classmates (on the winning team) looked at one of my female teammates and said,
“Don’t be a sore loser!”
I replied,
“What other type of loser is there?! Maybe you are comfortable when you lose but I detest it!”
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Too far, Coach, Too FAR!
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So, how your feel after you LOSE?
Does it even bother your at all?
Are your emotions stirred?
Do you use it as a reason to go to the bar?
Do you wake up and hit the weights Sunday afternoon to beat your next opponent?
As a coach, I actively seek out a team of the latter! A culture of people that are confident that NO OPPONENT has outworked them! Confident that sometime in the 4th quarter that their opponent is going to quit mentally, physically, and finally ….spiritually!!
Why!? Because that is the result of competing against US!!!!!
So let me ask you again……
Does losing even bother you?
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This is an example of my mentality!
The year was 2008. Coach Saban’s process was in full swing and the college football world was watching the giant of Alabama Football come back to life! I was working in the weight room and when the Georgia game came around….it was ON! Let’s just say I had the date circled on my calendar since I arrived in Tuscaloosa!
I wanted that game!
(I went to high school in NW Georgia and my stepbrothers both attended UGA! I grew up listening to the Bulldog chants and the years of Vince Dooley, Ray Goff, Jim Donnan, and Mark Richt! We had lost to the Dawgs on a last minute fade route to Mitchell in 2007 and that loss took a lot out of me. ALOT!! )
The prank calls from Georgia fans started on Sunday night! I walked into my boss’ office and I said, “I want this game, Coach! I plan on sleeping at the complex if I have to!”. After his response I knew this week was going to be a little different! 😉
The week flew by. In fact, Wednesday rolled around and my girlfriend at the time confronted me with the following statement,
“You have been zoned out all week! I can tell this game is different…. You have hardly spoken at all…..you, Carter, and Drew just come back to the apartment and watch film until the early morning hours…..and do it all over again!”
Friday, the strength staff lined up and met each player as they left the locker room on their way to the team buses. It was one of those moments I will never forget.
Georgia decided to wear black jerseys and to promote a “Blackout”!
JP Wilson went 13/16 for 205 yards…..
Julio had had 5 catches for 95 yards….including this perfectly timed play call by Coach Mac:
Saturday night I arrived back home to a fired up and EXHAUSTED group of friends.
Why am I telling you this memoir of gridiron past……….because of this statement:
I hadn’t slept but a few hours the entire week. I missed church Sunday….I didn’t get out of bed until Sunday night…..
Why???
Losing wasn’t an option!!!!!!
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Ping-Pong
9-Ball
Olympic Weight lifting
Freaking bumper cars!!!
And don’t even mention intramural flag football (Carter, Drew, and Thomas).
I don’t play to play! I want to win! I want to win because I am accustomed to how it feels! I enjoy preparing for competition! I also enjoy the fulfillment of walking away as the victor! My biggest gratification, however, is seeing my teammates and coaches succeed!
It’s deep seeded…..
And if you are going to play for me…or have me invest in you…..
It better be deep seeded in you as well…..
Be a Winner! yes…….
but I want you to be a sore loser…in the rare occasion it does happen!
I want a loss to affect you for 24 hours……..
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Our society, especially today, is very luke warm! We all have personal beliefs and values that we are apprehensive to fully develop. We feel inadequate and not passionate enough to truly conceptualize what we think and feel. Because we know we may not be fully informed, we trust what we see and hear in the media. We check to see if what WE BELIEVE IS CULTURALLY ACCEPTABLE! CNN, FOX, BET, ESPN, and Facebook become the method that propaganda is distributed. They tell us what to think and what to believe.
They have DESENSITIZED US!
With that being said, we are losing ourselves! We are accepting a losers mentality! We aren’t passionate about loving anymore. We are not passionate about who we are, what we are working toward, or who is working toward it with us!! We are taking the bible out of everything and then we wonder why our society doesn’t follow biblical principles.
We need to get back to being WINNERS! To being passionate!
So, let my be passionate! Let me share my faith with you! This is personal! I am passionate about it! And I love each and every one of you enough that 1). I want you to hear it. and 2). I want to see each of you run a race in such a way that WE WIN!
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win. Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air; but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.
So this week….
Play your tail off!
Leave nothing to chance!
FIGHT FOR YOUR VICTORY!
TAKE YOUR PARTICIPATION TROPHY AND THROW IT IN THE TRASH….BECAUSE THATS WHAT IT IS!!!!!!!!!!
BE THE COMPETITOR THAT YOU KNOW IS SOMEWHERE DEEP IN YOUR SOUL!
BE PASSIONATE ABOUT BEATING YOUR COMPETITOR!
MAKE THEIR ….erh….TAIL….QUIT!!!
AND MOST OF ALL:
WIN YOUR RACE! YOU CAN BET I’M TRYING TO WIN MINE!
BE THE COMPETITOR THAT YOU HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO BE!
#COACHKD
#IAINTEVERBEENNOTHINBUTAWINNER
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