How does achieving a goal, leave a bad taste in our mouth?

The 2012 MSHSL Girls Swimming & Diving Championships is in the books and the Winhawks were there. They made their goal, they made it to state. Yet, they seemed, unfulfilled, sad or frustrated even. A general sense that for the Winhawks, swimming in State prelims was not enough, they wanted more. 

Everyone on the team tapered for Sections. The goal was to get best swims at Sections, you do that, and going to State falls into place. That goal was met with flying colors. By my count, there were a total of 73 splashes at Sections, swims, relay splits and dive entries. Of those, 61 splashes achieved personal bests! 

SUCCESS!

So why the down turned faces? 

Michelangelo said, “The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark.”

The Winhawks have evolved, making it to State is not enough; swimming in Finals appears to be the goal. Granted, one has to place at or make time at Sections to go to State, but if the goal is Finals at State, those too will happen. I was told that the Section 6AA meet is so competitive, that the State Qualifiers went 9 deep into the results of some events. At Section 1AA Finals, parents were wondering if a person could even qualify for State from the Consolation Round. At Section 6AA they already learned and don’t even distinguish between the two finals with regards to State, it is all about time. Where you place at Sections is irrelevant to making that State Cut time standard. 

At State Prelims and Finals, typically half or more of the competitors drop time over their Sections Seed. Their goal was to perform at State, their goals was to train hard enough to have their time at Sections get them there, and perform after they arrived. 

In the bigger picture, the powerful of Section 1AA were somewhat humbled upon their arrival at State. Rochester John Marshall finished 9^th overall, Rochester Mayo, once ranked 6^th in the State, finished 16^th. Sections runner-up Hastings took 20^th place. Farmington, which finished behind them at Sections, placed 19^th. Century fell in at 32^nd place in a TIE with Winona. 

ALL IN ALL  listen to Ernest Hemingway, “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”

The real win, in the dual meet season, the Conference Meet, the Sections Meet, and State, were the Winhawks being together.

“Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition. Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust.” - Jesse Owens