Defining "Success" in Sports

You don’t have to be a professional athlete or an Olympic champion to be considered successful. Nor do you need to have a room full of medals, win a tournament, or make the front page of the sports section.

In the examples below we see athletes who compete and push through despite tremendous setbacks and challenges. Dick Hoyt who pushed, pulled, and pedaled his paraplegic son through 257 triathlons after his son told him, “when I’m in a race, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” An eleven-year-old figure skater who has lost her first 20 competitions yet continues to set goals towards winning. A golfer who has a failed relationship yet shows up to compete despite his despair. A tennis player who gathers the courage to start playing tournaments again after placing her son in a special needs home.

What these athletes all have in common is that their sport is important to them and they’re committed to being the best they can be given their life circumstances.  Grit and optimism drive them to try again and again. They set high, realistic goals for themselves and train hard. Their sport participation enriches their lives and the lives of the people around them. They do it because they believe what their sport returns to them far outweighs the energy and resources their sport requires of them.