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When you look back on 2012 and the seasons it provided for area sports teams, there were certainly a lot of positives.
Strictly from a championship standpoint, the victories by the Burlington High School and Catholic Central High School girls volleyball teams at the WIAA state meet – in Divisions 1 and 4, respectively – for each team’s second straight state title could’ve been viewed as high points without any further scrutiny.
Likewise, the Burlington High School boys volleyball team not only making it to state, but winning its first-ever matches there and finishing as state runner-up was equally impressive. And the BHS wrestling team added another first for the school, qualifying for state as a team for the first time.
Add in state medals by various individual athletes – Bailey Fitzpatrick won the all-around and uneven bars and Molly Benavides the balance beam at the WIAA Division 1 state meet, and various medals at both state individual wrestling and state track and field – and you have a terrific year for most every team in the area.
But while victories are nice and state trophies are cool and medals make letter jackets look sweeter, there were other lessons to be learned besides just winning and losing.
Watching the Burlington Combined gymnastics team set several state records late in the season, it seemed likely the team would win at state. But a bad afternoon on the balance beam cost BBW any chance it had at a state title, as Franklin/Muskego/Whitnall/Oak Creek performed almost flawlessly to win.
In the aftermath of that, the Burlington squad showed a lot of tears and grim faces. With several seniors graduating, the expressions didn’t seem to so much reflect a title lost, but an opportunity.
And yet, as the team took to the mats this winter, there is a quiet confidence and determination among the remaining competitors. In talking to the three all-around competitors on the team, there is a sense of “what can we do for our team now,” not “will we win state in March.”
The gymnasts weren’t the only ones finding out how to handle an unexpected loss – or an unexpected promotion of sorts. Union Grove found itself the defending WIAA Division 2 state softball champions, but because of the various changes in enrollment and WIAA divisions, suddenly found itself a small Division 1 squad instead of a large Division 2 team.
As a result, four of the top teams in the state ended up in the same sectional bracket – with Wilmot and Westosha Central in the top half and Union Grove in the bottom half.
In the end, Westosha managed to keep the Broncos off balance offensively and won a 4-1 decision. The Broncos may have been defending state champions, but wouldn’t have a chance to defend any kind of title.
And yet, in leaving the field that day, the young women on that team held their heads high and managed not to make excuses – aside from the fact that they just couldn’t find a way to string together hits against Westosha pitcher Sarah Fonk.
That wasn’t an excuse – it was a statement of fact. And while the Broncos lost the game, they may have gained a little extra respect, not only hanging with but challenging schools much bigger than themselves.
It’s what sports is all about – finding ways to win, finding ways to grow, finding ways to make a step forward when no one expects you even to be able to hold your ground.
It’s what 2012 was about in so many ways, as students, athletes, fans and coaches all found a way to grow.
Maybe the best way to sum that up? One Miss Kaysie Shebeneck, who won her second consecutive Wisconsin Gatorade Player of the Year award in volleyball. She won not just for her volleyball abilities, but for her work off the court in the classroom and as a volunteer.
Talk about learning on and off the court.
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