Camaraderie and Winning

(From left to right, Ettore Rossetti, Alex Piguet, Mike McManus, John Rubrich (holding banner), Mike Case & captain Angelo A. Rossetti - and for those who don't know I am now the new head tennis professional at Milford Indoor Tennis along with my marketing coaching and consulting.)

There I was on Saturday in Las Vegas at the new Darling Tennis Center warming up on the same court with Jared Palmer (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jared_Palmer). (Keep in mind he won Wimbledon doubles and was ranked #1 in the world in Men’s doubles in 2000). The irony was that his team didn’t make the finals! (The 2 teams in our bracket did.)

My men's open tennis team advanced to the national competition in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was truly inspirational since the lion share of participants had some type of world tennis ranking either currently or at one time. The competition was fierce although we did win at least one match. We started modestly. We first won one game, one point and then one match. But the final day, there was something different. I gave a pep talk to the team reminiscing of the clip in the “Friday Night Lights,” the movie, saying that, in essence, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you compete and that all of us need to have positive energy and support one another; show camaraderie. And that was the most important thing in my book for success over the weekend and that's exactly what we did. We were cheering each other on being on three paralleled courts. I think, we're even cheering each other on during the warm ups. It was such a great feeling to be a part of team chemistry like that. The irony was that we pulled these people together last minute to fill a team from around the country and represent USTA’s New England division. Mike McManus from San Diego, California, Mike Case from Michigan, myself and my twin brother, Ettore, John Rubrich and Alex Piguet, also from Connecticut.

…Being perfect is not about the scoreboard out there. It is not about winning. It is about you and your relationship to yourself and your family and your friends. Being perfect is about being able to look your friends in the eye and know that you did not let them down because you told them the truth. And that truth is that you did everything you could; there wasn’t one more thing you could have done. Can you live in that moment? The best that you can. With clear eyes and love in your heart. With joy in your heart. If you can do that gentlemen, then you are perfect… “Being Perfect” Halftime Speech by Coach Gary Gaines, Friday Night Lights

The competition has been the best I've seen and the best I've been personally involved in. Players at that level just don't miss. They just don't miss so you have to win each point and you have to win each point with several shots that would be normally winners against other teams. You feel like you have to be perfect. It was such an amazing experience. We had the toughest bracket in the country for Men's Open. There were three flights of 4 teams, 12 teams in total. The first round we ended up playing Florida, who finished #2 in the country and the second round, Southern California, who won the National Championships. So, we have everything to be proud of for how we competed against these teams but the core of the weekend was when we're in our final match cheering on Mike and John for their victory in the doubles and one of the guys said, "I'm playing against three people". He was remarking that not only was he competing against the two opponents but the “fan” element as well.

It was such a great weekend. Everyone made a lot of sacrifices to be there, not only prior to going out to Vegas but also on the casino floor. I am still learning the intricacies of Black Jack and when to double down. But overall I have been dwelling on how tennis relates to business and life when it finally hit me. Being perfect involves being a perfect sportsman, demonstrating camaraderie and living in the moment in perfect balance. Contrary to popular belief, while winning can be an element of being perfect, it is not a requisite.

Suggested Reading/Viewing:

Winning Ugly by Brad Gilbert
Friday Night Lights by Universal Studios