It is no secret that I have a passion for the benefit of sports and its ability to reveal and create character. My favourite sport is usually the one I am currently involved with and for the moment that is track and field. This is one of those sports where there is a possible place for everyone to participate and for people to learn that the value of hard work is in the process far more often than in the result.
Every year I have students come up to me and say that there is no use trying an event because they don’t think they can make provincials anyway. I do my best to explain that the goal is not to get to provincials, that is just a bonus for a small percentage of those who get involved. The goal is to challenge yourself to do better and compete in a way that puts yourself out there not against others so much as against your past performances.
There are over 500 athletes that attend our meet in North Battleford. Outside of the provincial championship it is one of the biggest sporting events in High School sports. If the only goal is to win, then only 84 students should even bother trying in the whole province, since that is how many golds are given out. Don’t get me wrong, we compete to do our best and for a small few that means competing at the highest level, but for others it is just getting the chance to be part of track at our district level. You should never ask what the provincial record is, but rather what was my personal best and how can I try to do better. If you achieve that then what everyone else around does is irrelevant.
I have watched some track athletes work hard every day and improve all the way through only to get beat out by somebody who puts in very little effort but is just naturally better. In a fair world or at least the Disney version hard work overcomes all; in the real world this is not always the case. We push our kids to do their best and when they don’t win, we have the tendency to think it wasn’t good enough. That is only because we are using the wrong metric. Passion for what we do, and the bravery it takes to work at something despite what the final result will be is a far more valuable attribute than the ability to run faster than anyone else without having to try.
I see people who would rather put in a minimal effort and fail with an excuse than try their best and risk being beat. It is the things that we are willing to put everything into that creates the character to carry forward into adulthood, and the more times we are able to handle that pressure the better we get at it.
I am proud of every student who is willing to come out and be involved, whether it is in sport, drama, SLC or academically because while it is easier and sometimes involves less heartbreak not to care it also creates adults in our society who don’t care either. Congratulations to those students who have taken that risk, and to those who have not yet, there is always room for you in the next activity going on.
Thanks,
Greg Knot
