Tough to Lose With Class

One of the Omega Billiards Tour player's who is well-known for handling loss well and never showing emotions or getting upset, was sharing something with me and his fiance' after he lost a match late on a Saturday.

You see, just because he SHOWS no reaction to losing a match he cares about, doesn't mean he's not internally really pissed off!

He said, "Ya know, it really is tough to lose with class."

I looked at him kinda weird, knowing he handles losses better than anyone we all know.

He continued, "I'm actually really mad I lost that match and I'm out of the tournament already, but I don't need to be an asshole because of it."

I couldn't even see on his face or in his body language that he was that internally upset about his last match; he controlled his emotions that well.  If he hadn't uttered that confession, I never would have known just how upset he was.

He continued to share that when he was a kid/teenager playing pool at places with his Dad, he was punished for outbursts.  "Daddy took my cue away if I showed I was upset.  Or, he wouldn't let me play for two weeks.  That teaches you to stop showing you are pissed off when you lose.  I wanted to keep playing!"

He added, "It's so hard to be a good loser because we want to win so badly.  We don't have to accept it.  Hell, we don't have to happy about it!  But, always lose with style."

I think Tony Sulsar would be extremely happy and pleased to know that what his Dad instilled in him is actually what we all see and appreciate in Tony.  People talk about it all the time - how well he handles himself, is always a gentlemen no matter if he loses a tough match or wins, and never shows anger at all after losses.

He's a great role model.

His Dad would be so very proud of him!

Optimism

There is good in every situation.  Just takes time maybe to see it... but it's there.

Every loss, learn from. Every scratch learn from.  Every mistake, figure out why.  Learn - see the optimisms everywhere!

What Side Are You On?

I hate the word "loser."

I can't even say "loser's side."  I prefer "one-loss side" when I talk about the left side of the brackets.

One of my friends pointed this out the other day when we were talking about a tournament.

He said, "Hey, why do you say "one-loss side"?  It's really the loser's side."

I told him I just couldn't say that - it seems like a negative term.  'One-loss side' has no negative connotation at all to it.

And he just laughed and shook his head, "of course you would think like that."

I even searched my blog articles because I thought I wrote about this before.  Instead, I noticed the last time I used the term "loser's side" in my blog was in 2007!

Hey, I try to be optimistic!