By Angela Williams Glenn 
We’re dealing with the madness of athletic tryouts for young athletes—which club to try for? Is one better than the other? Then there’s the whole label of A team or B team—one seems to come with applause and the other with a negative stigma.
The mental battles over making a team, playing time, and starting positions have been fought. I tell my kids it can hurt when you don’t make the team you hoped for, don’t start when you think you should, or don’t play as much as you’d like. But our greatest battles aren’t won hitting the home run, making the save, scoring the goal, or making the play to win the game—it’s the times you kept showing up when you felt defeated that is truly winning. I also remind them failure stings, but it’s where we grow the most. Which team you make isn’t the determining factor in how your life is going to go. This is just a game to prepare you for life.
As if sports pressure isn’t enough, there’s the question of should kids be in honors classes come middle and high school, or should we be encouraging them to start at a community college instead of a university? It’s no wonder our kids are stressed, anxious, and insecure. We’re telling them they’re not good enough unless they’re at the top.
I was a B team athlete and community college graduate who never took an AP class in high school. More than 20 years later, no one would know that if I didn’t tell them. As someone who has done okay for herself, let me also tell you, in the long run, those details didn’t matter. Showing up and working on character and growth—whatever team you’re on or classes you take or school you go to—is where success takes root. Labels have little to do with it. As a 20-year educator, I see kids’ character beat labels all the time.
What I’ve found that matters is not being on the best team or going to the best college or being in the best class. What does matter is finding people who value what you bring to the table. People who value who you are, whether that’s a team, class, college, or job—that’s more valuable than being on or at the best of anything. It’s there you will find people who won’t just be your classmates, fellow alumni, or coworkers but friends for life. The kind of friends who love you for you, not for some prestigious label you may or may not carry.
Success is not determined by some label you do or don’t achieve right now. A B team player can still be part of a championship team. A community college graduate can still have a career with recognition and leadership and success. She didn’t get there because of some team she played on, some higher-level class, or even starting at a university. Finding your people and your character determines your future path of success, not the team or class you’re in or the college you attend.
Don’t sacrifice your sense of self to meet some image of a team or class or school. This season of life, even the championships, it’s all practice to prepare you for the real event—winning at life.
by Kyle Means 
by Whitney Fleming 
by Jenny Rapson 
