Lloyd: Losing always hurts, losing in the playoffs hurts even more…and that’s okay | News, Sports, Jobs

In the past two weeks, I’ve covered eight soccer games, and as crazy as it sounds, every game ended in regulation time or the last minute of overtime.

Two of those involve BYU, including the last two 22-21 wins over Utah and the last two home losses at Kansas State, 17-13. These represented extreme highs and lows for Cougar fans (as well as Utes and Jayhawk supporters), but were somewhat tempered by the fact that they were regular season contests and the season continued.

However, the remaining six games were high school playoff games, and the stakes were relatively high.

However, let me say that it was quite an experience to watch from the sidelines the four semi-final games and the two state championship games, where the results were unknown until the very end.

Every time the final whistle blew, one team erupted in boundless elation, while the other team…not so much.

My photographer duties allowed me to see both ends of the spectrum up close.

It’s easy to take pictures of the winning team jumping up and down and screaming with excitement. Sometimes people celebrate by pouring buckets of water onto carriages or spraying water bottles. They often seek out cameras to pose with friends to commemorate the moment.

However, it is much more difficult to capture images of losing teams.

There are hugs and more than a few tears. Sometimes players will throw their helmets or scream in frustration, but many players just stand, sit, kneel, or collapse on the grass in stunned disappointment.

It’s always tough to lose.

It’s even harder to see the season end with a loss in the playoffs.

Falling short of a goal and losing a state championship may be the hardest thing a high school athlete can do in sports.

Sometimes, when I walk past the heartbreak of a player or coach I’ve come to know, I get caught up in the emotion and feel sad for the pain and disappointment they’re feeling in that moment.

There is no other way.

The most appealing thing about high school sports is the hearts of the players.

It’s overshadowed to some degree in college sports, and even more so at the professional level by money, fame and hype.

While this is starting to become prevalent in some prep sports, as evidenced by the prevalence of transfers and “super teams,” this is not the case at most schools.

No, most of the young men and women who wear the jersey to represent themselves, their peers, and their communities simply wear the jersey because they love it.

And they put a lot on themselves in terms of time and effort and dedication and pain and stress and anxiety to be the best they can be.

Every time I talk to athletes who have won state titles, they say it’s great to see all their hard work pay off. This is our way of thanking them and their team for the investment that has led to their success.

But guess what?

Even the losing team did their best.

I hope that the athletes who unfortunately didn’t make it understand that they earned that opportunity because of their investment, and that regardless of the outcome, they deserved it.

I love watching the players from the Lehigh, Skyridge, Timpview, Lone Peak, and Spanish Fork football teams I’ve seen over the past two weeks. I chased away my distraught teammates and cried with them.

I wanted to tell each of them to be proud of the pain that evoked such strong emotions. Because it symbolizes how much you care and how much of yourself you put into the game, the team, and their goals.

It is sometimes said that winning is not everything. That’s the only thing (famous words from UCLA football coach Henry “Red” Sanders in the 1950s).

In some respects, I couldn’t agree more. The goal should always be to win, but someone has to lose. Sometimes another team is better, but that doesn’t invalidate the effort and diligence of the team that didn’t win.

But I like another perspective.

The real message of Queen’s iconic song “We Are the Champions” is in the second line: “We’ll keep fighting till the end.” The phrase “losers don’t have time” means that no one quits.

That’s why I love watching high school athletes day in and day out, game after game, championship after championship.

So my message to the Pioneers, Falcons, Thunderbirds, Knights and Dons is that I was very happy to see them continue to fight until the very end in the semifinals and championship game. That way, even if your team loses, you will still be a winner.

And I hope you bring that same spirit to every challenge you face in life. Because then you will always be a champion.