The Grind

Once you get to the competitive level, you realize that continued sports success is as much of a grind as anything.  It's a grind on the athlete, the parents, and the family as a whole.  The second you stop working or slow down, somebody who is working harder will catch up and pass you by.

There is a top 5 high school girls basketball player who said, 'There are a lot of girls who were good when we first started playing on the circuit who aren't as good now.  You could tell who was working and who wasn't.  The ones who were working hard are still going strong.'

I know there is a range of people who follow us here, from younger athletes and parents to those in the middle of this grind.  It is important to pace yourselves early but to understand that to make it to college, the pros, and to the elite of the elites, it is a grind and that takes talent, effort, mental toughness, grit, and some luck.

There is nothing easy about being great at anything, and there is no substitute for putting in the work. 

There are different reasons why we play and we have different finish lines.  Know what race you are running.  Know what you value.  Know why you are playing the game.