Announcement
The Bench Warmer – Unsung Hero, Valuable Asset by Don W
Posted by Donald Wilkerson on
Jul 08 2005
at
05:00PM PDT
(by Don Wilkerson)
One of the important lessons we should learn along life’s journey is the value of commitment - when to commit, how selective to be, what it means to make a commitment to something, and then the integrity required to live up to an honest commitment. This article addresses the commitment required for the high school basketball player but it applies to any athlete.
There are many hours of hard work and dedication required to participate and excel in any sport. Early on, as a small child, it starts out as fun but over time it also turns into hard work. By the time a youngster gets to high school there are many demands placed on him or her. Their love, satisfaction, and enjoyment of a sport compel them to make it one of the many priorities that must be juggled to be successful.
Becoming part of a high school basketball team requires a serious commitment, a personal commitment that you will strive to do your best while placing the needs of the team above your personal needs. To work together to achieve a common goal that can only be accomplished together and to derive satisfaction and reward from the achievement of the team is a selfless, far reaching objective. It is not just about having fun playing basketball. Some young people learn this sooner than others.
Achieving the status of playing a varsity sport, any sport, in a large high school today is a very significant accomplishment. You have become “the best of the best”. But once you have risen to be among the elite, a new struggle occurs to compete in a more elite circle.
In basketball, as in almost any endeavor, success ultimately depends on a player’s God-given talent, hard work, willingness to sacrifice to achieve the team’s goals, and commitment to the team and one's own objectives.
Most seasons there is a player (or players) who spends most of his or her time at games watching the game from the bench instead of playing in the game. This player is known as a bench warmer. They show up on time for every practice, they work just as hard as anyone in practice, they sacrifice their body and get hurt just as much, but they hardly ever get to play in the game (and they usually never complain). However, without them the team would be incomplete. In practice, the team might not be able to run the drills and learn the precision plays required for the team’s success. Without the bench warmer, his or her teammates are limited in developing their skills to the maximum. It is a mistake to underestimate the value of the bench warmer.
Why does a person do this? There is little or no glory in watching others reap the ultimate rewards of playing in the game. They seldom receive the praise and recognition typical of the team’s more outstanding players. Yet they are there ready when called upon. They are there because of the love of the game and because they made a commitment to their team which they are fulfilling. This speaks loudly about a young person’s character. For many of them, the thought of quiting the team never occurs.
There are few valid acceptable reasons for a person to quit a team after the school year starts and the team is formed. Personal tragedy, personal hardship, and relocation come to mind. By the time one reaches an age to play a sport in high school, one who will quit a team after the season starts, because it is no longer fun, or they do not get to play enough, or they do not get to start, or they dislike or disagree with a coach, is turning their back on an important commitment they made. To do this at any age requires close examination. To do this at an early age is very unwise. These people are called “quitters”. Show me someone who will quit the team for these reasons, and I will show you someone who very likely may be a quitter throughout their lives.
In all the years of watching high school basketball there have been very few quitters on the varsity level at Clear Lake High School. In almost every case, after just a short time, the person had strong regrets about quitting the team, regrets that will be with them for the remainder of their lives.
Generally, bench warmers tend to be successful in life. They have demonstrated an ability to make an honest commitment and they have the integrity to follow through and live up to their commitments. They work harder because they know what it is like to be at the back of the pack and they tend to strive to avoid it. As a result of their team experiences, they understand the value of teamwork and they often have a better understanding of the dynamics of forming a successful team and the steps required to insure the successful accomplishment of the team’s objectives. They also tend to place greater emphasis on the satisfaction that comes from a team achieving its ultimate goals. They seem to cope better with intolerable bosses. These are very valuable assets in the real world. Later in life bosses (coaches) tend to recognize and reward such performance.
It is a mistake to underestimate the value of the bench warmer.
One of the important lessons we should learn along life’s journey is the value of commitment - when to commit, how selective to be, what it means to make a commitment to something, and then the integrity required to live up to an honest commitment. This article addresses the commitment required for the high school basketball player but it applies to any athlete.
There are many hours of hard work and dedication required to participate and excel in any sport. Early on, as a small child, it starts out as fun but over time it also turns into hard work. By the time a youngster gets to high school there are many demands placed on him or her. Their love, satisfaction, and enjoyment of a sport compel them to make it one of the many priorities that must be juggled to be successful.
Becoming part of a high school basketball team requires a serious commitment, a personal commitment that you will strive to do your best while placing the needs of the team above your personal needs. To work together to achieve a common goal that can only be accomplished together and to derive satisfaction and reward from the achievement of the team is a selfless, far reaching objective. It is not just about having fun playing basketball. Some young people learn this sooner than others.
Achieving the status of playing a varsity sport, any sport, in a large high school today is a very significant accomplishment. You have become “the best of the best”. But once you have risen to be among the elite, a new struggle occurs to compete in a more elite circle.
In basketball, as in almost any endeavor, success ultimately depends on a player’s God-given talent, hard work, willingness to sacrifice to achieve the team’s goals, and commitment to the team and one's own objectives.
Most seasons there is a player (or players) who spends most of his or her time at games watching the game from the bench instead of playing in the game. This player is known as a bench warmer. They show up on time for every practice, they work just as hard as anyone in practice, they sacrifice their body and get hurt just as much, but they hardly ever get to play in the game (and they usually never complain). However, without them the team would be incomplete. In practice, the team might not be able to run the drills and learn the precision plays required for the team’s success. Without the bench warmer, his or her teammates are limited in developing their skills to the maximum. It is a mistake to underestimate the value of the bench warmer.
Why does a person do this? There is little or no glory in watching others reap the ultimate rewards of playing in the game. They seldom receive the praise and recognition typical of the team’s more outstanding players. Yet they are there ready when called upon. They are there because of the love of the game and because they made a commitment to their team which they are fulfilling. This speaks loudly about a young person’s character. For many of them, the thought of quiting the team never occurs.
There are few valid acceptable reasons for a person to quit a team after the school year starts and the team is formed. Personal tragedy, personal hardship, and relocation come to mind. By the time one reaches an age to play a sport in high school, one who will quit a team after the season starts, because it is no longer fun, or they do not get to play enough, or they do not get to start, or they dislike or disagree with a coach, is turning their back on an important commitment they made. To do this at any age requires close examination. To do this at an early age is very unwise. These people are called “quitters”. Show me someone who will quit the team for these reasons, and I will show you someone who very likely may be a quitter throughout their lives.
In all the years of watching high school basketball there have been very few quitters on the varsity level at Clear Lake High School. In almost every case, after just a short time, the person had strong regrets about quitting the team, regrets that will be with them for the remainder of their lives.
Generally, bench warmers tend to be successful in life. They have demonstrated an ability to make an honest commitment and they have the integrity to follow through and live up to their commitments. They work harder because they know what it is like to be at the back of the pack and they tend to strive to avoid it. As a result of their team experiences, they understand the value of teamwork and they often have a better understanding of the dynamics of forming a successful team and the steps required to insure the successful accomplishment of the team’s objectives. They also tend to place greater emphasis on the satisfaction that comes from a team achieving its ultimate goals. They seem to cope better with intolerable bosses. These are very valuable assets in the real world. Later in life bosses (coaches) tend to recognize and reward such performance.
It is a mistake to underestimate the value of the bench warmer.
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