March Mentality: Reflections on March

 

              The line between winning and losing can be very fine. It can be a gap as wide as the Grand Canyon as well, but in March regardless of the outcome those margins are magnified for the whole country to see. If you made it this far, trust me, you belong. The people at home see the 17 seed at 157 pounds knocking off a 1 seed and returning national champion, or St. Peter’s as a 15 seed knocking off Kentucky, one of the bluebloods in college basketball, but most of them fail to grasp just how much work and sacrifice it took for everybody competing to even be in that position. They don’t see the rehab all off-season from a torn ligament to come back and take your game to an entirely new level. They don’t see the way you put yourself in position to be the best come tournament time only to have an official blow a call or two and have your season looked at as a failure. You could say it shouldn’t come down to the officials, but in March with the margins so thin, every factor matters. They don’t know what it’s like to feel like you need a fresh start to reach your goals, or literally be told that you need to go look for a fresh start because they don’t believe in you anymore. They don’t know what it’s like to make that move and be on your way to your goals, only to finish just short.

Part of the problem is we are a result driven society, and most of the time we only think about how those results affect us and our own definition of success. Didn’t make All-American? Failure. Didn’t make the Sweet 16? Failure. “You lost to somebody who wasn’t even supposed to be here.” “You weren’t ready for the moment.” “My bracket is ruined because of you.” “You ruined my parlay.” We’re all thinking about how the actions of these mostly 17-22 year old young men and women affect us personally, but most time we forget they are full-time students trying to do their best every day. We forget they are dealing with injuries, managing family dynamics (often from a distance), dealing with expectations of fans, their community, the media, and most importantly the pressure they put on themselves to be the best. Some are out there competing to make it to the next level to make life changing money for them and their families. Others are fighting for their last chance to make All-American or win a National Championship, and then there are some who worked their whole career just to get here and be on this stage before their time as a competitor runs out. And I haven’t even mentioned the thousands of athletes who work their whole careers and never make it this far.

Maybe you’re thinking this is a loser’s mentality. America likes to believe we’re made on winners. My Dad always said there’s only one team that’s happy at the end of the season. But if you made it this far, you have my admiration and respect. I’m enthralled by the daily work in your journey that got you to this point. I recognize that years from now when you look back on this you’re not going to be thinking about your “failures” but you will be thinking about the relationships you built along the way, the way you saw improvement in yourself, the way it felt to be on that stage. If you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do this March, I promise you this won’t define you. I’m proud of everything you did just to get here. If you have eligibility left, take some time for yourself, let your body recover, and then get back to work. You have time to break down the film, see what went wrong, and go after it all again. If this is the end of your time competing as a collegiate athlete, I’m grateful you left it all out there. While your days of competing on the court, mat, beam, bars, vault, mat, or in the pool might be over, you’re never done competing. The years of missing hanging out with friends, going out on weeknights, and pushing your body to its limits weren’t for no reason. Even if you don’t know what’s next, you are going to succeed because you have something others don’t. You have a drive and commitment others wouldn’t even dream about. You have transferable skills that will help you thrive no matter what you decide to do in life. You’re going to be phenomenal.