I was going to write this post as soon as Montevallo had won the National D2 basketball championship this afternoon. I just knew they were going to win. I have been fortunate enough to watch my son and his team win two football state championships and I knew what that feeling was like and what a difference it makes to the school, the team and to the individual player when you achieve something like that. I know that no matter what happens to Jon in life, he has the memory of what it feels like to be a champion. It is a life altering experience.
Montevallo did not win the game. They played well on national TV and the student body came through for them and represented the school favorably as well. Many games were won to get to the point to even be in the championship and although I have to say I did not always see such fan support all year, the championship game united the student body and had us feeling proud for the moment anyway.
As soon as the game was over, the Montevallo facebook page that had been giving score updates said simply, “Montevallo defeated.” My comment back was, “We are never defeated, we just didn’t win this game.” And isn’t that true for life? We can’t let losses defeat us. I saw a student body that maybe next year will be there for their teams every game with the same spirit and pride they had today. I saw the president of the university there with the students- I hope he took the time to really get to know them better. I saw the purple and gold leaders side by side on national television cheering on their team. I know that there will be good stories and bad ones that come from the long bus ride to and from Kentucky, stories that will become a part of the fabric of the lives of the students who lived them. Stories to tell and laugh about with their children some day.
I saw no defeat, we merely lost a game. But for the anti- sports people on campus, maybe there will be the recognition that like it or not, sports can put you on the map quicker than anything. Montevallo has been on national TV, has been talked about on radio stations all over the area for weeks and now has laid a foundation for recruiting new players who can help bring even more notoriety. So get over it- it is what it is. Maybe the “artsy” students should get equal attention in a perfect world, but guess what- it isn’t a perfect world. And guess what else, those athletes have devoted most of their lives to getting prepared to be in that spot. This was their moment to shine and they did, in my opinion.
One of my favorite parts of a sporting event, and I have to say I am a huge sports fan, is the national anthem at the beginning. It is when two groups of people who are there to play against each other, all come together to stand as one and sing our country’s anthem. After it is over, the two sides are back in opposition but for that one song they are united. I love the competition and yet those brief moments are my favorite. Today I saw my school come together to cheer on “our” team, I want to see that spirit grow!
So there were lots of good things that happened today- the Falcons fared better than any other basketball team in the state, the student body came together to cheer them on and Montevallo was seen nationwide for the great school that it is. That sounds like a championship day to me.
