Losing plays a very big part in the game of life. It can be hard. It can be painful and most importantly it can be enlightening. Losing often times reveals just how important something was to you in the first place. A heart-wrenching reminder of why winning should not ever be taken for granted.

This past Saturday, a group of 27 boys, four coaches and a multitude of parents and family members were handed a very hard loss. South Kitsap defeated Warren Avenue 6-0 in the C-String Pee Wee Football Semi-Finals. Having gone undefeated the entire season until this game, for many of the players on the Warren Avenue team, it was only their third defeat in three years and that was part of the problem.

Warren Avenue lost because they took winning for granted. They underestimated the ability of their opponent to learn from their own mistakes. While the players may have lost on the football field that day, they tallied up a big win in the game of life. These kids will remember this particular feeling for a very long time and it will shape them in some form or another as they move forward in their own lives.

I know from my own experiences that some of the greatest turning points in my life rose from the ashes of my adversity – the same adversity that taught me to suck it up, wipe the tears away and move forward toward success with more determination and an even greater purpose. Without the lowest of lows you can not experience the highest of highs. Life’s greatest joys travel hand in hand with some of the sharpest pain.

As adults our instinct radar is constantly tuned to keeping our kids safe and free from any emotional or physical pain they may experience. We want to run right in and make it all better. But we can’t. We can’t because that would be an even greater disservice to our kids than stepping back and letting them hurt. One of the hardest things to do as a parent is to stand back and watch something your child has worked so hard for and is so close to achieving, wrenched away from them in a most final, abrupt and brutal manner.

Despite the loss I am very proud of this entire team. They worked very hard the entire season. I have complete trust and confidence in the coaching staff and willingly place my child’s emotional and physical wellbeing into their hands every season.

We will rise from the ashes of our adversity. We will become better teammates and more appreciative winners going forward. Look out in 2011.