[Colleens_Husband]

I coach a 7th and 8th grade girl's volleyball team. They adopted the name 'Don't Eat Crayons' mostly because they think it is funny to hear the other teams chant "Two! Four! Six! Eight! Who do we appreciate? Don't Eat Crayons!" at the end of the game. I mostly coach for my daughter Ma'ire. It is nice to have an activity that the two of us can share.

Our team hasn't been doing exceptionally well this year. Before today we lost all three of our matches. Not to make excuses, but our team is made up of all 7th graders or girls who have never played volleyball before. What the team has going for them is they are a great group of kids who have good attitudes and they try harder than anybody else.

Today we played the best team in the league. They are all 8th graders and all have played at club level. Before the game, the league director passed out a flyer to all coaches about running up the score and trying to humiliate overmatched teams. I kind of believe that the flyer was aimed at the other team when they played against us.

But a strange thing happened. Nobody told the Don't Eat Crayons team that they were supposed to lose the game. So the girls went out and played harder than anyone can remember 12 and 13 year old girls play. They dove for loose balls and they never gave up. And you know what? They beat the best team in the league! The other team was so upset they didn't give us a cheer and they didn't shake our hands.

Most of the time, life kicks you in the teeth, but you get back up. But if you are lucky, perhaps once in your life, you have a David and Goliath moment when you win one you had no business winning. I am very proud to be their coach, but mostly I am so happy that these girls refused to lose and that they learned that if they work hard and don't give up on themselves, then they can win and overcome remarkable odds.