Three Point Stance: Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose

By Cody Dalton
sports@southwesttimes.com



Sports are can be a wonderful thing sometimes and at others, very frustrating.

In my short tenure here at the Southwest Times and as a sports writer, I’ve seen winning streaks for teams and the elation that goes along with them. I’ve also seen a few losing streaks that were painful to watch.

The truth is that you will very likely not win every game. Just look at the New England Patriots in the NFL a few years ago. They were denied by the New York Giants in the Super Bowl of having the second undefeated season in NFL history at 19-0.

Even the Cougar football team was undefeated at 12-0 a few years ago before losing to Amherst in the VHSL State Football playoffs. Does that loss hurt? Absolutely, but you focus on the fact that you won a River Ridge district football championship, held opponents to just 13 total points in the playoffs, and beat rival Salem twice (including a 38-0 win in the playoffs).

With that said, you shouldn’t dwell on the negative. Look at all the positives. If you go 1-9 in district play, look at the one victory you were able to achieve. Remember just how good it felt to pick up that victory and how much work was put in to prepare for the team you got the victory against.

What is the real definition of “winning” anyways? Sure, you can look at numbers, but I would consider a team that has all their members graduate from high school and go to college a real win, not only for the team, but for Pulaski County as well.

Clearly, no one likes to lose, but you don’t look at the student athletes as losers just because they have had a bad year in a sport. You applaud them for the hours spent doing something they love and working hard to get better at those individual sports.

Something to remember too is that these are young men and women in school. You can’t compare any of them to professional athletes like Peyton Manning, Kobe Bryant, or Tony Romo. Sometimes we get caught up in the moment and we forget to realize that.

Take the time to enjoy the victories and try not to focus on the losses. Those are just going to happen to every team. Focus on the good things that come from a season of hard work, dedication, and competition. Even as much as I love sports, you just can’t get caught up in everything bad that happens.

— Cody Dalton is sports writer for The Southwest Times. His column, “Three Point Stance”, appears every Friday. Contact him at sportsdude2125@hotmail.com.