All or Nothing by Julie Wicher, Sirens Half Back Perspectives Editorial Volume 1, Issue 12 November 21, 2002 Finishing a season undefeated is quite an accomplishment. Some games this season were obviously better than others, however, the bottom line is we went 8-0 (9-0 if you count our pre-season game). Going into the playoffs this weekend this stat means absolutely nothing. The only thing it has set in stone is that we get to play on our home field. You could consider the playoffs as the second season, only there are fewer teams involved and more at stake. For every team but one your last game of the season is going to end in a loss. The philosopher Plato once stated "The beginning is the most important part of the work." I can guarantee you Plato was not an athlete. Yes, beginnings lay foundations. When we started Spring training back in April there was a lot of expectations laid forth and a lot of information to learn. This was (and still is) very important for the success of our team. We took what we were given and built upon it and continue to do that still. All the work we have done up to this point will mean virtually nothing if we do not accomplish our ultimate goal. With this in mind, although the beginning is important, in sports the final outcome is the most important part of the work. Throughout grade school and high school Touchet was the one school always biting at the back of my schools' heals. As long as we brought our "A" game we knew we were the stronger team and could beat them. There were several occasions however, that Touchet would surprise everyone and pull out a victory. It did not matter what sport we were involved in; underestimating the heart and ability of their players was a very big mistake. On more than one occasion Touchet actually knocked my school out of playoffs when we were considered the dominate team. Although I hated to loose, I always enjoyed playing them. There were several players on that team that I grew to know very well and became good friends with over the years. The Oakland Banshees have been tough competition all year for us. We have actually played them three times already this season (one preseason game and two regular season games) and now face them once again for the first round of playoffs. Although on the first three occasions we were victorious, once again I have to state that underestimating any team can be detrimental. Oakland has played us tough in every game and there is no reason to believe our forth match-up of the season will be any different. I know over the years to come the rivalry between our teams will be a very good one. For me, it is always much more fulfilling to play a team that you know will challenge you. I have gone into games when I knew my team would win; let's face it, there are some games where you know no matter how bad you play your team is still going to be ahead in the end. Even with a victory, however, I always come away from these types of games disappointed. Close, competitive victories are always much more satisfying. There is no way to guarantee the outcome of our upcoming game. If we win, we move on. If we loose, we have a couple months off to look back and think "what if." I know we will be prepared to give it everything we have on Saturday. The one guarantee I will make is that we are going to approach the game knowing it is all or nothing.     Back