A Shared Triumph

CHAMPIONSHIP: designation as warrior or fighter; one that does battle for another's rights or honor; a winner of first prize or first place in competition; also, one who shows marked superiority 

"It's amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." - Harry S. Truman

Have you ever noticed that moment in sports when a team is celebrating its ultimate triumph? Not just the moment of the last out, the last few seconds of the countdown, or even the blowing of the final whistle, but the precious seconds in the immediate aftermath. 

The next time you have a chance to witness it, take a close look at the players when they get their first chance to view the trophy they will receive for their hard fought victory. It can be a very emotional scene:

You may see smiles, hugs, shouts, laughs, and cheers. But don't be surprised to see tears running down some cheeks. 

Those tears may not make any sense to you. Why would anybody cry at a moment like this? It seems like such a happy occasion, you may tell yourself. And you'd be right; it is a happy time for them.

But don't be fooled. What you see aren't tears of sadness at all. Most likely you see tears in place of the blood and sweat invested in the days, weeks, months, and in some cases even years leading up to that happy event.  

You will find tears of appreciation mixed with sweet relief rather than sadness or grief.  They remember the times they spent together, working toward a common goal, one which not many people can relate to in this "look out for Number One" world, and even fewer will come to know.

Even in individual sports like golf, track, and field, or tennis, there are people who can celebrate along with the new champion in the winner's circle because they truly understand nobody succeeds alone. 

There are people who supported them along the way that are content to stand in the shadow but have every right to bask in the glow of victory. They had just as big a role in making that title possible as the ones who stood in the glare of the spotlight.

When the trophy is presented there no one cares about egos or statistics. There is no talk about who led the league in whatever category: runs, points, assists, goals, whatever. 

All they see is that gleaming piece of hardware which represents their shared sacrifice over the course of the season, a symbol of their success...

And the only number that matters in their minds is the number...

ONE

They all stand together on top of the champion's mountain, sharing equal footing, and together they can look down to appreciate the view.

There are none superior, none inferior. They all bask united in the glow of their magnificent achievement and recognize that from the start of preseason training to the end of the last game's final score, they became great...

TOGETHER...

And theirs is a shared triumph that nobody can take away...

That's all for now, gotta run. Until next time, remember:

Keep it simple...  See ya!