This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year.
It’s graduation week and I just love logging onto social media each day and seeing all of the smiling faces of those seniors who are celebrating their big days. To everyone in the Class of 2025, you rock, and I wish you nothing but the best. Following you has been a joy, and I hope that we did right by you as we chronicled your academic and athletic careers.
But aside from graduation, this week is also an elite week for social media because of all of the locals who are trying out for and are making school sports teams.
I scrolled for literally 45 minutes yesterday looking at parents’ posts congratulating their children on making their respective school sports teams.
I saw kids that I’ve coached, kids that I’ve coached against and others who have blossomed and have become fine young men/women who are set to compete in 2025-2026.
I saw young boys and young girls – all smiling from ear-to-ear with pride at their accomplishment. That smile is earned. You worked hard and you earned that spot. Feel good. Be proud. You did an awesome thing.
I saw rosters posted by schools. The names of their players fascinated me. Each one that I saw, I thumbed through from top-to-bottom taking a cruise down memory lane realizing that for most of these kids, I went to school with their parents. Those mental images then sent my back to times of when I was a kid and I was playing youth sports, remembering the memories that I made with those people – the memories that will last with me for the rest of my life.
After about 45 minutes of scrolling, it never fails, my mind shifts and my motivation grows strong to do what I am about to do right now.
On social media, we always celebrate those who make the team and those who get that spot they have been looking for after months of hard work.
Today, I want to shout out and congratulate those who did not get that call.
The bad part of any try-out season is knowing that there are going to be kids who are going to come up a little bit short in their hopes and will not make the team. Coaches universally tell me that having to cut a child is the hardest thing they do in their jobs. Parents, don’t blame coaches. It’s just logistics. They are doing a necessary evil.
But I am here to dedicate this column today to those who did not make it, those who are reading this right now with a little anger and a little hurt in their hearts.
These words probably won’t mean much to you right now. But just do what I am telling you to do and I think over time, you will see that I am right.
First, for those who tried out and were cut from their sports teams, I congratulate you. Yes, I congratulate you – for having guts. It takes guts to try out for a sports team. It takes guts to have a goal and to act upon it. It takes guts to go for something you want. The easy thing would have been to not sign up, stay home and play video games. It takes guts to go for it. Congratulations for having guts. To me, having guts makes you a winner.
But for those who did not make the team, I want to also remind you of a story of a young man who was cut from his team growing up. That young man was told he was too small, too slow and did not have what it took. That young man wanted it so bad, but was told no. That young man then dedicated himself for the next year, blossomed and grew to become the greatest to ever play in his sport.
That young man was Michael Jordan. He was cut from his high school basketball team as a young player. You know the rest of the story. He kept working and became the sports world’s GOAT.
If you got cut from your team, now is the time for you to take action. Sulk it out. Be mad. Anger is not an emotion of the weak. It is an emotion of the impassioned. It shows you care. But after a short period of anger, turn that energy into positivity by getting to work. If you are a volleyball player, seek camps or do whatever/however to get better. If you play other sports, do the same. If your family is not in a financial position to bring you to camps and such, then do what you can from home – run in the street, do push-ups, dribble the basketball in your driveway, set the volleyball on your roof, then bump it when it comes back down – just work hard and find a way.
Being cut from a sports team is not goodbye forever, it’s goodbye for now. It’s your coach’s way of telling you that you are not ready yet. But it should be your way of telling him/her, “OK, but I will be back in 12 months and the answer will change.”
Put in the time. Put in the effort and try again. In life, doing your best is all you can do. Sometimes, it’s good enough, sometimes it’s not. But if you put your head on the pillow at night knowing you did your absolute best, you’re a winner – no matter what.
To those who made the team, best of luck to you in 2025-2026. You all are blessed, but not as blessed as we are to be able to follow your journeys.
But to those who did not, we also look forward to seeing you work and continue to grow, too.
Yeah, you didn’t get that big Facebook post this year. But oh, how much things can change in a year.
But in the time, put in the work, and next year might be your year.
We are rooting for you – all of you – to succeed.