tuning in to channel excellence
Late one September afternoon, Will O’Brien, our strength and conditioning guru, was putting the boys’ cross country team through an intense workout in the weight room.
The guys were responding nicely, doing their reps in their usual quiet, efficient, focused manner, when he walked among their ranks and said with typical enthusiasm: “Really nice effort today. You’ve tuned in to Channel Excellence!”
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Over the years, we’ve talked a lot about the meaning of excellence in our athletic program.
In fact, two walls in the Jacobs Gym contain banners proclaiming excellence in the form of league and state championships.
We’re also realistic and understand full well that tangible success runs in cycles
This past fall, for instance, only the girls’ tennis team, the League of Independent Schools champ, added to the wall of honor.
So does that make the fall of 2010 less than excellent?
Hardly.
“The kids in all our sports put themselves in a position to compete,” said co-athletic director Charlie McFall. “That’s all we ask."
“We’re not going to win every year, but we were definitely solid across the board.”
Let’s take a look.
Field hockey finished 15-5-1, but the Cougars’ 9-year string of LIS titles ended when St. Catherine’s defeated them 3-0 in the tournament finals a week before they fell to Norfolk Academy on penalty strokes in the VISAA semis.
Entering the season, though, Coach Karen Doxey had to replace 8 starters from the 2009 state champ, so she found reason to be happy with her girls’ performance.
“This team really came together,” she said.
“They liked each other, they worked hard to improve their skills, and they played hard for each other.
“That sounds so cliché, but it’s true.
As defending Prep League champion, the soccer team entered this fall with high expectations.
Coach Charlie Blair’s 2010 crew opened 3-0, then went 1-4-1 as injuries took their toll, then saw a 9-match unbeaten streak end in the VISAA title game.
“The guys played their hearts out and walked off the field with their heads high,” said Blair in the aftermath of a 4-2 victory by Paul VI of Fairfax.
“When you know you’ve given your best effort, it’s easier to move on.”
The volleyball team, a fixture in the Richmond Times-Dispatch Top 10 all season, finished 18-9, advanced to the LIS finals, but missed qualifying for the VISAA tournament by one spot.
Girls’ cross country was 3rd in the LIS and 6th in the state, and the boys were 4th in the Prep League and 7th in the state.
The football team, fourth in the league, caught a second wind and advanced to the VISAA championship game against Fork Union, which defeated the Cougars 46-21 a month earlier when they were depleted by injuries.
Despite falling behind 16-0, the Green and Gold cut the difference to 16-14 before running out of downs with 1:32 remaining and their time-outs exhausted.
And a week after the tennis team defeated St. Catherine’s 5-4 for the LIS title, the Saints returned the favor in the VISAA final.
It would be easy to blame the near-misses and dearth of championships on graduation, on illnesses or injuries suffered by key performers on several teams, on calls that went our opponents’ way, or on just plain bad luck.
The healthy approach – indeed, the only approach – is to be thankful for what we achieved, understand that our opponents are talented and well-coached, and consider the many valuable lessons that the experiences of the fall of 2010 taught us that allowed each team in our program, in its own way, to “tune in to Channel Excellence.”
“There was never a moment when anyone gave up…or gave up hope,” said head of school Keith Evans. “Everyone showed grit and determination.
“Win or lose, everyone walked off the field, court, or cross country trail with heads held high.
“Sportsmanship was flawless.
“Our athletes played for each other. They also played to keep the legacy of sportsmanship and excellence intact.”
