You don’t often get a chance to finish in front of 45 other
top contenders in the state and end up feeling horrible about your
accomplishments. It is a reasonable reaction when it was 45 of 49 and you
missed making nationals by 2 places.
The edge can round out some when you hear that you have been
farther than anyone else in your school.
But that edge can be filed to a fine point when some classmates leapfrog
your new top position as they climb to the top of their category securing a
berth to the national championship and the top spot in the school.
It’s hard to console somebody in this position and hard to
blame them too. They need to know that
time heals all wounds. But they don’t want to hear that. They know they did a
great job. But they’re not ready to remember that.
They’ll get over it, they’ll figure it out, they’re smart
kids. But they are kids.
