“You can’t win ‘em all, coach,†one of the player’s father’s told me afterwards. I was devastated, but because this was a double-elimination tournament, we would be given another chance the next day. That particular loss, however, put us in an almost impossible situation: My team would have to play three matches, winning the best of three games in each match, in order to win the championship.
A good part of this story centers on the players themselves. At practices, they were unruly. They never listened; they fell on the floor laughing at each others’ mistakes. They were too lazy to chase after balls that landed in the far corners of the gym. At games they arrived late; they forgot their kneepads. They never remembered their positions in the lineup. But they were athletic and they were learning to be competitive. They had potential. (Do any of these characteristics describe your work team?)