Just One Shot Reconciling a Desire to Win with an Outcome of Loss - Literature Essay Samples

United States Olympic medalist Dara Torres once said, â€Å"Setbacks have an upside; they fuel new dreams.† Like Dara, many people believe that while losing hurts, it also does more for people than cause pain and sadness. Losing strengthens one’s sense of resilience, motivates one to do better, and ultimately, helps one grow. This idea is one that many naively cling to, but can create an oversimplified sense of comfort with loss. In One Shot at Forever, Chris Ballard writes about emotionally complex characters and their different values in regard to winning and losing, breaking down the â€Å"you win some, you lose some† mindset by suggesting that defeat is more convoluted than meets the eye. Ballard’s characters each place a different value on winning, which shows that winning cannot be attributed to a single emotion. The first of these characters is Coach Lynn Sweet, a hippie whose teaching, coaching, and lifestyle are the polar opposite of the conservative Maconites in whose town Ballard’s story takes place. Before the baseball state championship games begin, Coach Sweet discusses his unconventional coaching style: â€Å"I don’t like the win or die attitude. We set our goals to have a good time and learn some baseball† (Ballard 168). Rather than the overly thought-out approach that other coaches in the book take, Sweet tackles coaching in a very simple way by placing value on learning and having fun, rather than winning as the end-all, be-all. Sweet challenges the idea that winning is the end goal and losing is just a roadblock on the way by asserting that other things are actually more important than winning. Unlike Sweet, baseball player S teve Shartzer takes winning much more seriously: â€Å"To him, the game was sacred. What he couldn’t overcome was the idea that when he came to the park everyday, he was arriving at his job†¦. He was supposed to pace himself, to think about the long term, to look out for number one† (218). Here, the sport of baseball is attributed to something â€Å"sacred† and â€Å"a job,† and this diction sheds an inviolable and serious light on the sport, suggesting that baseball is much more than just a game. Additionally, the connotations of obligation and pressure that are associated with a job reveal Shartzer’s reasoning for placing such a high value on winning. Overall, Sweet and Shartzer personify two very different emotions in regard to winning and losing. While Sweet is able to incorporate a broader view of winning, even including the possibility of deriving a positive outcome from losing a game, Shartzer takes a much narrower view. He subscribes t o the idea that the only thing that matters is the ending score of the game, regardless of what it may have taken to get there. These differences reveal that winning and losing are not black and white, though many people tend to oversimplify them. Sweet and Shartzer show that these two potential outcomes cannot be attributed to a single emotion, but rather a multitude of them. Despite the fact that Sweet and Shartzer may have different attitudes toward winning, interestingly they share some commonalities associated with their feelings toward losing. The deep emotional impact that loss has on them reveals that loss has very real consequences and can’t just be moved on from like is mandated in the well known slogan, â€Å"you win some, you lose some.† Rather, these feelings must be acknowledged and dealt with in a way that works for each individual. At the beginning of the story, the boys are disqualified from the state championships because one of their players is not on the team roster. Coach Sweet, who generally represents a very optimistic and opportunistic mindset, is perplexed by this dilemma, and feels a deep sense of defeat: â€Å"He’d watched them come together and seen their pride in the team and the confidence they’d gained. Usually, he felt there were important lessons that came from losing. He didn’t see much of a lesson here† (79). Here, the contrast between the team’s achievements and their disqualification creates a paradox that puts readers in Sweet’s shoes and evokes the same feeling of hopelessness that he is feeling. Additionally, Sweet’s feelings of defeat contrasting with his general upbeat attitude show that loss cannot be pushed aside or ignored. It gets the best of everyone sometimes, and Sweet’s realization of that here reminds readers that dealing with loss is not as simple as some might like to think it is. Similar to Sweet, Shartzer struggles with these same feelings of defeat, but rather than these sentiments serving as just a bump in the road, they stay with him for longer than he might like. Even years and years after graduating, Shartzer is not able to forget about the boys’ loss in the championships: â€Å"Unlike his teammates, who revel in what they accomplished, he can’t stop thinking about what they did not†¦. He can remember every pitch of that game, every opportunity missed† (219). The hopeless tone of this quote again evokes feelings of sympathy for Shartzer. Also, the emphasis and focus that Shartzer puts on this one game shows that for some people, loss can’t just be moved on from. Sweet and Shartzer are living proof that while you do win some and lose some, it is okay and natural to be sad and perplexed, and loss is not something we always must set aside. Contrastingly, other characters in the story have positive reactions to loss, which shows that loss can also be motivating. This variation in reactions to loss emphasizes the idea that each person is entitled to his or her own opinions and feelings and there is no one correct way to go about reacting to losses. After the boys lose the championships, they celebrate the effort and hard work that was required of them to get to the championship game: â€Å"Had you walked past Route 51 on the evening of June 4, 1971, you would have been forgiven for thinking Macon had won the state title† (201). The happy and celebratory feelings that this quote evokes, despite the fact that the boys just lost, is very respectable and shows an alternative response to loss which is more in accordance with the â€Å"you win some, you lose some† attitude. Here, the boys are able to set their loss aside and put it into perspective, considering all of the positive things they achieved despite los ing the final contest. Overall, the different reactions to loss strengthen the idea that winning and losing are not black and white and should not be treated as such. Lastly, the legacy and long-term impact of the ‘71 season on the team and the town reveal that there is a difference between success and winning even if it is sometimes hard to remember. For example, Lynn Sweet is a coach whose values and way of life completely conflict with the small, conservative town of Macon. Even though he endured many struggles due to these differences, in his mind, he emerged victorious, though not in the most obvious sense of the word: â€Å"He’d gone into the hardest, most doctrinaire corner of the scholastic experience and proven that a team didn’t need a dictator to win, that a coach could put the emphasis on the experienceon fun and cooperation and the kidsand also win† (174). Here, the intense tone of the words like â€Å"hardest† and â€Å"most doctrinaire† used to describe Macon creates a strong contrast between the town and Sweet. It reminds readers of what Sweet had to go through in order to be successful, and provides an alternative definition of winning to the residents of Macon. Unlike Sweet, some of the teammates have a harder time separating success and conventional victory: â€Å"There are those among the Ironmen who want to see the trophy moved somewhere more prominent†¦. The way [Sweet] sees it, that’s not how the season survives. ‘It was a beautiful thing that happened, but it’s over,’ he explains. Then he points to his chest. ‘It’s in here now.’† (230). This quote shows that some of the team members, even years after the championship game, have a hard time separating their 2nd place win with the other less obvious successes that they achieved throughout their years on the field. The dialogue in this quote helps us get into Sweet’s head and feel his feelings regarding the season: ones of pride and nostalgia. While some players narrowly define their accomplishment by a small trophy that will gather dust in some dis play case, for Sweet, the memory will remain forever in his heart: a living, breathing reminder of their season. However, these disparities again remind readers that it is impossible to hold people to a homogeneous emotional standard. In the end, though, the Ironmen each dealt with losing in very different ways, they all acknowledge the great impact that the season had on their lives: â€Å"Standing there, peering up, [Sweet] sometimes wonders how one long-forgotten season can hold so much power. How its memory can lift up some men but haunt others. How it can continue to change so many lives† (2). Though each of them has different feelings toward losing, they can all acknowledge that what they did achieve impacted each of them and the memories both positive and negative will stay with them forever. For most people, losing is a terrible feeling. It can ruin a day, decrease self-esteem, and make it seem like the world is ending. A common, and oversimplified, approach to deal with losing is to acknowledge it, forget about it, and move on. Contrasting with this approach, One Shot At Forever zooms out and takes a more realistic approach to the emotional labyrinth that is loss. In this story, the emotionally complex characters, their values about winning and losing, and their reactions to winning and losing, present a very multifaceted approach to dealing with loss. Rather than perpetuating the idea that winning and losing make everyone feel the same way and can be dealt with in the same way, these characters reveal the true myriad of feelings about winning and losing. They suggest a new approach, one that is much more individualistic rather than the collective emotions that are traditional in Macon. Their stories teach readers that there can be successes even when one loses by conve ntional definition, but also sometimes there are not successes, and that is okay too. This story brings to light the idea that though you do win some and lose some, it’s not always as simple as everyone makes it out to be.

The College Admissions Process A Guide For The Perplexed

It's that time of year again. The winter is almost upon us. Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors have adjusted to what they consider just another school year. Meanwhile, seniors have shifted into the panic mode. As they wade through the endless flow of college literature and grind their teeth at the thought of filling out dozens of applications, they ask the age-old question: what is it that colleges really want?Seniors should actually avoid trying to "psyche out" what colleges want, according to Lawrence Momo, Dean of Admissions at Columbia College. "The most important thing," advises Momo, "is to relax and be yourself."Brandeis' dean of admissions, David Gould, agrees. "Even though the admissions process seems overwhelming, there is a tremendous range of opportunity out there. No matter how it may seem, colleges really are excited about students."Primarily, colleges care about academics. "We are looking for very intellectually curious students," stresses Mike Goldberger, Associate De an of Admissions at Brown University. "We look mostly at grades and at the level of classes a student has taken."Colleges generally review a student's academic picture, but they can be forgiving. Says Goldberger, "If we look at the record of someone who is interested in science and who has received consistently excellent grades in science, we might overlook a bad grade in French. However, big variations show problems and we look for consistency in grades."SATs and Achievement Tests are also important, but are treated differently by different schools. At Brown, standardized tests are considered, but only in the context of everything else. At Brandeis, these tests account for about one-fourth of the decision and at Boston University, they are used as the second determining factor. Regardless of the school, academics are infinitely more important than test scores, so students should not worry unduly about SATs.A common trend among seniors and some juniors is signing up for every possib le extra-curricular activity. "This is not the best approach," cautions Momo. "We look for extra-curricular activities that show a student has been consistently involved in a few things that interest him or her. It's better to show a strong commitment to a few clubs or hobbies than to have a list of eight or ten activities without having made a difference in any of them."Students struggling to write a personal essay often wonder whether colleges will ever read their efforts. "Colleges do read the essays," assures Tom Rajala, Director of Admissions of Boston University. "Our senior staff members really pay attention to the essay as a way of getting beyond the numbers and learning about the student." Goldberger adds, "The personal essay is sometimes the one thing a student has in his power. The grades have been determined and the extra-curricular activities cannot be begun senior year. A student can impress a school with his or her essay. We look at what you say and how you say it. Gr ammar and spelling, as well as complexity of thoughts, are all important. The essay tells us who you are and how you think. Although a great essay won't save a bad application, it could enhance or destroy a borderline application."Applying for college is a difficult task, but not the life or death issue many seniors view it as. Momo comments, "Every senior has an image in his or her mind of the perfect school. The truth is that there really is no one perfect school for anybody. Every student can be equally happy at a number of different schools. Be careful not to put all your hopes in one college or in a few colleges. The trick is to come up with a group of schools, some hard to get into and some safe, but all of which will satisfy you. You should be able to look at your list of colleges and say to yourself, ANo matter which of these I go to, I will be happy.'""The most important thing to remember," advises Rajala, "is the person going through four years of college is you. While you r parents and guidance counselors definitely have an important role, you should be making the decision. The student is the only person who will be dealing with the academic and social situation at college. You should not go where your parents want you to go or where your friends want you to go, but rather the place you want to spend the next four years of your life." n