Breaking Through After 51 Games

Congratulations to the New Jersey Intitute of Technology (N.J.I.T.) Highlanders, who last night broke an astounding 51-game losing streak with a victory over he Bryant University Bulldogs, the longest drought for a team playing a NCAA Division I schedule.

I couldn't help but think about the Fightin' Reformers', our church's softball team's victory over the summer, when we finally broke through and won a game after constant loss after loss after loss. And as with N.J.I.T., our team was getting absolutely crushed in many of those games.

There's something about the perseverence and joy of playing a game just because you love to play, not necessarily because you have any certainty of winning. I think the players on the Fightin' Reformers and the N.J.I.T. Highlanders had that in common. As N.J.I.T. center Dan Stonkus said, "It was obviously frustrating, but we honestly didn't think too much of the streak. We just kept trying to think about the next game and then the next one. It never came down to where we thought we'd never get one. This feels great."

Yup, I've been there.