Everyone looks up to someone

Last weekend we finished up our 2011 Varsity Football (soccer) season.  It's one thing to end your season 6-2-1, find yourself in the semi-finals, then finals and ultimately in possession of the championship trophy.  It's an entirely different thing to end your season 6-2-1, find yourself in the semi-finals and be faced with defeat.  That's where we were this year.  The 17 young men that made up the RVA Varsity football team this year were an incredibly talented group.  From the very beginning of the season these young men made the decision to practice with dedication, play with integrity and lead with confidence.  Early on in our season I shared with them a quote from late basketball coaching great, John Wooden; "Remember everyone looks up to someone and someone looks up to you."  We found out how true that really was this year.  But what I found most interesting was that the people who look up to you most, look most intently not when you win, but when you lose.  Why?  Because they want to see "how" you lose.  Are you crushed, defeated, angry, ashamed, bitter?  Or are you able to pick up your head, look your opponent straight in the eye and say "great game...good luck in the finals."  The latter is exactly what this team did, not only were they beaten by one of the toughest teams we'd seen all season, but they were able to congratulate them, pray with and cheer for them at that finals.  This team has taught me a lot about the importance of winning but more the importantly how one faces defeat.