American Olympic medalist Dara Torres once said, “There is an advantage to losses; they fuel new dreams. Like Dara, many people believe that while losing hurts, it also does more to people than causing pain and sadness. Losing builds a sense of resilience, motivates you to do better, and ultimately helps you grow. This idea is one that many naively cling to, but can create a simplistic sense of comfort in the face of loss. In One Shot at Forever, Chris Ballard writes about emotionally complex characters and their different values ​​when it comes to winning and losing, breaking the "you win some, you lose some" mindset by suggesting that losing is more convoluted than it seems. no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Ballard's characters each place a different value on victory, showing that victory cannot be attributed to a single emotion. The first of these characters is Coach Lynn Sweet, a hippie whose teaching, coaching, and lifestyle are the polar opposite of the conservative Maconites in whose town Ballard's story takes place. Before the state baseball championship games begin, Coach Sweet talks about his unconventional coaching style: “I don't like the win-or-die attitude. We made it our goal to have a good time and learn baseball” (Ballard 168). Rather than the overly thoughtful approach taken by other coaches in the book, Sweet approaches coaching in a very simple way by valuing learning and having fun, rather than ultimately winning. Sweet challenges the idea that winning is the end goal and losing is just a bump in the way by arguing that other things are actually more important than winning. Unlike Sweet, baseball player Steve Shartzer takes winning much more seriously: “For him, the game was sacred. What he couldn't get over was the thought that when he came to the park every day, he arrived at his job…. He was supposed to pace himself, think long term, look out for number one” (218). Here, the sport of baseball is attributed to something "sacred" and "a job", and this diction sheds an inviolable and serious light on the sport, suggesting that baseball is much more than just a game. , the connotations of obligation and pressure associated with a job reveal Shartzer's reasoning for placing such a high value on winning. Overall, Sweet and Shartzer personify two very different emotions when it comes to winning and losing. While Sweet is able to incorporate a broader view of winning, even including the possibility of extracting a positive outcome from defeat, Shartzer has a much narrower view. He subscribes to the idea that the only thing that matters is the final score of the game, no matter what it took to get there. These differences reveal that winning and losing are not black and white, even though many people tend to oversimplify them. Sweet and Shartzer show that these two potential outcomes cannot be attributed to a single emotion, but rather to a multitude of them. Although Sweet and Shartzer may have different attitudes toward winning, it is interesting to note that they share some commonalities associated with their feelings toward losing. The deep emotional impact that loss has on them reveals that loss has very real consequences and cannot simply be overcome, as the well-known slogan dictates: "youwin, you lose.” Rather, these feelings need to be acknowledged and addressed in a way that suits each individual. As the story begins, the boys are disqualified from the state championships because one of their players is not on the team roster. Coach Sweet, who generally represents a very optimistic and opportunistic mindset, is perplexed by this dilemma and feels a deep sense of defeat: "He had seen them come together and seen their pride in the team and the team. confidence they had gained. Usually, he believed that defeat taught important lessons. He didn’t see much of a lesson in it” (79). Here, the contrast between the team's accomplishments and their disqualification creates a paradox that puts readers in Sweet's shoes and evokes the same sense of despair as him. Furthermore, Sweet's feelings of defeat contrasting with his generally optimistic attitude show that loss cannot be dismissed or ignored. Sometimes that brings out the best in everyone, and Sweet's realization here reminds readers that coping with loss is not as simple as some might think. Similar to Sweet, Shartzer struggles with these same feelings of defeat, but rather than these feelings being just a bump in the road, they stay with him longer than he would like. Even years and years after his graduation, Shartzer can't forget the boys' defeat at the championships: "Unlike his teammates, who rejoice in what they accomplished, he can't help but think about what they didn’t do…. He remembers every throw of that game, every missed opportunity” (219). The desperate tone of this quote again evokes feelings of sympathy for Shartzer. Additionally, Shartzer's emphasis on this game shows that for some people, losing cannot simply be moved past. Sweet and Shartzer are living proof that even though you win some and lose some, it's normal and natural to be sad and confused, and loss is not something we should always put aside. In contrast, other characters in the story have positive reactions to loss. , which shows that loss can also be motivating. This variation in reactions to loss underscores the idea that each person is entitled to their own opinions and feelings and that there is no one right way to respond to losses. After the boys lose the championships, they celebrate the effort and hard work required of them to advance to the championship game: "If you had passed Route 51 on the evening of June 4, 1971, you would have been forgiven for thinking Macon had won the state title” (201). The feelings of joy and celebration that this quote evokes, despite the fact that the boys just lost, are very respectable and show an alternative response to loss that is more in line with the "you win some, you lose some" attitude. ". Here, the boys are able to put their defeat aside and put it into perspective, considering all the positive things they accomplished despite losing in the final. Overall, the different reactions to defeat reinforce the idea that winning and losing are not black and white things and should not be treated as such. Finally, the legacy and long-term impact of the 1971 season on the team and the city reveals that there is a difference between succeeding and winning even if it is sometimes difficult to remember. For example, Lynn Sweet is a coach whose values ​​and lifestyle are completely at odds with the conservative small town of Macon. Although he endured many struggles because of these differences, in his mind he emerged victorious, but not in the most obvious sense:..