Wooden's Secret of Success - Competive Greatness

Congratulations King Cross Country! For most, you have reached the end of the season and with that, we discuss the last secret to success- Competitive Greatness.

It is always a difficult time of year for many athletes. On some levels you are relieved that the daily grind is done, the long miles in the heat are over and the sore and tired legs are feeling refreshed and energized. I would assume for many, however, you are replaying the season in your head recognizing how quickly it all went by and wishing you had more time to improve or run a race over again to prove your hard work was worth it. Hopefully you don’t have any regrets, but if you do, use it as a learning tool and strive- really strive-to do more and be more next season.

No matter what, you have accomplished something. For each of you it is different. Perhaps finishing three miles is a huge triumph- perhaps breaking 20 minutes was a success- perhaps winning a race was a first. You know what you have done right and you know what you have done well. Enjoy that feeling and know that you deserve it.

What you have all been a part of is a team. You have had to achieve and sacrifice for the sake of a team. It is a unique honor to be part of something special and hopefully you would never let your team down. You want to be better for your team and you should absolutely refuse to let your team down. When we do things for a higher purpose, when we recognize we are willing and wanting to be more successful for the sake of others then we are working towards success. When we are truly EAGER to do things for a higher purpose, you are a success.

You will be a part of a team the rest of your life. Your family is a team, your community is a team, your workplace is a team, and your country is a team. There is a spirit in a team that is unshakable and when you commit yourself to it, you accept the responsibility of the human experience. You must give to receive and you must be at your best and prepared to be at your best even in times of uncertainty, sadness, and difficulty. You should always want to contribute to your teams in life. Think of the greatest relays of all time. The energy, the spirit of the crowd, the intensity, the unwillingness to let a teammate down- the athlete always seems to compete at his or her best.

Carry the spirit of the relay with you when you are faced with pain, when you want to give up, when you don’t think you can give any more. You can’t control the actions of others, but you can control your own. You must remain EAGER to do your best for the sake of the team.

Be great. Make each day your masterpiece. Have faith, have patience. It is not easy, it will not come to you. You must eagerly work to attain it. Your work will pay off. You might not know this now, but you will.

Wooden says that “true competitors know it’s EXHILIRATING to be involved in something that is very challenging. They don’t fear it. They seek it. Is it fun to do that which is ordinary, easy, simple, something anyone can do? Not at all.”

I challenge you tonight to go home and concentrate. Do not just show up tomorrow without direction and a plan. Focus on what you want and not on what you don’t want for your upcoming race. Create a personal statement and write about your goals. Write on what you want to dedicate to your team. Create something that will inspire you tomorrow and the rest of your life. If you have the courage, share it with someone else, you never know how your words can inspire others. OWN IT.
The Great Competitor


Beyond the winning and the goal, beyond the glory and the fame,


He feels the flame within his soul, born of the spirit of the game.


And where the barriers may wait, built up by the opposing Gods,


He finds a thrill in bucking fate and riding down the endless odds.


Where others wither in the fire or fall below some raw mishap,


Where others lag behind or tire and break beneath the handicap,


He finds a new and deeper thrill to take him on the uphill spin,


Because the test is greater still, and something he can revel in.


---Grantland Rice

Written by Leisha Clendenen