Putting Up a Fight
We are pleased to present to you an outstanding article written by Mike Candrea! Enjoy.
March 23, 2012
Volume II, Issue 26
As we roll in to the month of March and prepare for the conference season to begin, players have had the opportunity to face some of the challenges that go with the game of softball. One in particular is the highs and lows experienced week to week when playing the game at a competitive level. Hitters are going through spurts not getting a hit as often as they would like. Pitchers are facing the challenges of pitching to line ups that are solid from 1-9, and the emotional roller coaster of facing a competent opponent every day they put on a uniform. Yes, this is why we play the game – to face the challenges that the game presents and find ways to keep our confidence high and execute a game built around failure.
As the season progresses, it will be the teams and players that can continue to get up and not let a knock down keep them down. As our game has progressed over the years in technique, the game is still played with heart and competitive spirit. As a coach, the element we all appreciate is the player that likes to compete and competes even harder when the chips are down. We all understand that life presents challenges and the key to success is our ability to face these challenges. I do not know a successful person that has not faced adversity and has found a way to overcome through perseverance and a never give up attitude. Even though the game or life attempts to knock them down – they continue to get up!
Handling Failure
In the years that I was growing up as a kid, it was common to have a roof over your head, family meals at night, clean clothes and not much more. We were brought up understanding that if we were going to make it in life, we needed to learn quickly that it would be the result of hard work and enduring tough lessons in life. My dad gave me 20 dollars when I left for college and said “Good Luck Son”. I knew that my parents were not going to be there to bail me out if I got into a jam and I would have to earn my way in life.
I was knocked down many times but always seem to make the right decisions and was driven to be successful. In turn, I gave my own kids everything that I never had as a kid and it took them much longer to appreciate the dollar and the hard work that went into life. We have all had to get up after a knock down, including life-changing experiences such as losing a child, a player, a father, and the unthinkable of losing your wife at 49 years old.
It has been said that your success is insured when you’re willing to get up at least one more time than you get knocked down. Hey, we all get knocked around. Like it or not, it’s just a part of everyday life. No one, not the most or least talented among us are exempt from the trials and tribulations of day to day living. But it’s how we respond to these temporary setbacks that will in large measure and determine how far we go and how high we fly in life.
Don’t worry about getting knocked down. Since it’s going to happen regardless of whether we like it or not, especially when we’re passionately and enthusiastically chasing our dreams, we should vow to keep getting up each and every time. Laying there, moping and feeling sorry for ourselves, isn’t going to get us to the winners circle. Enjoy the challenges that this game brings and when you get knocked down – GET YOURSELF UP! “Do not fear the winds of adversity. Remember: A Kite rises against the wind rather than with it”
Until next month,
Coach Candrea
University of Arizona
Head Coach
