It Ain't Over 'till It's Over

This evening I came home from practice, made dinner and sat down to watch the much anticipated jr. hockey final Canada vs. Russia. With a Buffalo, New York rink filled with red jerseys the Canadians had pretty much home team advantage even though the game was being hosted by our southern neighbour. Starting off the third period with a 3-0 advantage, Canada was looking solid to win the gold medal; however, in the final minutes of the game, Russia pulled through to score five goals, ending Canada's dream of a second gold medal in hockey this year.

Now I wasn't going to write a blog entry today but this game was a kind reminder of what many athletes experience...the phenomenon of "It ain't over till it's over". Unfortunately, I'm sitting here watching the drawn down faces of fellow Canadians on what will probably be remembered for them as the worst night of their lives (despite accomplishing an impressive silver medal in international hockey) but what stands out is that the Russian performance in the third period reminds us that as long as there's another shot to be made, a stroke to be taken, a stride to run etc., there's a chance to win. It's much better remembering these lessons when you're sitting on your couch and not experiencing the down side of "the phenomenon" in action, so I'm making a mental note to never give up and most importantly, never take a lead for granted, sometimes the fat lady sings late and sometimes she sings for the other team...