In the face of adversity we find out the most about ourselves. Or is it that adversity brings out the best in us? Whatever it is, the Dryden GM Ice Dogs are finding out now. I’ve got my opinion on the topic, borne from my personal experience with adversity; so I know how people can respond when backed into a corner, but it’s harder to know what an organization will do. My hope is that what’s happening and what will continue to happen is the collective perseverance of the dozens of individuals who make up this team.
This has been one of the hardest weeks I’ve seen in my time with the ice dogs. We have had every imaginable avenue used to try to take away what we are fighting for. We’ve lost players to injury. We’ve lost players to concussions. We’ve lost games to technicality and we’ve had games postponed against our will. We haven’t had a home game since January 13 and we don’t have another one until February 24th and we’ve had a hard time paying our bills. We’ve had our bus breakdown and we’ve been late to a game. We’ve had every reason to throw in the towel and yet we have not.
Through all of this I can’t think of a weekend in the last couple of years when I’ve been more proud of the team. Your team has been able to leave all the noise and distraction off the ice and win 2 (yes 2. I don’t care what the record book says) hard fought games and there’s a major lesson in that for all of us.
I’ve been saying for the last couple of weeks that all that we have left to do is to win. Win this league and that’s not going to be able to be taken from us. I’m going to say now it’s not that alone.
I’ve said from the get go what I want to accomplish while here is to pay the bills and put character ahead of victory. I got half of it right. We’ve been successful In paying the bills, that’s right. But I was wrong about putting character ahead of victory. Character is victory and that cannot ever be taken away.
If we keep on doing just that the results may not always be like this weekend but you will be able to be proud of your team; I guarantee it.
We are on the home stretch and because of this team we have on the ice I’m going to keep pushing forward and I hope everyone around this team and the city of Dryden will do the same. If you’re already a volunteer for this team, thank you so much; I’m looking forward to closing out the year with all of you. If you aren’t a volunteer yet please get ahold of us and join us for the homestretch. It’s going to me amazing and I’m so grateful to be a part of it. Our next meeting is February 17th at 615 at the holiday inn express. You’re all welcome. We need your help, and the boys deserve it.
If you’re already going to games, thank you. If not, please come to a game. You have a team you can be proud to call your own and it needs your support.
Your team has not allowed the noise to distract them. They have been backed into a corner and ignored it. They’ve focused on the good and miraculously all the bad means nothing to them. They’re having fun still, and if this isn’t fun why are we doing it?
We will continue to face adversity no doubt, but if we all take a lesson from our team this weekend no one will be able to take anything from us. We will focus on what we have and watch it grow and at the end of the day if I’m as proud of the team as I am today I’ll be able to call this year a success.
Sincerely,
Mike Sveinson