The beautiful thing about the sport of croquet, notice that I did not refer to the “game” of croquet, but that is another discussion for another time, is that it can be played recreationally, leisurely, socially, and competitively, and some of us play it differently depending on the setting. The intent of this article is aimed at the competitive nature in all athletes independent on their sport of choice. As Jean-Claude Killy, the famous World Cup alpine ski racer, once stated, “The best and fastest way to learn a sport is to watch and imitate a champion.”
Taking this to heart, I personally try to watch YouTubes of Championship Croquet matches to learn everything from strategy to shot selection as well as to continually try and play with opponents better than myself. My motto is to “learn from every game and every player that you encounter.” To that end, I encourage all USCA members to compete in tournaments, win or lose, in order to achieve this goal.
I also have begun reading what other famous champions from a variety of sports had to say on their preparation and approach in order to achieve their level of success. Here’s but a few, and I hope you enjoy them as much as I did collating them. Independent of their sport of choice, I think their wisdom rings true for our sport of choice: Croquet!
“The first thing is to love your sport. Never do it to please someone else. It has to be yours.”
Peggy Fleming, 1968 Winter Olympics Ice Skating Champ
“What you lack in talent can be made up with desire, hustle, and giving 110 percent all the time.”
Don Zimmer, American infielder, manager, and coach MLB
“Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.”
Billie Jean King, Former World #1 Tennis star (12 Grand Slam wins)
“Competitive sports are played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch court - the space between your ears.”
Bobby Jones, founder of Augusta National Golf Club
“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.”
Lou Brock, MLB Hall-of-Famer
“You don’t have the game you played last year or last week. You only have today’s game. It may be far from your best, but that’s all you’ve got. Harden your heart and make the best of it.”
Walter Hagen, American Pro Golfer, 11 Professional Major wins
“One hundred percent of shots not taken don’t go in.”
Wayne Gretzky, Former Professional Hockey Player and Coach
“I’ve always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn’t have a chance to win.”
Arnold Palmer, One of the Greatest American Golfers in history
“You can learn a line from a win and a book from a defeat.”
Paul Brown, American Football Coach, co-founder of The Cleveland Browns, a team named after him, and later the Cincinnati Bengals
“I don’t believe you have to be better than everybody else. I believe you have to be better than you ever thought you could be.”
Ken Venturi, American Hall-of-Fame Golfer and Golf Broadcaster
“It ain’t over ’til it’s over.”
Yogi Berra, MLB catcher, manager and coach
“Loosen your girdle and let ‘er fly!”
Babe Didrikson Zaharias, American Athlete with Silver medals in the 1932 Olympics, then turning to golf to win 10 LPGA Majors
|