Learning How To Celebrate

When I first came to the University of Charleston ten years ago, we celebrated every victory. We were thrilled to simply win a game. This tradition only lasted a season as we quickly became a good team who expected to win games. The more games we won, the less it seemed we felt inclined to feel good about a victory. We hated the losses, cried about them, cursed at them, and lost sleep over them, but the victories . . . well, we just kind of let them slip right by us.

I think it is time we instituted a mandatory celebration after each win. I don't mean a throw-it-in-your-face kind of celebration. I simply mean we should take the time to feel good about each accomplishment. If we choose to only beat ourselves up over the losses, all our energy is going toward the losses and none to the wins.

After we won a game last week, I made the players get up in the locker room and do a little celebration dance. A day later, we had the locker room decorated with crate paper and balloons and gave out noise-makers to our players while we sat down to watch the game tape. It should feel good to win.

I think if all we do is focus on the losses, then we are essentially doing the same thing a team does at the end of a game when they are playing not to lose instead of playing to win. It is a recipe for disaster putting your focus on the negative.

So we are learning how to celebrate all over again. We will not put a show on in front of the opponents, but once we get behind closed doors we are going to party. Life should be fun. Playing should feel good, and winning, well . . . winning should feel like sunshine after a week of rainy days.

ONE HEART. ONE DREAM.