When to celebrate a loss

Track is the only sport that athletes reveal their character to the fans as the event unfolds. In the picture to the left, Von Letscher’s struggle is visible.

when to celebrate a loss

As I learned in high school track, losing can be part of a winning formula. On a day I set a personal best time in the 100-yard dash, I finished last in the heat. As a 17-year-old boy, I was surprised that I was happy as the young boy above who finished 3rd in the photo above.

It was an epiphany moment that helped me, over time, re-calibrate my definition of success. Celebrating the best performance in your race through life is essential, even if you finish last. It is vital to the human spirit to smile when achieving personal best, no matter the circumstances. It is necessary to clear the cluttered path formed by those who judge others from the top of the podium. experience a fulfilling life for you to

Track and field are fascinating sports that require mental toughness and the ability to overcome adversity.  

Track, Field, and Cross Country (“TRACK”) are not complicated sports. These athletes don’t need to study films to determine team tendencies or change offensive and defensive techniques every week to exploit the weakness of their next competitor.

Track participant’s goal is to convert innate talents, strong discipline, and hard work into maximum performance. Track forces participants to confront personal character flaws, demons, personal weaknesses, and insecurities.

Track requires mental toughness and the ability to overcome adversity. Jesse Owens says about mental toughness, “The Battles That Count Aren’t the Ones For Gold Medals. The struggles within yourself – The Invisible, Inevitable battles Inside all of Us – That’s Where It Is At.”

Athlete Patti Sue Plumer agrees, saying, “Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about.”

Author Haruki Murakami says, “The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running, the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way you used to be.”

Augie Garrido, the Longhorn head baseball coach until 2016, says winning should never determine your self-worth. He noted that athletes whose “character is forged in failure” usually are more prepared for college baseball than the high school recruit who has only experienced winning. Augie says failure can be as positive as winning. He states in his book “Life is Yours to win” that failure has benefits. “If you handle failure with the right attitude, it can lead to success.

Longhorn pitcher Jim Raup shares an article titled “The 27th Out” with “Horns Sports”. He was the pitcher with Texas winning 3—0 over Houston with two outs and 2 strikes in the top of the 9th, but lost the game. Jim’s dream of winning the last game of Falk’s career and receiving an invitation to the NCAA tournament turned into a nightmare finish. The Longhorn season was over. But in his sorrow Jim realized he had just pitched his best game as a Horn and chose to celebrate the loss saying “Most important, I learned and believe earnestly that there is no disgrace or dishonor in failure if one has tried his hardest to succeed. Disgrace is giving less than one’s best effort or allowing failure to kill one’s will to compete.”

https://www.texaslsn.org/jim-raup-by-horns-sports

Coach Weis, the Longhorn women’s Golf coach from 1969-1993, agrees. She says, “As long as you feel you’ve given your best, that you’ve given 100 percent effort on every shot, no one can complain. There can only be one winner!” “Winning simply cannot be your only goal””

John Wooden, the UCLA coaching legend, said that if his team played “their best and fulfilled their potential ………. and lost, Wooden considered the game a success. Many Longhorn track athletes have experienced this storyline, and each one of them has written their tale in the history of UT track.