My Two Favorite Numbers:11 & 23

I picked the girls up from their volleyball game tonight and the emotions in the car were a combination of discouragement, humor, and optimism. Salisbury, the second smallest school in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania, has a long history of not having a winning volleyball team; my girls said they have won 1 game out of the last 105 games. No doubt, that is frustrating.

This is Amy's (#11) fourth year playing and Heather's (#23) second year. I am proud of both of them for the effort they have put into it; not just into the actual playing of the game, but in the sportsmanship and good attitudes they display, even when losing for the 104th time. They have learned to have grace under less than desirable conditions.

Tonight I realized that I always ask them if they've won or not and I started to wonder if that makes them feel the losses even more. Asking them if they've won is just the "normal" thing to ask, but I am going to change that. Instead, I am going to ask if they've played a good game. I am going to ask if they were able to walk away at the end of the game, knowing they played their best while showing respect to their co-players, the other team, and their coaches.

And I believe that one day, when I ask them how the game went, they are going to tell me that they have won. I believe that the girls, not just my girls, but all the girls on the team, are winners. They are learning from their coaches how to play the game. They are learning from each other how to work as a team, how to encourage one another, how to stay positive in spite of losing, and how to keep trying and  striving towards a goal even when the odds are against them.

My hope for the Salisbury Volleyball team is that the character and integrity that exists within them shines on the court, win or lose.

Discouragement? A few tears and sighs...but it's all good now.
Humor? Amy demonstrated how she looked like a klutz during the game and also afterwards when she fell in front of the coach.
Optimism? You bet. There is always the next game after all.

Kinda like life. Interesting.

Love,
Dianne

P.S. I really wanted to post pictures of the girls in their volleyball glory, but I was outvoted 2:1.