Grenfell is a junior public relations and management double major and can be reached at carly.grenfell@drake.edu.
Let me be the first to tell you that it is tough to get the writing juices flowing after the first loss of the year. Unfortunately, on Sunday afternoon, we came up five points short against the South Dakota Coyotes in our season opener. On the bright side, we have 30-plus games left. And with a nearly six-month season, what it comes down to is getting better week after week. It is a long but quick season with no time to waste.
It can definitely be tough to stay positive after a loss. However, I feel there is no other choice but to do so. It’s easy to point fingers, blame others and not take ownership for mistakes. When all is said and done, a win or a loss circles back to the team as a whole. A team cannot possibly function without the five people on the court. That’s the bottom line.
Through countless honest conversations with teammates and coaches, there is no doubt I learn something new every day or at least view things in a different light than I did before. What a team comes down to is this — understanding one another, believing in each other and trusting each other. This team has shown incredible glimpses of that. But I know there is much more in us.
When things go downhill, that is when a team comes together as one unit. They think to themselves, “What can I possibly do to spark some momentum?” It doesn’t even have to be scoring. It can be getting someone open, setting a hard screen, crashing the glass harder than you ever have or being a pesky defender.
There are a ton of things a player can control to help contribute to the betterment of the team. And once everyone centers her role around this notion, great things are bound to happen. This mindset is so contagious. It is a pull so strong that everyone is impacted in some way. Celebrating each other’s success is one of the best feelings in the world.
Which leads me to another point. Let me just ask, how many people did you see dressed up as superheroes for Halloween this year? Probably quite a few! A hero by definition is appealing to most of us. They “save the day” and are looked up to by many. But with wanting to be (or being) a hero, comes a tremendous amount of pressure. Ultimately because others have high standards for them that they are expected to live up to. Fear not, my friends.
If a team can collectively embrace the concept of being heroic, it will be untouchable. Why, you ask? Because “sometimes being a hero means giving up one cause for the good of another.” Her incentive to be a hero is not for her personal pride and well-being. It is for his, or her, very own teammates.
