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Friday, February 1, 2008
MOM - I DIDN’T MAKE IT!!
St. Paul, MN
By: Mike King
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Photo(s) By: Kyle Danztler/MyActionPortraits.com
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Terrible words to hear but even worse when you have to say them, “Mom, I was cut from the team.” Devastation sets in! What happens now? The process starts out as a horrifying thought. “How did this happen? The coach must not like me. I was way better than that other guy, but his Dad was always talking to the coach.”
It can be a life altering experience and you need to figure out what you are going to do next. “Do I try another sport or keep practicing and go through all this again next year?” Many times there are some crazy circumstances that lead to kids not making the team. Politics certainly seem to have come into play more and more throughout the years. Too many times players end up being chosen because their parents are involved… not fair, but a reality.
I wonder how many professional athletes went through this experience at some point and either stuck with it or decided to try something else. The heartwarming stories are when we hear of people overcoming diversity and going on to greatness. Take Michael Jordan for example; he was cut from his high school basketball team as a sophomore only to work harder and become the greatest player that we have ever seen. Not every story ends this way but it’s encouraging to know that it can happen.
From personal experience as a player and a dad, I’ve realized that in most cases players didn’t put in as practice time as they should have and probably were beat out by better players. That was hard for me to understand when I was cut as a peewee and bantam (two years each) as a child. I thought I was definitely better than at least a couple of the players but was not chosen for the teams. I continued to play hockey but worked harder in my other sports because I knew I had better opportunities in these. I also knew what it was like to be cut and didn’t want to experience failure again.
I specifically remember the time I survived my first cut in seventh grade baseball. I felt like crying because I was so happy but knew that I couldn’t do that. I ran home after practice and played it cool while telling my Mother that I had made the team. I knew she felt the same pride that I did but kept it together as well. Later that night, I heard her on the phone with my Grandfather bragging about me like I had just been inducted into the Hall of Fame… a great memory.
Making teams and being cut are as common as winning and losing in sports but it’s what you do next that builds your character. Allow yourself the anger and denial stages for a short time, but move on and don’t give up. Continue to work hard if it’s something that you love, otherwise choose another sport to try. Everyone is good at something and it might take multiple tries to figure out what that is. Just remember that it takes true dedication to ever be great at something.
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