Dear editor,
If the audacious come-from-behind win pulled off by the New England Patriots at this year’s Super Bowl has taught us anything, it is that no matter what, we should never stop believing in our abilities to succeed, even in the face of overwhelming odds.
This win is one for the ages; and without a doubt, many across the country, and indeed the world, felt for certain that the Atlanta Falcons would, shockingly, become the Super Bowl champions for 2017. After all, they scored the game’s first four touchdowns and by the start of the third quarter, were leading the New England Patriots by a whopping 25 points.
Just imagine the emotions that were overflowing in Brady’s brain, as his team wallowed in impending defeat. Being a quarterback, he carried the great responsibility of seeing the Patriots to victory. Just think too on how he must have felt when in the second quarter of the game, a Falcons defender intercepted the ball and ran it straight into the end zone, with not a Patriot in sight to successfully challenge him. We saw Brady sitting on the bench, holding his head down and, just maybe, the opposing team saw this as a sure sign that the Patriots were defeated. But giving up was the last thing on the indomitable Brady’s mind.
“It took a lot of great plays and that’s why you play to the end,” Brady said later at a press conference. “It’s a 60-minute game. At half-time, we weren’t down at all, we were disappointed in the way we played and knew that we could go out and do a lot better in the second half.”
Like Brady, there are many other great men and women who, by their triumphs over adversity, have shown us the power of perseverance.
Vermont’s internationally renowned skier Robby Kelley is one such person. At the recently held Alpine Skiing World Cup in Austria, Kelley lost control of his skis and crashed on the ice, sliding downhill to land within yards of the finish line. At this point, Kelley knew that there was no hope of winning the race, but he didn’t concede defeat either. Picking himself up from the ice, Kelley hiked back uphill to where he began his fall and from there, he triumphantly finished his race.
Basketball great Michael Jordan was cut from his high school team for being a poor player. He did not allow this to dampen his love for the game or deter him from conquering it. We all know the story of his many successes in basketball.
So whenever we feel thoughts of self doubt and impending defeat, perhaps we can reflect on Super Bowl of Sunday Feb. 5, 2017, and perhaps we can choose to be a Brady.
Karrie Etzler, West Rutland
