***I initially wrote this message on February 24th, 2011, for my customers on the eve of NCA/NDA All-Star Nationals.
Today is the day before check-in at our All-Star Nationals. I’ve been working feverishly for weeks at such a fast pace as the clock ticks down to the start of what will be Varsity All Star’s largest event this season and NCA’s largest event in our 63 year history. My ‘To Do’ list is far from done. And shockingly enough, I’ve dropped everything to jot down these thoughts that I can’t get out of my head.
In preparing for this event, I’ve faced a lot of customers and potential customers with questions about why we do things the way we do and why we don’t do things the way they want us to. I’ve been told our decisions are ‘unfair’ more than once this month. As an Event Producer, it can be scary looking a customer in the eye and saying “I disagree with you and if that means I’ll never get your business, I’m gonna have to be OK with that.” Of course, I want EVERYONE at our events and I want everyone to be happy. But the truth is, you can’t be everything to everybody—so you need to be good at being who you are.
Luckily for me, who I am IS who my company is. When it comes to competitions, I believe in COMPETING. That statement sounds simple when positioned that way. Perhaps what I really mean is: when it comes to competitions, I believe in LOSING. So, I want to lose. I want my best friends to lose, I want my kids to lose and… I want you to lose.
When I look back on my childhood, adolescence, and even cheer coaching career, my defining moments weren’t moments of ultimate success. They were moments of ultimate disappointment. (Let me clarify, I had a wonderful childhood. I reread this paragraph and thought I sounded very Debbie Downer, but keep reading. I’ll explain…)
In 3rd grade, I got caught stealing Starbursts from 7-11. My parents made me walk up to the store manager and confess my criminal activity. Grounded. To my bed. An entire week.
In 8th grade, I went in on a scam with friends who came across a long distance access code that allowed me to call anyone in the country for FREE…until we received a phone bill one month for $700.
When I was 22, I had to break the news to my incredibly talented 3 time NCA National Champion team that this year’s title would not be going to us—but rather to the obviously less talented 2nd place team because one of our athletes (arguably) threw their head back too far in an arched cradle. What a minor detail to lose an important title over.
All of those moments HURT. They hurt BAD. But all of them helped me evolve into a better person. I haven’t stolen since 3rd grade. I learned in 8th grade that nothing in life is free. And as a coach, I always make sure my athletes’ technique is so flawless, it’ll never be questioned by a judge.
As an industry, we’ve lost sight of the value of the losses, of the competition, and of not winning. And when I say WE, I mean ALL OF US. We’ve all got that short term hunger to WIN. Event Producers want competitions in every saturated market because we want to be the biggest and win. Coaches won’t put an athlete without a standing back tuck on their Level 4 team because they want to win. Parents want to send their kids to a gym because they are known for winning.
Now, of course I’m speaking in generalities. And I’m using the extreme term of ‘WIN,” which could be replaced with the term “COMPETITIVE. “ We all want to be competitive at what we do. And being competitive means you have a shot at winning.
But what if we signed up for a competition to compete in a tough division, already knowing there wasn’t a chance in the world that we’d score higher than 20th place? What if we built our Senior Level 4 teams with athletes that DIDN’T have a standing back tuck, hoping that the other Level 4 teams would give our kids the push they needed to master new skills?
I’m so proud of our crew here at NCA and Varsity. We’ve had to make some tough decisions about divisions, registrations, and crossovers that, on paper, don’t translate to more business. But we’ve stuck by our philosophies that the most important part of a competition IS the competition. Because we stood by our philosophies, our event continues to grow.
It’ll be an interesting weekend. There are over 750 teams representing over 200 programs traveling to Dallas from more than 30 states and 3 countries with a dream of winning, with a chance of losing, but most certainly competing. If I had to guess, I would imagine that some teams are going to leave Dallas on Sunday disappointed with their placement and performance in Finals. That’s AWESOME. Disappointment will fuel self reflection, will increase determination and will motivate athletes to try harder at practice next week.
At the NCA/NDA Coaches Orientations, I’ve jokingly closed some of the sessions with the phrase, “ Good luck, Coaches. For my sake, I hope you ALL WIN this weekend.” Everyone chuckles and go about their day.
How about this year, I close it with “I hope you all lose.” Would that statement from NCA get us more teams? Probably not. But in some ways, I do hope you lose.
Above and beyond any other cheer event, I want NCA/NDA All-Star Nationals to be the pinnacle experience that teaches life lessons about success, failure, commitment, and dedication. If you want to take the easy path or win the easy title, this competition isn’t for you. But if you want to find out how much work you need to put in to be as good as the 1st place team, we might be the perfect fit.
Whether or not you’ll be competing with us in Dallas this weekend, we wish you well at your next competition. And If you don’t take home the title, be sure to leave the venue with that 3rd place trophy and a smile on your face knowing your athletes are the better because of it.
What are some interesting revelations about yourself or your team have you learned through the process of losing or NOT winning? Share them with us and offer up your advice for teams dealing with 'post-competition' adversity.
