A Note to Bartlett Yancey’s Students Athletes
Showing up and putting in the work often means more than a win.
As I walked around the Hoedown in Yanceyville on Saturday, one of Bartlett Yancey’s football players, a real leader on the team, recognized me and said hello.
I took the opportunity to tell him how much I enjoy watching the team play.
“Even when we lose?” he asked a bit shyly.
I responded, “Absolutely!” and shared with him that sometimes I am actually proudest of them when they lose.
“Are you having a good time?”
“Are you doing the best you can?”
The young man grinned and quickly answered, “yes ma’am” to both questions.
“Well, that’s all any of us can expect of you,” I told him.
It’s hard work to put in hours of practice and conditioning, keep up with school assignments, and compete every week. I imagine it’s a lot harder to keep showing up when you’re often playing guys that are older than you, bigger than you, better resourced than you, and have more experience than you.
And yet these guys keep showing up.
It’s hard to sit in the stands and watch your team lose. It’s even harder to see the disappointment on the players’ faces when the opposing team runs up the score or they miss a play.
But it fills me with pride to see the kids refuse to give up, to see them go back in, play after play, listening to their coaches and trying again.
I understand wanting to win, and I look forward to seeing this young team gain some experience under a dedicated coaching staff to celebrate some more wins. But I’ve also been a Buccaneer long enough to know that we don’t usually head into that stadium expecting to dominate on the scoreboard.
Our team wins when they are courageous and resilient enough to not give up and keep showing up. They win every time they demonstrate the Heart, Pride, and Discipline that Coach Johnson says is necessary to be a good athlete and a good person.
And with some time, and consistency, they’ll start winning more on the scoreboard too. Until then, I hope they know that I’m proud of their effort and will never stop believing in them and rooting for them as long as they keep showing up and putting in the work.
Oh, and have you seen Bartlett Yancey’s sweet little marching band? I’ve renamed them in my mind to the “Little Band That Could” after the tenacious little train engine that refused to give up. They keep showing up and each week they’re better than the week before, their hours of practice clearly paying off.
GO BUCCANEERS!!!!
