Sport brings with it a series of risks.  We regularly risk injury, misunderstanding, disappointment, frustration, failure, loss and more.  If you play your heart out, the risks are even greater, especially the emotional ones.  Trust me; it’s worth the risk to taste the wide variety of emotions which bring richness to life.

I love it when I feel:

·        The momentum swing from the opponent’s sideline to ours when an athlete makes a big play.

·        The breathless excitement of a victorious locker room after a last-second win.

·        The gut-wrenching grief of a comeback that came up one point short.

·        The flush of emotion I feel when a coach reveals the ache in his heart.

·        The calm assurance of having done our best when a game, match, season or career is completed.

·        The heart-in-throat, watery eyed emotion I feel when I see a player press through his fears or her frustration and into satisfaction.

·        The warm sense of well-being I have when I see my wife outside the locker room after a victorious afternoon.

Not all these emotions are pleasant and some of them are filled with real pain.  They all are full of the stuff of life.  They bring richness to the emotional fabric of our lives and are the direct result of our playing our hearts out.  Compete with all your ability and feel life richly and deeply.