Defeat does not define you; your response does.
This phrase consumed my thoughts as I was driving home after the MSHSAA State Wrestling Championships a couple of weeks ago.
Cassville has just made history for the girls and boys programs, with the former winning its first-ever team title, and the latter bringing home a record number of medals.
Overall, it was a good two days for Cassville in Columbia, but in the air hung a slight sting of disappointment, especially for the Lady Wildcats.
Coming into the tournament ranked No. 1 as a team and with multiple No. 1 ranked wrestlers, Cassville had one goal — a team state title.
To achieve that goal, it would take all five Lady Wildcats in attendance to perform at their absolute best. As close as they were, the dream remained in their heads alone and Cassville finished in third.
The smiles on the athletes’ faces at the trophy presentation replaced the pain felt in the hours prior. The agony of defeat consumed Annie Moore after her semifinal loss and Faith James after her championship bout.
I love taking emotion pictures, especially happy ones. I shoot the sad ones all the same, but I take much greater care in which ones of those see the light of day.
Out of respect for athletes in the biggest moments of their careers, some photos never see the light of day.
Covering state competitions is just as exhilarating for me as for the coaches and parents. Bound by professionalism, I may not show it on the floor, but I’m always rooting for our kids.
State competition also brings a level of nostalgia for me. I may be a journalist now, but I can relate to those highs and lows permeating Mizzou Arena over the two days I was there.
It reminded me of my senior year on the Little Rock Central High School soccer team. We entered the postseason as underdogs, but we developed a game plan we were confident could take us the distance. We upset our way through three games to reach the 6A state championship, facing undefeated an undefeated Van Buren team we had never played before.
We lost that game, 1-0, on my birthday nonetheless. I almost tied the contest on a free kick, but Van Buren’s goalkeeper got just enough of his fingertips on the ball to push it to the post and out.
I had never played so hard in such a big game, and to not win it after all we went through — it broke me. I was proud of what we had done, but we should have won.
Later that summer, I suffered another setback that almost made me give up the sport. I was part of the Olympic Development Program, which essentially amounted to the state’s all-star team for my age group. In Arkansas, soccer is a lesser sport, so many kids my age had decided by 17 or 18 to go another route.
Not fielding a full team, we were placed with the South Texas squad, one of the best in the region with thousands of kids who try out. It was a place I was lucky to be with kids far more talented than me.
But, I worked hard and kept up, and in the tournament semifinal, I finally got my chance.
I choked. Hard. Nerves took over, and I made a mistake that gave up a goal. I was subbed off immediately.
I stepped away from playing competitively for a year after that, but the pitch always called me back. I managed to get a scholarship to play at Central Baptist College. It was the best decision I ever made. Our squad of all Arkansans went 11 games unbeaten to start the 2007 season, finished at 11-3, won the regional tourney and qualified for the NCCAA national championships.
We narrowly lost our quarterfinal, then lost the consolation semifinal in overtime. In the seventh-place game, we won 1-0 on a free kick I scored — still my most significant memory as a player.
Had I given up that summer after graduation, I would have missed countless experiences with my team and in the sport.
Reflecting on all this on my drive home, I realized how far sport extends beyond the field.
Now, I pour all my passion for soccer into the paper. I follow teams four hours away to share their joys and sorrows, successes and failures.
And, winning looks different. A trophy of sorts this year came in the form of a little red party hat each of the Lady Wildcats signed for me (not to mention the praise from parents and community members on the depth of the stories and photos).
That hat and my tournament media pass are displayed in my office now, a reminder of the balance of finding great success but remaining dissatisfied.
My big win now is putting in an 80-hour week to cover state wrestling, district basketball and Opening Day, along with all other duties as a business owner and father, then putting out a paper I was unbelievably proud of.
The drive to perform comes directly from my athletics days, and based on what I have seen, I am confident it will be the same for the Lady Wildcats, both on and off the mats.
There’s plenty to be won in sport and life — go get it.
Kyle Troutman has served as the editor of the Cassville Democrat since 2014. In 2017, he was named William E. James/Missouri Outstanding Young Journalist for daily newspapers, and in 2022, he won a Golden Dozen Award from ISWINE. He may be reached at 417-847-2610 or ktrout-man@ cassville-democrat.com.
