Sports and Life

I always enjoy when football season comes around.  This season seems to have come and gone in a blink of an eye.  My senior year at Maryville College, I made a commitment to give my best and leave everything I had on the field.  Although I was always the smallest player on the team, my commitment on the field and in the weight room enabled me to be a first string defensive back.  I learned in sports that even when you give it your all, you may not always win based on the score, but the hard work, sacrifice, and dedication always reaps rewards in some form or fashion.  The rewards through these attributes continue throughout our lives, often exceeding what we could have ever imagined.

We had the best season in years during that year.  While attending the homecoming game the next year as an alumni, I learned that I had been named to the school’s Crawford Hall of Fame which recognizes standouts in speed, strength, and conditioning.  In addition, while looking at the football media guide, I learned that I had finished tied for second on the all time list for broken up passes while only playing in seven full games due to an injury.  These were complete surprises.  When we give it all for the team, we often reap individual rewards we didn’t know that exists.  The most important steps are to recognize your interests and goals and then take steps to pursue and achieve them.  That wonderful feeling of knowing that you went after your dreams, even if you come up short, will far outweigh experiencing the regret that we can often experience due to fear of failure.