True North Coaching presents A Pane in the Glass by bill tschirhart THE MARGIN OF VICTORY As a society we are obsessed with the margin of loss, has a stigma their only Stanley Cup victory. winners and losers. We see it in all attached that is difficult to shed. In 1986, the world curling walks of life. Someone has to win Bill Buckner of the Boston Red championships were held in and someone has to lose or the Sox will not be remembered for the Toronto. Sporting the Maple Leaf activity just wasn’t worth the effort. excellent player he was but instead on their backs was a quartet of What a philosophy! for the ball dribbling between his curlers out of that same western One of my pet peeves is the annual legs in the World Series. Conversely, city of Calgary, the Ed Lukowich ritual known as the Academy the Calgary Flames will ever be rink. Fresh from their Brier victory Awards. I don’t need to see one etched in the minds of hockey fans in my hometown of Kitchener ON, winner and four losers in each of the as Stanley Cup Champions but let’s the Calgary Winter Club four were categories to enjoy the evening of go back to the first round of those easily the odds on favourites to Hollywood’s way of slapping itself playoffs. Those same Stanley Cup capture the global rock chuckin’ mightily on the back. Each time the Champions faced their west coast title. list of nominees is announced prior rivals, the Vancouver Canucks As has happened so often in to the opening of the envelope (oh, in the first round. Not only did international play, the Canadian have you noticed that in recent the Canucks provide worthy contingent found the sledding years they no longer say, “And the opposition, but had it not been for against their European counterparts winner is...” but rather, “And the the left skate blade of goal keeper more difficult than perhaps they Oscar goes to…”?) I feel somewhat Mike Vernon, the Calgary Flames might have imagined. Sparing sad for the rare nominee who just would have been lost on the scrap you most of the details, suffice wanted to excel at his/her craft and heap of first round “losers”. For to say that they had to defeat an had no intention of “competing” in the seventh and deciding game inexperienced squad from France with his/her colleagues for a gold of that first round series, with in the final game of the round robin statue. Perhaps a younger, slimmer the scored tied in overtime, the to secure a playoff spot. In the last Marlon Brando had it right when low scoring defenseman for the end, with the winning Canadian he sent a first nation representative Canucks Harold Schnepps, found stone entrenched in the four foot, to the Academy Awards in his place himself with the puck on his stick the French skip had only a raise in case he “won”. I truly wish that at and a wide open Flames goal takeout between himself and the Oscars, no one was nominated staring at him. All he had to do was victory which might have placed but rather in each category, talented direct the puck into the net and the the Calgary lads permanently on people who excelled at their craft Canucks, not the Flames would the sidelines. The stone to be raised were “honoured”. If two or three or move on toward Lord Stanley’s was a relatively short distance from more are at the top of their game, hardware. And shoot he did when the Canadian counter, an easy they all should be so recognized. If literally out of nowhere flashed shot for most experienced curlers it’s suspense the audience craves at the aforementioned skate blade regardless of the level of play. But events such as this, it will still be belonging to Mike Vernon who in the inexperience of the French there. desperation stuck out his left leg. skip percolated to the surface and The puck struck his skate blade. Our definition of success he missed the raise leaving the Later in that same overtime period, unfortunately is so coloured by the Canadians shot, paving their way Lanny MacDonald scored the goal type of people like the Academy of to the playoffs and an eventual to propel the Cowtown gang into Motion Picture Arts and Sciences world championship a few days the next round and eventually to where to “lose” regardless of later. Memory plays funny tricks. It the motion picture “Cool Runings”. When I speak with athletes in our appears as though it recalls events There is a poignant scene in the sport, I coldly remind them that in summary, like who won the movie where one of the athletes only one team is going to win the championship and details such as from the Jamaican bobsleigh team world curling championship in any those I have just described are lost asks Mr.. Candy’s character why he given year. I then challenge them to it. It’s a double edged sword. cheated in his competitive career. to answer the question, “Does that I wouldn’t for a second suggest He replied, “It’s easy, really. I had to mean that every other team has that the members of either the Ed win. I had made winning my whole failed?” Of course the clear answer Lukowich or Calgary Flames teams life. Nothing else mattered.” If you is NO. And the reason is that the of the preceding paragraph view recall that motion picture you “pursuit of excellence” is what their championship as somewhat will remember that Mr. Candy’s this is all about, not winning and tainted. But, they might do well character, after world records in losing. to also recall that the difference both the two and four man events And to those gold medalists out between winning and losing and two Olympic gold medals was there who are puffed up with their sometimes is small indeed. I caught cheating. He went on to say championship, perhaps you would believe it’s called perspective. that... “A gold medal is a wonderful do well to remember that the thing. But if you’re not enough What I’m really dealing with in margin of victory is sometimes as without it, you’ll never be enough this article is the definition of “thin as a skate blade” with it”. When his athlete asked success. If yours is solely based how he would know if he were Enjoy the journey. I’ll see you soon upon winning and losing, then enough, the coach’s replay was, behind a pane in the glass. you’re skating on thin ice in your “When you cross that finish line, athletic career. You may end up like you’ll know” the late John Candy’s character in TRUE NORTH COACHING Email: [email protected].