Second Place is NOT the First Loser.

The world of youth sports today is nothing like anything I experienced as a child. The tournaments. The caliber of competition. The relentless commitment of parents to these athletic events. As a Gen Xer, not the most “sporty” human being, and a Mom of two sons; this world has been eye opening to say the least.?

I just returned from an out of town hockey tournament for my youngest son, who is 7. Hockey is so incredible to me at this young age, so much so that it can be quite intimidating to me. The equipment, the amount of time it takes to get ready, and the fact that these small children can skate, and do all that other stuff? Amazing.?

We traveled to America’s heartland in Iowa this past weekend, for his third ever travel tournament. I must say, I LOVE the social aspect of these tournaments. First and foremost for the kids; and additionally it is incredible to build community and camaraderie with the parents.?

But onto the sports. My son’s team had three games on Saturday, and one on Sunday. They crushed their competition and won all of the games. Winning each time by wide goal differentials. (Yes I know what this is now, maybe I am sporty after all). They celebrated and smiles were displayed throughout their little faces. They earned a spot at the championship game on Sunday afternoon to compete for first place. The Mom side of me was cheering from the stands with glee at this. The leadership part of my brain thought “Oh No.”?

I felt this way because these kids absolutely dominated every team they faced. I was worried they were going to think the Championship game was going to be a guaranteed win.? And I unfortunately have this knack for knowing what is going to come next all too early. I could see it in the face of my little 7 year old.? He thought the Championship title was going to be easy.?

Uh oh.?

We moved onto the Championship game and it was one of the most stressful games I have ever watched as a parent. The opposing team was READY. And they were tough. Our kids held their own, but we could all tell they were not on their A game. However, regardless of our kids not being the best they could be, they only lost the game by one goal.?

I walked to the Locker Room and I could feel the warm tears welling up in my eyes. It was such a tough game to watch, and I knew what I was going to walk into.?

The Locker Room was filled with little faces of tears, including my son. It is so hard to see your child cry, no matter the age. I gave him a hug and told him what an amazing job he did and how proud of him I was.?

After I walked out of the Locker Room I was talking to a few other parents on the team. And I thought to myself: This is so tough. And I wish we didn’t have to go through this. But it's times like these that our kids LEARN how to be champions. It's adversity. It's the tears. It's that feeling that they were so close to that number one spot. It was within reach.? And that teaches them the lessons they need to learn to make sure they play their very best at each and every game.?

Second Place is Not the First Loser.?

Second Place is where Champions are Made.

-Dr. D

Disclaimer: Not a Real Dr. :)