IHSAA Student-Athlete Tip of the Week (9/21/26) "Promoting Education Based Athletics in Indiana" While most student-athletes strive to the best of their ability to be the best at their sport, there will be frequent times that they will question their abilities and future. No one plays a perfect game or match. Big and little mistakes are normal for all athletes. Michael Jordan, one of the greatest basketball players of all-time said, "I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career, I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." It may be hard to accept, but your failure is what drives you to become better. It is what makes you spend the time and effort to develop your skills. If you had never experienced the disappointment of failure or loss, the feeling of victory would not be as sweet. You are not alone when you feel the pain of a mistake or loss. Every athlete before you has felt the same way many times. The greatest athletes fail over and over. Remind yourself that it is the only path to success! All content property of Billy Shepherd Sports