ABOUT five years ago, I was up to bat in the last game of the softball season. There were two outs and my team was down by one run. As I stepped up to the plate, my teammate on third base took her lead. I was up against the fastest pitcher in our league. Competition’s true
spirit slowly dyingThe first two pitches were hit into foul territory, leaving me with one strike left. My hands were already sweating and my heart thumped faster and faster. As I stared at the pitcher, she received the signal from her catcher and wound up to pitch.
"Strike three!" yelled the umpire as I swung for the ball and missed; the game was over.
I felt terrible about letting my team down. We had beaten this team before but couldn't do it again. In that earlier game, I was in a very similar situation. It was the bottom of the last inning, two outs, one runner on third base, with my turn to bat next. I was up against the very same pitcher, but managed to hit the ball over the first baseman. With that hit, we won the game.
But after this loss to the same team, my coach got really upset. After we shook hands with the other team, my coach came into the dugout and kicked a couple of the helmets that were on the ground. Then he proceeded to throw the equipment into the equipment bag. Seeing him do this really hit me hard, even harder than striking out. I think it was because I knew I could hit against this pitcher, and I had proved it in the previous game. By striking out, I felt like I had disappointed my coach. If he had confidence in my hitting ability before, I let him down.
Our parents were not as upset as our coach. My parents told me that we played a good game and that we can't expect to win all the time.
Still, I find it hard these days to just go out there and have fun. As we get older, the sports we used to play for fun turn into hard work and competition. As the competition rises, so does the pressure.
THIS past high school soccer season we had a really good team. Our Kaiser varsity team was seen as one of the best in the Eastern division.
When you are on a good team, everyone wants to beat you. They feel that if they beat you their team will be the best. Every team wants to be No. 1 in their sport. The pressure was on us to maintain our status. It almost felt as if we were being hunted down by the other teams. There were times when I would get scared before a game because it was easy to sense how desperately the other team wanted to beat us.
They played really dirty: Pulling at our jerseys, tripping us on purpose, pushing us on purpose or even swearing at us. Referees are supposed to catch these things, but they can't see every incident. Sometimes it felt as though we were playing rugby instead of soccer.
So if playing sports has gotten this bad, why do I keep on competing? For one thing, I enjoy the sport. I enjoy working hard and pushing myself to become a better player. It's like my own personal competition, seeing how much I can improve each day.
If you are going to play a sport, you will compete, but the most important thing to remember is to have fun, not to go out there only to win. You can't expect to win every game.
I'm lucky because my high school soccer coaches emphasize having fun along with working hard. Although my soccer coaches are understanding, there are some coaches out there that aren't. I've seen other coaches punish their teams by making them run after losing a game, when they are most tired.
Whatever happened to the saying, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game?"
Kerra Wong will be a senior at Kaiser High School in the fall. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
allowing those 12 to 22 to serve up fresh perspectives.
Speak up by fax at 523-8509; by answering machine at 525-8666;
snail mail at P.O. Box 3080, Honolulu 96802;
or e-mail, features@starbulletin.com