Feeling Defeated

I'm sorry Hope. I wish you ladies would have won. Upside: You are my new celebrity crush, replacing Anne Hathaway. Be proud of that. 

 
   Defeat is my most hated word ever. Defeat means that you came up short, that the window of opportunity is shut and that you did not take advantage of it when it was open. Whether we want to or not, each person in their lifetime experiences Defeat many times.
   I remember playing in the South Metro Christian High School Basketball League with my friends my senior year. Our team was the Westwood Aliens and I feel like we all took our mission seriously: We wanted to be  champions. Our season went great, we finished up at 6-2 and won our first round match-up, sending us to the semi-final.
   The team that we were set to play hailed from Lakeside Baptist Church. I wish I could say we played a classy bunch of guys and that we all gladly shook each other's hands at the end of the game, but I would be beyond lying. These guys were always total jerks and they had been that way since my sophomore year in high school. Every year we lost to them and this was our last chance to finally end all of the heartbreak.
   I remember my entire thought process the day before the game; I can remember sitting at home saying to myself: "If we can win this one game, all of the pain and anger I have for these guys will be gone."
   We had the best fans in the world. While other teams were lucky to get a few parents sprinkled in with some girlfriends, we had sometimes 50-60 people in our crowd. We had a student section filled with people that loved watching us play. I did not just want to win for myself anymore, I wanted to win for them too.
   We played a solid first half but in the second things got really difficult. Down by twelve points with a few minutes left, Defeat took a seat beside me on the bench and smiled. I checked back into the game and tried to hit a three, but I missed it. Then I fouled a kid and he wanted to fight me. I really wanted to fight him too, but I restrained myself. I needed to be the better person and I needed to not let Defeat's smile consume me. I checked out of the game for last time of my Aliens career and got a standing ovation. Even in the wake of losing, that was my favorite moment of playing for that team. All of those people took the time to respect me for what I tried to do for us, even if it was a losing effort. That was a very special moment. When the buzzer sounded, I stood up and we got in the handshake line. I was so angry that I just shook hands and I did not say a word to any player. We met up with our coaches and they expressed how proud they were of us. The first year we played we were 2-6 and Lakeside beat us by 40. Now we were playing competitive basketball and not being a stepping stone for any team.
   Lakeside went on to lose in the final and Defeat decided to leave me alone for a little bit, but he always seems to come back every now and then to remind me of that night. It will always hurt, but I have found a place to put it so that it does not haunt me the next time I get back in the game.
   Defeat paid a visit to the United States Women's National Team this afternoon in Germany. They battled hard, but it was not enough to overcome the Cinderella story that was Japan. After the game, U.S. Forward Abby Wambach shook all of the Japanese player's hands and did a post-game interview. She talked about the loss, but also discussed how the Olympics would be coming up in London (2012) and how she wanted to be ready for them. I found her actions immediately after the game so admirable. I could never be that humble after losing everything I worked so hard for and she made it look easy.
   Defeat sucks and we all know it. We all have felt it and it pains us to bring it back up no matter how old we get. It would be easy to give up and never have to feel that pain and just let someone else have it. In the moments we truly care about, Defeat's grin can seem unbearable. Even with that being said, we continue to keep coming back for more. Because we all know deep down that Victory smiles too and when she does, it is beautiful.

Chad Underwood writes for Chad's Sportsworld and is a former editor-in-chief of Thompson High School's "TribeUne" newspaper.