SiP Focus on: Winning
What does winning mean to you?
Winning can mean a lot of different things to different athletes, particularly in youth sports. In the traditional sense, the winner is simply the victor- the team that comes out on top and has a higher number on the scoreboard when the whistle blows or the buzzer sounds. However, it is not always that simple, and a lot of accomplished athletes have come to realize that winning at any level has to do with a lot more than just a number on a scoreboard.
Do you remember the first time you ever played an organized sport? Most of us remember playing pee-wee football, soccer, or tee ball, but can you recall individual games and whether you won or lost? Probably not. At that point, it wasn’t about winning or losing. It was about the game, the teammates, and just having fun while trying to make Mom and Dad proud. Scores and trophies took a backseat to cheers and high-fives. Having fun with your buddies and the joy of playing in the moment overshadowed the overall outcome of the game. It was about fun and enjoyment, plain and simple.
Unfortunately, this is not a trend that follows the logical progression of youth. As we grow up, we put more focus on personal performance, competition, and the importance of winning. Some people simply want to win at all costs, while others are more fixated on just not wanting to lose. Either way, these new perceptions undoubtedly alter the way we perceive sports as a whole, and coming to terms with this adjustment can have a direct impact on both mental and physical performance.
Some athletes find that the best way to adjust to this sort of pressure is to completely separate personal performance with the eventual outcome of the game. For example, if you go 4-5 with 4 RBIs in your softball game or score 3 touchdowns in your football game and your team still loses, how do you react? Are you angry and disappointed because you lost, or are you pleased that you contributed to the team and performed so well personally? If you can separate the 2 components and view the outcome of the game as a result of a number of uncontrollable factors, then you can take more pride in your own performance without letting losses drag you down. This will allow you to focus more on your personal growth as an athlete without fixating on the frustration and failure of the team as a whole.
Now, this is not to say that winning is not important and you shouldn’t care about the performance of your team. The goal should always be to play well and win the game, but this desire should never completely dominate your sports experience. If you give your absolute best every time you head onto the field or the court, then you have already won. If you consistently work to improve your skills and be a better teammate, you can’t ever really lose. Learn to place more emphasis on enjoying and learning about the sport and yourself, and you may discover that winning and losing become all but an afterthought.