The Thrill of Victory...and the Agony of Defeat

Those of you who are old enough to remember Jim McKay as he introduced ABC's Wide World of Sports with those famous words, "the thrill of victory... and the agony of defeat".  Know how Indy rookie drive J.R Hildebrand must have felt on Sunday leading the last lap of the iconic Indy 500.

With only one lap to go and no real challenge for the lead, J.R. was about to experience his first thrill of victory and of at all places the Indy 500.  Then came the agony of defeat, on his final lap J.R. was coming into his fourth and final turn.  When he tried to pass a slower car on the outside went to high on the track and got sucked into the wall and crashed.  With only a half a mile to the finish line J.R. managed to skid against the wall to finish in second place.

If he would have shifted to a lower gear or entered the turn at a lower angel that could have made all the difference and preserved his win.  He is only a rookie and has a long racing career ahead of him, but he may never come this close to winning the Indy 500.

We have all have those could have, would have, should have moments in our lives.  Where just the slightest of factors would have changed the outcome for better or for worse.  As parents we watch these moments happen to our children.  What is the first thing we say, "its okay, all you can do is try your hardest and you'll get them next time".  Being a parent I want to believe those statements help. 

I wonder if J.R.'s parents told him the same thing and if it helped.  I will say when my daughter has a bad moment I am glad it is not broadcasted on national television and replayed on YouTube for everyone to see.  My heart goes out to J.R., to work so hard and come so close.  All I can say is "you'll get them next time".   Is there really anything else we can say?