Oct. 18, 2005

"I've missed more than 9000 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 and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed." Michael Jordan

This time I am not going to tell you about how our team came out and gave it our all, although we did. I am going to tell you what it is that I will do to help my teammates become more successful this coming weekend and hopefully for the rest of the season as well. This last game I was entrusted with the ball 26 times. Sounds familiar? Well 26 times I had a chance to change the point, change the game. For 9 of those 26 I did my job. I put a ball where a defender from Montana state was not.

But for the other 17 I did not. Weather it was a ball that I hit out or in the net, or even one that I just kept in, I did not put the ball away for my team.

In athletics we talk about hitting percentages and how well we did overall. Even the talk about the win or loss is a summation. My mission for the next five weeks is to make every point my victory or defeat. I will play with the conviction that will determine our success. I will do all I can, use all that I have learned in my many defeats, to help the great women I play with to reach our common goal. Victory, not the victory of the game, but the victory of each point that will result in great games with even greater results.

Nikki Havens