This I Believe – Meant To Be
“Excuses are the nails that build a house of failure.” Yes, we all laughed. It was simply another bogus saying from the mind of Coach Alfredo. Right? I thought about that quote every day throughout our 2008 lacrosse season. Weren’t we “destined?”Wasn’t this supposed to be “our year”? On Monday March tenth, I was no believer in being “destined.” But entering sectional playoffs with a 17-2 record, I believe that with hard work, perseverance, the desire to succeed, and the most team chemistry and charisma I have ever seen; any set goal can be achieved.
My 2008 season whizzed by and I slowly became more of an advocate for my belief. There were goals set,chapters in a book that were to be written before reaching our fairy-tale ending: a sectional championship.Chapter one: preseason. For two weeks in March as the snow thawed we struggled as one. If one person stopped, the team was behind him. When someone threw up, there was water by his side. Scrimmages against the strongest in our section should have discouraged and shamed us, but in reality, they only made us stronger. After weeding out the weak and leaving only the brave, coach Meola had chosen his army with which he would embark upon a two-month battle.
Chapter two: the Hudson River Classic. For the first time in the history of the Briarcliff Lacrosse program, we beat both Ossining and Sleepy Hollow High Schools,claiming both the trophy and bragging rights in the Hudson River area. Chapter three: Pleasantville. A wild celebration would follow an overtime upset as we ousted our cross-town rivals for the first time. Yet the win did not come because we were a more talented team. It came because we simply wanted it more. Chapter four: the League Championship. Through the cold and the rain, we proceeded to pound Ossining a second time this season,securing our league title the second year in a row. And just like that, four chapters were written in a book that needed just one more to be complete.
Weeks passed. April blended into May. Words poured into our novel of a season as we partied and won together becoming more of a family than a team. And I began to believe. Now, sitting here on the eve of our section quarterfinal game,feeling the ridiculous mohawk on my head that symbolizes team unison as much as it does peer pressure,I know if we want something enough, it is ours for the taking. Failure to achieve this final goal would be no one’s fault but our own; the result of excuses being hammered in to a house of failure destined to collapse.