“Don’t stop…”
Dateline: 107th place
“Never give up on something that you can’t go a day without thinking about.”
Winston Churchill
To those out there who are climbing a hill that keeps growing as you are climbing, this one is for you.
To those out there who always give it everything you’ve got but seem to find that you are always one step too short, this one is for you.
To those with tears in the shower.
To those with demon dreams.
To those who feel concave.
To all of us, this one is for you.
And yes, I said us, you and me who seemingly always enter a race filled with Triple Crown winners, I want you to know one simple fact, a secret never whispered at night, a secret found within the droplets of the fog of doubt, a secret I found late in life when I was already bruised and crumpled, and this is it:
You only have to win one more than you lose.
One more than you lose, and you are a champion, a winner, and the only way to win the one more than you lose is also simple…never stop trying.
Never.
Stop.
Trying.
“…thinking about tomorrow.”
“You do what you can for as long as you can, and when you finally can’t, you do the next best thing. You back up but you don’t give up.”
Chuck Yeager
He sits quietly across from me mixing up black beans, lettuce and salsa in a “build your own” burrito bowl.
His wife sits at a two-top table next to me, their 13-year-old son sits across from her. Do I temper the question because his family is sitting there listening? He stirs beans and mush and every once and awhile looks up at me, his wife smiles at me, the type of smile you show to used car salesmen or the tax guy.
I worry a little about the question I’m about to ask, both he and his wife are friends, I worry more because the kid is sitting there, you talk about putting a dad on the spot, but here goes:
“Cliff as we sit here (before the Mississippi Elite began) you are in 107th place in the AOY race, I don’t know if your average will work in the B.A.S.S. math of whether you will get a ticket back next year so dude, tell me…”
And at this point my eyes shift slightly to the right onto the kid.
“…tell me, why do you bother to launch anymore?”
With that I’m looking the kid dead center in his eyes.
And with that the stirring of the bowl stops.
And with that the cold bottle of beer being held next to me is put down on the table.
And I’m still looking at the kid.
“…don’t stop…”
“Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.”
James Michener
Now stop, back up before you think I’m some sort of jerk journalist. I’ve known and been friends with Cliff Prince and his wife Kelley since about their day one of this B.A.S.S. gig, first point.
Second point, I’m asking Cliff a question that I know what his answer will be before I even ask it.
And third, his answer won’t be for me, it’ll be for his kid sitting next to him.
Sylar Prince, all of 13 years old, surprise this story isn’t for you, but for your kids, for the young out there about to get bruised, banged up and who may crumble from it, to the children out there listen to how Cliff Prince answered my question:
“db, you never stop trying, when I win one no one will remember the losses.”
And I’m going to add this to what he just said, “Except those who have lost.”
A loss is only a loss if you let it be.
I have struggled with being weird my entire career, at this stage of it I really don’t care what people think of me, I should have learned that early on but I took the weird looks, snickers and whispers to heart.
Don’t you, because one win changed all of that inside of me.
People still think I’m weird, or worse, but you know what, don’t listen to the doubters, especially the doubter between your own ears.
“I don’t look at the numbers, don’t look at the standings all I look at is one fish at a time, catch one fish at a time, five a day every day on the water and then numbers will take care of themselves.”
And he went back to stirring his burrito bowl.
Yesterday, he finished up Day 1 in 20th place in the tournament…pretty good for a dude that started in 107th place overall.
“…it’ll soon be here…”
“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.”
F. Scott Fitzgerald.
To Sylar Prince, and to all those 13, 14, 21 or 66:
Sylar look up to your dad not down at the points, in the end of all of this it won’t be about the sport, won’t be about the big deal that got away, won’t be about all the setbacks in life or what others think you are or not, dig this now and life will be somewhat easier.
It’s not about the game you are in, it’s all about the game within you.
Let me tell you about the only wins that truly count, Sylar, you and your dad both wins when he hugs you.
You and your dad win when he holds hands with your mom, when he makes your sister laugh.
You win because your father is one of the best 107 bass anglers in the world while running a business he owns as a working stiff, you win because of this:
“db I ain’t never had quite as bad of finishes as I’ve had, and yeah it bothers me some but I put it behind and move on to my first win.”
…it’ll be better than before…”
“Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake someone up.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
We base our numbers on the number of fish caught and how much they weigh, period.
Easily quantifiable.
Do not read those numbers as the measure of the man though.
Only the creator measures the heart of the man because in reality that’s the only number that counts.
Follow not only those up top in the points, follow also those in the middle and below, for theirs is the story of the heart, of most of us.
I’ve been in 107th place, and lower in my career, cried in the shower and screamed at the demons at night.
The biggest games I’ve ever played all occurred between my ears.
To my buddy Cliff, do not believe the field of play here is the Mississippi River, the fish or the tackle being thrown…it is not.
All games are played within.
All wins are within.
There is no greater story in sports than that of “worst to first,” and I wish for you that because though these past six or so years I’ve come to know and respect your heart.
And to Sylar, finally to Sylar, embrace mountains that grow because you will grow along with them.
Know that we all begin life in 107th place, first place is up to you and only you.
No matter what game you chose the field of play lies within you.
Lies within your heart.
And your dad, and mom, gave you a great one to use.
db
“…yesterday’s gone, yesterday’s gone, don’t you look back.”
Don’t Stop
Fleetwood Mac
“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying ‘I will try again tomorrow.”
Mary Anne Radmacher
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