Sunday, March 8, 2009

How Badly Do You Want It?


Success in an athletic competition comes as a result of many things. In general, talent and preparation are two big reasons that one team prevails over another. But races don't always go to the swift, nor do battles always go the strong (to quote someone from well before my time). There is an "X" factor, something beyond skill & coaching. In looking at the pictures from the girls state playoff game, the "X" factor is clear- Determination.

Not that these girls aren't talented, or well prepared- They seem to be both. What made them dangerous today was that they wanted it. Badly. In the split second that a camera captures an image, it is frozen for all time (This is not always a good thing) and certain things, which may not be obvious during the game, become very clear. The pictures from today showed that our girls had the "X" factor. In the shot above, Megan is determined. (she usually is, by the way). How badly does Monica want it here? Or Alyssa here? Christine here? Laura? This guy, who apparently left his dignity in the car? Take note- This game wasn't really that close- by my loose recollection, HR led by 14 points through most of the game. The girls won a game last week where they didn't play very well, but managed to win anyway. They seem focused on not letting that happen again, regardless of the score. This should make them a worthy opponent to any team as they continue through the state tournament on Wednesday.

Regular visitors to the blog (both of you) have come to expect something a little more light-hearted in my rants, so I dare not disappoint. A few posts down, you may recall that I was complaining about the obstructed view that my floor seat provided. One thing about playoff games- there is more coverage from the local media, resulting in even more obstructions. This time, it really didn't seem so bad though. You really have to love it when spring rolls around.

The gallery of all the shots from the game is here.

The incredibly popular Freshman Girls vs Meyers gallery is here. (Why is this getting so many hits lately?)

The entire cool website is here.

Enjoy!

No comments:

Post a Comment