I HATE Losing

To say I hate losing is an understatement. It's more than that. I have always been a highly competitive person, to say the least. When I was younger, I would fight you to the death over tic-tac-toe or a card game. Competitiveness is a family trait, but I was unfairly deemed the worst loser of the bunch. I can't deny that it wasn't true at some point, but even though I've learned to control it, I will never live it down.

Still, I hate to lose. I know that failure is a powerful teacher. For example, a few years ago, I took a literature course at JSU in which the professor took off a point for every grammar error in a paper. Apparently, I had never bothered to learn how to use hyphenated adjectives. I'm certain that all of my adjectives would have forever remained hyphen-less had I not lost 8 points in one paper. Was I happy about the 92? No! Did I learn to hyphenate those pesky modifiers? Yes. But, that doesn't mean I'm willing to whole-heartedly accept this you-can't-win-them-all attitude. Why can't you win them all? Who says?

The Bobcats fell short last night by a score of 34-28 to the 3A Wellborn Panthers. The game was shaping up to be a blowout. The athleticism of the visiting squad seemed to be too much for our banged-up Bobcats, who were playing minus several starters tonight. The halftime score was 21-7, and we'd shown very few signs of life. However, the game was far from over. The home team came out fighting in the second half, pulling to within six and the ball in scoring position with under four minutes remaining. Just when it looked like we were about to come back and win that ballgame, a red-zone interception sealed out fate.

Losses are tough. No one likes the feeling of falling short. It's even worse when you know you've got to go home with a miserably disappointed coach. Still, our guys should be commended for not ever giving up or hanging their heads. There's something to be said, too, for the young guys who had to step in for injured players tonight. Coach Strain said it well in his post-game address. Sometimes life gets you down. They way you respond is the true measure of a man. That's one thing I love about Woodland. Our kids don't quit. They might get down, but they fight back. It serves them well in football. It will serve them better in life.

So, yes. You can find positives, even in a loss. But, that doesn't make them easier to deal with, nor does it make me like them any better. You can keep all the "better luck next time" and "you win some; you lose some" and anything else people say to try and sugarcoat the reality that losing really stinks. And, sometimes, you just feel like taking your ball, going home, and pouting a little bit.

The Cats can't afford to pout. They've got to go the work. It's officially playoff time. A loss now leaves more than a bitter taste in your mouth; it ends your season. And, even though it means even longer days for Coach, I'm not ready for this season to end.