I would like to share with you a quote from one of my past interviews with a member of the women’s swim team.

“A lot of times we eat healthier, get more rest; people cut out going out on the weekends and stuff,” she said. “That helps us stay strong for conference.”

Whoa, wait. Did I just read that correctly? People are actually willing to stay in and sacrifice something that they may enjoy for something else that has a greater meaning? Yes, believe it or not, some people actually do stay in instead of going out and partying on the weekends. (Like me, although I stay in because I’m a non-drinker, not to mention the fact that I’m a gamer geek.)

I’m not advocating my view on drinking because I think people would scoff at me. I am, however, trying to impart the idea that most of our athletes at this school are admirable people.

Any athlete who will make sacrifices for the good of the team is committed to their sport, and should be commended for their efforts. I know the swimmers look to be committed to what they are doing even though the results of the dual meets don’t show that. It’s one of those unique things that are hidden in the box score. The effort the team takes to win is shown, but it doesn’t show what the individual swimmers have done all week to prepare to succeed in their goals and times.

That influence has to come from somewhere, and for the swimmers and divers, it seems that it comes from their head coach Ray Padovan, a legend who has been here for the past 42 years and who is retiring at the end of the season.

They have come to know Padovan as a friend and have learned a vast amount of wisdom from having him as a coach.

I can attest to this because I once had a coach when I played football back in eighth grade. He was inspirational. He taught us the game of football, treated us as men and made us believe through great adversity. This made a difference for our team that allowed us to win the championship, and to this day I feel that I learned about something greater than just the game of football.

I also firmly believe an athlete’s willingness to succeed comes from not only their own moral standards and values, but also from their dreams and goals.

As the cliché goes, “the athlete’s got heart.”

To be brutally honest, most athletes play the game or participate in the sport because they love it, not because they are good at it. (Not everyone is a Michael Jordan here, I promise you.)

If all athletes (or people in general for that matter) make an effort to sacrifice something they enjoy or a hobby to them in order to allow a team or individual to succeed, just imagine what could be accomplished in Eastern’s sports programs or at this university.

Ross Meister may be reached at 581-7944 or at rwmeister@eiu.edu.