Mt. St. Joe 19.5, Boys' Latin 1.5

In golf as in life, sometimes in trying our best we still come up short.

It's called "getting outplayed" and it's what the Lakers experienced Thursday during their duel with perennial conference contenders, Mt. St. Joe. Boys' Latin put on a good show, however - and challenged their opponents throughout the day with firm resolve, die-hard focus, and a tough-as-nails attitude that produced one of the finest showings of the year for the Lakers.

Although the final score may not reflect it, Boys' Latin remained in contention throughout the day with help from a conditioned mental focus, conservative club selection, strong emotional posture and a deepened understanding of the rules. The team's ability to reduce (if not eliminate) mindless errors from the day's competition kept them in the battle with Mt. St. Joe farther than would have resulted otherwise.

At the end of the day, the team was understandably down. Their heads hung in dejection as they gathered together for the post-match coaches discussion. What the coaches offered, however appeared to be a bit different than what the players may have been expecting.

The coaches asked team members "Who here has ever studied extremely hard for an exam? Who here has ever prepared so much for a test that they thought they couldn't possibly cram any more into their brain?" Of course, all hands went up and heads nodded in affirmation. "And who here has ever prepared like that for an exam, taken the exam, received a great score (like a 94%) and later found out that someone else in the class got a higher grade (like a 97%)?" Everyone's hand immediately shot up in the air. "Did you fail the exam? Does a 94% constitute an 'F'?" the coaches asked. "No," the boys said. "Did you fail yourself? Could you have done more to prepare yourself for the test?" Once again the boys replied "No."...

The coaches smiled and replied "Well boys, that's called 'getting outplayed.' It means that you did your best, and so did someone else, and that on that particular day their score was a little better than yours. But, as you confirmed, it doesn't mean that you failed - far from it, actually. In the end, as long as you prepared and participated to the best of your ability, 'getting outplayed' doesn't much matter. And by the way 'getting outplayed' is exactly what happened on the golf course today. You couldn't have done a better job out there this afternoon. You played tough. You played smart. You prepared wisely. And...you did your absolute best. You know it and the coaches know it. Don't be upset with the final score. Today was a significant victory for the Lakers. It was a day when a team of men showed-up and did their best. Nothing more can ever be expected of you - be it on or off the golf course. And if you take the menatlity that carried you through the day today and apply it to your daily life, you will be a better man for doing so."

Additional discussion followed, and in the end the Boys' Latin Golf Team left for the day with a new understanding of what it meant to try their hardest and give their best. With such insight now rooted in their life foundation, they appear well-poised to face the remainder of the season.