WELL the finals season for winter sports is well and truly upon us. And it would seem that Highlanders have plenty to be excited about with the cream of the crop rising to the top in both local and region-wide competitions.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Those regional success stories include the Bowral Blacks first grade into the Illawarra District Rugby Competition preliminary final, Mittagong Lions under-18s into the semi-finals of the Group 6 Rugby League and Robertson Spuds and Moss Vale Dragons also into the Group 6 semi-finals in second division.
The preparation continues for teams heading towards the finals in the Highlands Soccer Association, Southern Highlands Hockey Association and Southern Highlands Netball Association competitions. These competitions incorporate juniors through to senior teams with many showing fine form. It could be anyone’s game with finals positions still up for grabs.
With this in mind it is understandable that winning would be at the forefront of all these teams. Perhaps this is the ideal time to remind all competitors that sportsmanship is equally important and a quality that should be displayed by all involved – players, game officials, coaches and spectators.
Too often sporting matches are remembered for the brawl on the field, the abuse from the sideline or the abusive spray delivered by a player who didn’t like a call. The fact remains that there will be times when the match won’t go according to plan plan but how you respond to the situation says far more about the star quality of an individual than any winners’ trophy.
You need only cast your thoughts back a week ago to the 2016 Rio Olympics when one of the greatest displays of sportsmanship played out in the women’s 5000 metre event.
New Zealand runner Nikki Hamblin and American Abbey D’Agostino were 3000 meters into the race when Hamblin clipped D’Agostino, bringing both runners down. D’Agostino convinced Hamblin to get back up, but it turned out D’Agostino was hurt. Together, they managed to encourage each other to finish the race.
The two champions were rewarded with the Pierre de Coubertin medal in recognition of an extraordinary act of sportsmanship. They are an example to all. So when you hit the field or court over the next few weeks remember it is not who wins, it is how you play the game.
