Something Pink and Sheri Dew have in common

"Ya gotta get up and try and try and try"

Those are the profound words from a popular song I rather enjoy on the radio now and again from that fountain of wisdom some of you know as "Pink".  It has a good message.

Yesterday as I went on my afternoon walk I listened to another good message.  It was from the "Conversations" series on the Mormon Channel about Sheri Dew.  (Who I LOVE, btw.  She is one of my favorite speakers in the church.)

Sheri mentioned in the interview that she had loved basketball as a teen.  She played for her high school team and was pretty good.  The interviewer even looked up her statistics and found that she averaged 23 points and 17 rebounds per game.  At 5 ft. 10' she was a strong forward.

When Sister Dew was a freshman at BYU she thought about trying out for the women's basketball team.  In fact, she went to the gymnasium the first day of tryouts - fully intending to try out.  BUT, when she got there and saw all the competition, she talked herself out of it.  She turned around and went home.

30 years later when she was a member of the RS General  Presidency, she was invited to speak to all of the female athletes at BYU.  All the tennis players, swimmers, basketball, etc..  In her address she mentioned that little tidbit- that she wanted to try out but had talked herself out of it.

At the conclusion of the event, the BYU Women's basketball coach (who had worked there for over 30 years) came up to her and asked her what year that would have been that she would have been trying out for the team.

"1971" she responded.

"interesting" said the coach.

"1971 was the ONLY year in the last 30 plus years that we were not able to fill our roster."

Hmmmm.  

It makes me think of all the times I have been to afraid to try.  I've been too afraid of the competition, of rejection and failure.  There are so many things worse than failure.

Like regret.