Let me tell you a story about awards. I remember it like it was yesterday…25 years ago, I was 12 years old and the biggest thing in my life at that time was that i was a pitcher and shortstop for the Latrobe Little League Indians. I played for Gary Giaccobi, Bill Cesarski, and Chester Giaccobi – Gary’s dad. I don’t know how i was so fortunate but from the time i was very young, i always had good coaches. Gary was probably in his mid to late twenties at the time and he was very knowledgeable about baseball. More importantly, he treated me and all of the other kids very well…like we were his own kids. Mr. Cesarski (i could never call him Bill and i probably wouldn’t call him Bill now if i saw him in person) was a former minor league player who stood about 6’4″ – i could be wrong on that because as a 12 year old, he seemed more like 7’4″, especially when he pitched batting practice to us. The older Mr. Giaccobi was quite a character and was known for saying things on the bench like, “he couldn’t hit the water if he fell out of a boat!” You should have heard what he said about the guys on the other team.
They were great coaches who i was fortunate to have for 3 years…they demanded that we hustle on and off the field, while we were running the bases, and that we were always talking. We won our fair share of games in Little League and i was proud to play for the Indians. At the end of the season, we had a banquet where all of the players, coaches, and parents got together…it was in some smoky old Moose Lodge or American Legion. During the banquet, they handed out the annual awards and i ended up leaving the place with 5 trophies in my hands. I’m not sure what they were for but i’m also sure i wasn’t the only one walking out of there with 5 trophies.
When we got home, i remember thinking about what i was going to do with all of my hardware (do they call this bling now?). I hardly had enough shelf space in my room. After arranging the trophies the way i wanted them, i went downstairs and asked my Dad if he ever got any trophies. After he informed me that he had some trophies when he was younger, i asked the obvious question: “Where are all of your trophies Dad?” He answered with an answer i’ll never forget…he said, “I threw them away.”
YOU WHAT!!!!!!!!!!! You threw them away! I didn’t say that but i’m sure i was thinking that. My dad was a great athlete in his day – i’m sure he was a better athlete than he ever indicated. Humility is one of my dad’s greatest traits. He was a soccer and baseball player at Slippery Rock University from 1964-1968. I’m sure he received his fair share of awards, even though he played in the days before EVERYBODY got a trophy. Sometimes i’m tempted to call some of his college teammates to see how good my dad really was because i don’t think he has ever been completely honest with me about his accomplishments.
Funny thing is though – that’s not what he remembers and it was certainly not why he played sports…and that was his lesson to me that day. It’s not about the TROPHY. It’s about relationships…it’s about the team…it’s about all of the things that playing a team sport can teach you – sacrifice, hard work, competitiveness, dealing with adversity, success, celebration, joy…you get the picture. If my kids asked me today where my trophies or rings or medals were, my answer would be “I have no idea.” [i do know most of them are in the trash...but i have no idea where the others are].
This is why i abhor individual awards, team trophies, all tournament teams, etc. Some may argue that these awards promote the sport and honor individual and team accomplishments. There is undoubtedly truth in those arguments and i am certainly not being critical of those who receive awards or honor people for outstanding performance. I just choose to not worry too much about medals, trophies, or awards…I know where they are going to ultimately end up.
To all of the Revolution Families…I am so proud of the way all of you have represented our club so far this year. We will continue to practice hard, play hard, and strive to be the best. I hope that you all know how much you mean to us. We look forward to the rest of the season…and remember, it’s not about the trophy!
I totally agree with you Mike. When we go to softball tournaments and each team has to pick an MVP for each game, the girls get “jealous” of their own teammates. Only certain players get the award all the time, like the pitcher and catcher. It makes the others feel like they don’t do anything good for the team.
I love the “togetherness” of Revolution. This past weekend was so neat to see 8 coaches at the bench cheering on 7 girls!!!! That was during the 15s final game. We totally appreciate all that the coaches do for the girls!:)
Mike… Well said! Thanks as always for your leadership and for reminding us what the real bottom line is! Thanks too, for the conversation this past weekend. It was great having you and Sarah there. The kids always seem to step it up a notch when you guys are around. It’s a joy to be part of the Revoluton family!