'You did so well in the first 2 years.'
'It's amazing what you've achieved.'
'Jeez to make the Grand Final is just great in itself, you should be so proud of that.'
'Tasmania is everybody's second favourite team.'
All are true. The game and the Tasmania JackJumpers are greater than the results on the floor, and to be a team for all of Tasmanians and impact the community is unbelievable.
However, what often is said can be a microcosm of the mindset of happy to be here. The language we use can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and this can infect the mentality of young people who are striving for something greater than making up the numbers. This can effect the mode of a club and community for decades, and has been seen across sports all over the world.
The following quote from ex Coach of Hawthorn Football Club, Alastair Clarkson after 2011 will never leave me after Hawthorn's preliminary final loss to Collingwood.
"We let a golden opportunity slip, you’re always proud of your players. We play a tough volatile sport. It was a noble effort? We should’ve won a game of footy now we miss out on a grand final because we just weren’t hard enough and tough enough for long enough. You have to play 4 quarters in finals footy. Don’t want our players to have a warm and fuzzy feeling about being noble. We set our selves to win this game and go to a grand final, and we failed." - Alistair Clarkson2021/22 - swept to Sydney in the Grand Final 0-3
2022/23 - lose to NZ in the Semi Final 1-2
A noble effort? Not what we are looking for.
It's not in what the results bring, but in your attitude towards the pursuit that WE are hunting excellence. Not fearing failure, true unobstructed self expression and connecting to who you truly are on the biggest stage, in the present moment. You cannot be what you cannot see. So to allow the state to SEE and FEEL excellence we hope inspires greatness inside of the next generation, to chase their dreams.
To relentlessly and simultaneously hold the duality of performance and purpose, not letting the external world influence our internal experience. Winning on and off the floor.
If we don’t know who we are we could end up being anybody, and if we don’t know where we’re going we could end up anywhere. So why not decide who to be and where to go?
In my experience, successful people shoot for the stars, put their hearts on the line in every battle, and ultimately discover that the lessons learned from the pursuit of excellence mean much more than the immediate trophies and glory.”
Josh Waitzkin, The Art of Learning
We love you Tasmania. Island defended.