2008 Woodie Awards
Athletes under pressure--it's what fans love to watch
Talitha Linden-Darrow
Issue date: 1/17/08 Section: Sports
What draws fans to sporting events? Real nailbiters. We all love those games where it is down to the last minute and it could be anybody's game. The adrenaline is pumping and your heart is racing, even as you sit in the stands watching. This past weekend was a sports fan's dream. Both here on campus and in professional leagues, there have been games that made our hearts pound and our stomachs turn. In the NFL, the Giants narrowly defeated the Cowboys on Sunday night; if the Cowboys receiver had caught one pass in the end-zone, it would have changed the outcome of the game and potentially the outcome of the Super Bowl. Those are the kinds of games that fans love to watch.
Here on campus, the men's hockey team also had a great win against Cornell on Saturday that had all the fans on their feet until the very last seconds, as the players made great stops when they needed to in order to win the game. The women's basketball team also had a game that went down to the very last second; it even went into overtime but despite all our best efforts, we lost by one point. Although it may not have been the outcome that our team and our fans hoped for, we played our hearts out to battle back from a 12-point deficit leading into overtime, thanks to a great shot by Rachel Ormsby.
We ended up losing in overtime by one point on a great, lucky shot by one of the Skidmore players. They played very well and although we did too, we came out second that day. The Liberty League has just started and although we are starting out slightly behind, we have already proven that we are fighters and we can battle back. Every sporting event is packed full of moments like our overtime or the ends of the hockey and football games this weekend. That is what makes it worthwhile.
All the practicing and scrimmaging, sacrificing time and vacations to stay at school over break to play, and juggling schoolwork and social lives (what little of them there might be)-it all comes down to those few minutes or seconds when it is all heart. Those moments when the fans are on their feet and the team is holding their breath and each other, hoping and waiting for that buzzer to go off and declare one team the winner; preferably, our team. Performing under pressure is an athlete's dream and worst nightmare. That feeling of butterflies in your stomach is like a drug that you both fear and crave. One shot or one stop could be the difference between a win and a loss.
"A diamond is merely a chunk of coal that has done well under pressure." Every athlete aspires to be that diamond. To be able to "shine" and perform to the best of our abilities, even when the game is on the line, is what we all hope to do. Professional and collegiate athletes alike are all trying to do the same thing. To make the game winning shot or to make the defensive stop that causes the offensive player to miss the winning touchdown pass and become a hero is what we all aspire to do. This weekend, many did just that and the cheering fans and thundering applause is their reward. Although we did not win this weekend or that glory of pulling out a win in a nail-biter of a game, we most certainly will later on in the season. We keep practicing and we are keeping our heads up after losses. Just wait and see; we are going to put on a show that all our fans deserve to see and this time, we are going to win.
Here on campus, the men's hockey team also had a great win against Cornell on Saturday that had all the fans on their feet until the very last seconds, as the players made great stops when they needed to in order to win the game. The women's basketball team also had a game that went down to the very last second; it even went into overtime but despite all our best efforts, we lost by one point. Although it may not have been the outcome that our team and our fans hoped for, we played our hearts out to battle back from a 12-point deficit leading into overtime, thanks to a great shot by Rachel Ormsby.
We ended up losing in overtime by one point on a great, lucky shot by one of the Skidmore players. They played very well and although we did too, we came out second that day. The Liberty League has just started and although we are starting out slightly behind, we have already proven that we are fighters and we can battle back. Every sporting event is packed full of moments like our overtime or the ends of the hockey and football games this weekend. That is what makes it worthwhile.
All the practicing and scrimmaging, sacrificing time and vacations to stay at school over break to play, and juggling schoolwork and social lives (what little of them there might be)-it all comes down to those few minutes or seconds when it is all heart. Those moments when the fans are on their feet and the team is holding their breath and each other, hoping and waiting for that buzzer to go off and declare one team the winner; preferably, our team. Performing under pressure is an athlete's dream and worst nightmare. That feeling of butterflies in your stomach is like a drug that you both fear and crave. One shot or one stop could be the difference between a win and a loss.
"A diamond is merely a chunk of coal that has done well under pressure." Every athlete aspires to be that diamond. To be able to "shine" and perform to the best of our abilities, even when the game is on the line, is what we all hope to do. Professional and collegiate athletes alike are all trying to do the same thing. To make the game winning shot or to make the defensive stop that causes the offensive player to miss the winning touchdown pass and become a hero is what we all aspire to do. This weekend, many did just that and the cheering fans and thundering applause is their reward. Although we did not win this weekend or that glory of pulling out a win in a nail-biter of a game, we most certainly will later on in the season. We keep practicing and we are keeping our heads up after losses. Just wait and see; we are going to put on a show that all our fans deserve to see and this time, we are going to win.
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