Thoughts on Championships

Friday, March 20, 2009

Well, March Madness is upon us again. One national sports talk radio guy stated that yesterday (Thursday) and today (Friday) are the two most exciting days in sports all year. 65 teams are competing over three consecutive weekends, all trying to win the NCAA men's national basketball championship.

Championship - that's a pretty neat thing to pursue when you are on a team. No matter how large or small the stage, winning a championship at any level is really hard to do. Think about it? How many championships did you win growing up? It got me thinking about my experiences playing as a youth, coaching as an adult, and watching my kids play and compete in their various sports.

The above picture is the 2009 Mite A championship team from Cleveland Heights. They competed for the championship in the Cleveland Suburban Hockey League (www.cshlhockey.org). The 3rd player from the left is my youngest son, William - age 9. William's team won the regular season championship (banner on the right) with a 9-0-3 league record, and they also won the playoff championship (banner on the left). They won the playoff championship that day scoring the only goal of the game in double OT. It was an incredible win and a fantastic season.

Congrats to William and his teammates on a great season.