- May 7, 2024
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So, you’re off to what you might call a “bad start,” Student-athlete? Let me help you out. The first game(s) of the season has never prevented teams from reaching or achieving their ultimate goal.
Remember the offseason when you would wake up every day and go to practice? You would sometimes work on the same drills, talk about the same formations with your coaches over and over, only to yearn for game days?
Well, you spent those months in preparation for a full season, not for two or three games – no matter how popular they may be.
Have you considered that right now your team – barring any serious injuries – is the worst it’s going to be this season? You have yet to create chemistry with all of your teammates. You will surpass your current weightlifting max. Runners, you will outrun your current time. Swimmers, you will shave more seconds on your lap times. I’m pretty sure your coaches have already said and will continue to say that one of the team goals is to get better each week.
And yes, I get it. You played against or raced your rival, and you really wanted to beat them. I wouldn’t expect anything else from passionate student-athletes. You spent the last few weeks talking trash, preparing for that team, hoping you’d get to celebrate a season-opening win. So, it’s OK if you feel disappointed.
But, for the sake of your future performance, your team’s mentality and the remaining games, leave that game in that week – last week. Your next opponent doesn’t care that you lost or won your previous game. If you did lose, your next opponent only wants your misery to continue.
And, in case you’re still not convinced, think about this: Seabreeze football reached the playoffs in 2014 after starting the season 1-5, and Matanzas football failed to reach the playoffs after beginning last season 6-0.
There’s a reason why you still have a practice schedule this week – you are still alive.
