Virginia won the NCAA National Championship after going through some very difficult challenges as a team over the past year. What becomes clear to me watching the team celebrate their victory is that winning any major championship in any sport is a tough thing to do. Virginia Coach, Dom Starsia, talks about how hard it is to get to the big game and win. I think winning without the Bratton brothers shows a lot of people in the lacrosse world that a strong team can produce some magical moments without the aid of the “superstars”. Do not get me wrong, Virginia has some other talented players, but those players seemed to buy in to the team first concept and they now are National Champions.
As much as I enjoy watching the winners celebrate it hurts to watch the losing team and their reactions. Not many players get numerous chances to play in that game and when it ends up not going your way the pain is significant. A lot of “what ifs” start to invade the thoughts. The moments right after the loss are the toughest to stomach as you stand and watch the winners. That is the harsh reality of sports and part of the reason I love being involved.
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