Team Bogey Battler...Water Polo?
Wed, 2010-09-01 12:44
Recently, over a three day period, I witnessed a young freshman venture into the pool with the JV high school water polo team for the first time in his life. Not only was he new to the sport, he was new to competitive athletics of any kind at that level, with only "play-time" swimming in his background.
Upon first entering the pool with his new competitors, confusion
compounded physical exhaustion, and contributed to an early exit from the first try-out practice, spurring fears that he might decide at that early stage, that this wasn't for him.
To the contrary, however, despite watching the rest of the team finish practice from a bleacher seat, he expressed the desire to return the next day and give it another shot. With better hydration, diet planning, and an idea of what to expect, he returned the next day and successfully made it through the entirety of a grueling practice with the rest of the team, enduring severe cramping in the process.
The third day, in which first cuts were to take place, his body telling him to give-in; he expressed that he didn't think he wanted to return. Reminding him of the obstacles he had already overcome, and the successes he had realized from the first day to the second, along with mentioning that the whole team was likely feeling the same way, however, was all that was needed to nudge him back into the water.
As hoped for, his young body responded, his progression along the learning curve increased, and the third tryout practice resulted not only in the announcement that he had made the first cut; but the unmistakable expression on his face and in his demeanor, that the decision to "keep battlin' " had been well worth the effort!
Although in a sport other than golf, this scenario is illustrative of the spirit of Team Bogey...that just because we aren't the best, doesn't mean we should stop trying; that even when our efforts don't yield the results we hope for, we can still latch onto those successes we do achieve, as incentive to keep " workin' at it "; no matter what our endeavor may be.
For these reasons, and the inspiration they provide, the young man in this story is, indeed, worthy of recognition as a Team Bogey Battler!
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