Did You Give It Your All?

Here are the facts of life and they may not be pleasant:  A coach friend of mine was considering a highly recruited goalie.   He had evaluated him for six months, watched him play, had goalie coaches and even professional goalies observe him, and the word came back: "He's the real deal."  The evals said, "nice kid, intensely coached by a world class coach since age 8, successful in every league including adult leagues at 14, highly motivated, driven to succeed, came early, stayed late"; in other words - a coach's dream.

His grades were solid B range with lots of honors and AP courses, but a few C's and even a D or two.  The victim of a hearing disorder,  his struggles in the classroom were real, and his mediocre grades belied his almost genius IQ and demonstrated standard test successes.

And you know the rest of the story - At this highly selective school with the support of the entire athletic department, his standing as the grandson of a prominent graduate of the school, the pleading of the coach with the admissions office... The team was in desperate need of a top goalie candidate, and the coach was convinced his team's next several seasons hinged on this successful admission. 

And here is the bottom line - the Admissions Office knew that his chances of successfully completing the academic curriculum with his demonstrated academic record were slim, and it would do that athlete a  disservice by granting him admission only to flunk out with major disappointment to him and the sports program both.

In this situation the moral is simple - there are situations where your ability, drive, coachability, commitment to the school, first choice for early decision, the need of a coach for a player in your position - aren't enough.

But... but.. when asked the question "could you have dug a little deeper on some classes," gone in for more tutorials," "made flash cards" tape recorded classes and so on just a little bit more could you have made the grade. You know the answer.

So, whatever your handicap, whatever your distraction, whatever the drains on your time, it is up to you to dig a little deeper for your goal, press a little harder, worked harder and make your dream come true so that when someone asks "Did you give it your all?" not just on the field, but in the classroom, the homework, the  rehab after an injury, your strong statement that "I gave it my all" will forever free you from the "if onlys" that will stay with you for years to come.