Sports Editor's Note by Kyle Parmley: How do you respond to adversity?

If you have been involved in sports in any capacity, you have likely heard the famous Mike Tyson quote: “Everyone has a plan ‘til they get punched in the mouth.”

This quote has been often repeated over the years, for good reason. There is plenty of truth and life application in it.

I often think about this quote at the beginning of seasons. When I was making the preseason rounds in the summer and talking to high school football coaches, in preparation for our Under the Lights magazine (pick one of those up, if you haven’t already), positivity reigned.

Before the season begins and everyone sits at the same 0-0 record, there is plenty of reason to be positive. This will be the year we turn the corner, or this will be the season that we capture that elusive championship.

It’s reasonable, right? Hewitt-Trussville’s offense is going to be even better than it was last year. Hoover is finally ready to take down Thompson in the playoffs. Clay-Chalkville’s early playoff exit was an aberration. Homewood is going to remain a double-digit-win team. 

And the list goes on. All of those statements could easily come to fruition.

Hope is a powerful thing, and it gives players, coaches and fans alike a reason to believe that they can do something special.

However, life doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. After the first week of the high school football season, half of the teams around the state have been saddled with a disappointing loss, sending them back to the drawing board to figure out the next steps.

If you start 0-1, where do you go from there? Is it merely a blip on the radar or a sign of what’s to come? You’ll see both of those this fall during football, volleyball, cross-country and flag football season. Some teams will keep their heads down and continue to strive for incremental improvement. Some will fold up like a chair and the losing snowball will begin rolling downhill.

In the summer, it’s so easy to espouse confidence and belief. The sky is the limit, after all.

But once the real games begin and it’s harder than you hoped it would be, how do you respond?

It’s one of the many great lessons sports teach us about life. Responding to all types of adversities is a daily thing. A bad moment can either ruin a day or a choice can be made to flush it and move on. When disappointments come, the choice must be made either to fold or to persevere and make the best of a situation.

On the field or the court, the most inspiring teams are not always the ones that go undefeated. Often, it’s the ones that don’t get deflated by a tough loss or two, but carry on and push through. They may not be the best team, but they maximize their potential, and that’s all anyone can ask for.

So, the question must be asked: What happens when your team gets “punched in the mouth?” 

Kyle Parmley is the sports editor at Starnes Media.