I learned this at an early age, but never really understood it until this week. On Sunday last week, my calisthenics team had our first competition. We came 6th out of 7 teams. We didn't do anything terribly, it's just that the other teams were more polished, more tidy, more together. Yesterday, the team I coach had their first competition. They came 3rd out of 3 teams. They didn't do anything terribly (they even got 2nd for 3 out of 7 performances!), the others were just better on the day.
Were both teams failures? No way.
I was so proud of my girls yesterday afternoon - they did what I asked, when I asked them to. They behaved in the dressing room (which was cramped, stuffy, and tedious) and were even nice to their mothers most of the time. There was little bickering between the girls both during quick changes and long waits between performances. On stage they performed well - I didn't see anything on the stage that I haven't seen at practice. The critique papers I received at the end of the competition were both positive and constructive - the judge could see what I was aiming for and was constructive in her criticism of the actual performance. I'm glad that the things I call out each week are the things that were mentioned as improvements, and that time and practice are the only things we need.
As a coach, it's difficult to be judged on something you have poured so much of yourself into. It's heartwarming to have that work praised and performed well, and to have the girls who have worked hard to please me be rewarded for that effort on the scoreboard. What most pleased me yesterday was the gratitude from the parents and the genuine joy from the girls BEFORE results were announced.
With the team that I perform in, it was a different story. We performed well and were not rewarded with results on the board, and in turn, were looking for someone to blame for our bad results. Yes, everyone put in a little extra effort on stage and that changes things. Yes, nerves take over BIG TIME and that changes things. We were calling for extra practices and changes to routines.... and then we had a video night. We are lucky that most of our performances are filmed - so we headed off to watch the playback as a team. After it had finished, there was a collective sigh of relief. It wasn't terrible after all. Yes, some things happened that don't usually happen, but these things won't happen next time. We'll learn from the experience and improve. Some changes will be (and already have been) made. It wasn't bad, it just wasn't good enough.
As human beings we are constantly looking for success. We thrive on it. I think we need to look for success in all places - not just as results on a board, but as small victories. Nailing a move, smiling at a stranger, setting and achieving a goal, getting enough sleep, drinking more water, seeing the sunshine and getting out in it. Success is all around. Disappointment has to occur for the full measure of success to be realised. Sometimes success or failure is determined by our outlook on the moment - and I am determined to use a positive outlook instead of jumping to the negative all the time.
So yes, it has been a successful week!
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