Dear Son,
Daddy’s soccer team Arion WFA had just lost in the
Challenge Cup last night. We lost to some kind of mashed up team that was
conjured up last minute. Sponsored by H2O, you probably can guess their team
name. Yeah, H2O Dream Team for crying out loud.
We played really badly in the first half. It was so
bad that by the halfway mark, we were 3-0 down. The players virtually wrapped
up the goals in glittering paper, bowed down to our opponents and begged them
to accept it with a smile. It will take us nothing less than a miracle to
recover from that deficit. The team galvanized themselves up and after some
tactical changes, they went all out to overturn the messy situation. We did way
better than the first half but could not break down a determined and
disciplined opponent. Despite that fact that Daddy is a self-confessed sore
loser, it was un-denying that Arion lost to a better team.
Some of the girls cried after the game. We still have
one more game to go even though it was a little pointless determining who’s
going to be third or fourth. Only winners will be remembered and stand in the
light, while the rest gets hidden in the shadows. Daddy felt bad for everyone
who played their hearts out despite the uncharacteristic drop in performance
level. It could have been my fault as well. It was a fact that the team fare
much better after the formation switch. What could have been if Daddy had made
the decision to use that formation from the word go? Hypothetical questions can
never be answered fully and history never condone the presence of hypothetical
questions as well. Time cannot be reversed.
Despite the fact that the loss came hard on our faces,
Daddy still holds the team in high regard. Arion has been slowly revitalized
ever since Daddy took over the reins as coach. In comparison to the past
seasons, Arion has been proving doubters wrong during my time. Along the way
the team became a tough team to beat. Despite us stumbling occasionally to
defeats, we have never laid down depressed for too long. Instead, everyone, or
rather, most of the players came back stronger having learned a lesson in one
way or another.
In retrospect, swallowing defeats is difficult but at
times necessary for a person or a team to grow stronger. Only when we get
hammered, we will learn to understand our limitations as well as weaknesses.
Identifying these aspects allow us to strengthen and reinforce ourselves to be
better prepared for similar challenges. Winning constantly teaches nothing
comparing to accepting a defeat.
For Daddy, I am still learning despite being a coach.
I’ve learn that different formations suit different pitch sizes. I probably had
made the wrong decision to start the game with the diamond formation. I took
part of the responsibility for the loss and will be better prepared the next
time. In the long term, taking 1 step back after taking 3 steps forward is
still good progress. We can only improve.
Love Daddy
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