Is winning everything? Most would be quick to say of course, what’s the point of doing anything if you are going to lose, but there is a more complex way of thinking about the journey of playing a sport and life in general. Winning is obviously a big goal for almost every sports team at FHC and in the world. The process says if you work hard, play fair and don’t cut corners then success will follow in the form of payment for the long hours, emotional stress and the physical toll your body pays but sports and teams are not so black and white, they don’t have to follow any set of rules in the way they operate.

A huge part of being on a sports team is the journey you take whether it is one season or your whole life; every day comes with a new set of challenges that don’t always work out in your favor. Although winning seems to be the end goal for teams some of the most important things you learn happen when you lose. Without losing you can never know how to pick yourself up off the ground and work your way back to the top, without losing you can’t know what it’s like to grow as an individual player, a teammate, and a team as a whole.

In the long run, every athlete, parent, and coach should keep in mind that while winning is great and rewarding, it is not an accurate measure of success. Athletic success is about the work, mental strength, attitude and the ability to continue trying in the face of adversity and loss.