I Was Thinking... No Losers

Like a lot of men, I enjoy watching sports. It can be baseball, football, hockey, basketball, car racing, or volleyball, it doesn’t really matter. My wife on the other hand has very little interest in watching most sports.
When I’m watching a football game, she will ask me who is playing and if it isn’t the Vikings or Packers, she’ll wonder why I care. Explaining “because it’s football” doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense to her. If I go to a Byron or K-M basketball game, she wonders why I care because I don’t really know those kids anymore. But I go because I enjoy watching young athletes compete at something they love.
But several weeks ago, my wife and I BOTH sat down and watched an athletic event on TV from start to finish. Of course, you have probably guessed by now we were watching the girls’ state hockey championship. Although neither of us really has a close connection to any of the girls playing, it was still “our” local kids.
Several weeks ago, on a Saturday morning, my wife and I were having breakfast with some friends at County Seat in Mantorville. As we ate and visited, we noticed several young ladies coming in. Then several more and still more.
By what they were wearing it soon became obvious, this was the girl’s hockey team. They got their beverage of choice and filled most of the tables in the café. We finally inquired as to what the occasion was and were told they like to meet as a group on game days.
They had a game later that day against Winona. When they left, they walked around several blocks as a group before heading out in their separate directions. It became very apparent that this group of young women had a special bond with each other. That unity demonstrated itself throughout the state hockey tournament.
There is something special about watching young people from your community compete for a championship. These aren’t highly paid professional athletes that are with one team for one year and with somebody else that could pay them more the next year. These are local teenagers who are putting in hours of work and practice and playing their hearts out because they love the game and their teammates. To watch them work so hard and then finally reach their goal is very satisfying for sports fans and my wife as well.
But in every championship game there is a winner and a loser. But those terms can be very misleading. Last year Warroad was the winner and this year it was the Wildcats. Both last year and this year, there were no losers. Somebody got to take the championship trophy home and somebody didn’t, but there were no losers. All the girls who competed gave it their all. They were able to achieve their goal and play for a championship. It is something they will remember all their lives. But the best thing may have occurred after the game.
When the game is over, the medals on colored ribbons and trophies are awarded. Red for second and blue for first. Last year the Wildcats got red and this year blue. The Warroad girls received their medals first.
Each one was called by name and came forward to receive their second-place medal. While they didn’t have a bright smile on their faces, each one that received their medal said, “thank you” to the official who placed it around their neck. They showed sportsmanship, courtesy and respect we try so hard to instill in our youth. They fought the good fight, gave it their all, and accepted the outcome with dignity just as the Wildcats had done the year before. They made their communities proud as well. It is something many adults in our society could learn from.
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