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💭 ONE THOUGHT
4 Traits of Competitive Greatness (I Saw This at the Olympics)
Last week, I experienced something I’ll never forget.
I stood inside an Olympic arena and watched the USA Women’s Hockey Team win a gold medal.
Up close.
In person.
Feeling every shift of momentum.
And I wasn’t just watching hockey.
I was watching competitive greatness.
We were there to watch Taylor Heise, a hometown kid who made the game-winning assist in overtime. To see someone you’ve watched grow up deliver in that moment… There are no words.
Go to YouTube to watch every angle of the final goal: https://youtu.be/1edMO8Vv5KY?si=YJ2Hya7I8IbBfRL0
But as I watched that team celebrate, I kept thinking:
This isn’t just about talent.
It’s about so much more.
Here are 4 things that separate good from great, the same four I’ve seen on the best teams I’ve ever coached.
1. 100% Buy-In
The Olympics are the highest level in the world.
You don’t survive there with half-hearted effort or divided commitment.
Every player understands her role.
Every player sacrifices for the mission.
Every player commits to something bigger than herself.
That kind of buy-in doesn’t start at the Olympics.
It starts years earlier: in practice, in habits, in standards.
Great teams don’t have 70% buy-in.
They don’t have 90%.
They have 100%.
Because anything less shows up when the pressure hits.
2. Competitive Spirit
You can feel it.
It’s hard to describe, but when you’re around it, you know.
The energy.
The communication.
The constant encouragement.
The accountability.
It’s not fake hype.
It’s not screaming for the cameras.
It’s a steady, competitive edge.
The best teams challenge each other.
They celebrate each other.
They push each other.
And they love competing together.
That spirit is contagious.
It lifts the room.
3. Leadership Rises
Team USA was down 1–0 late.
They had dominated Canada in recent matchups, but this game was different.
With under three minutes to play, Team USA pulled the goalie.
Six-on-five.
A Gold Medal on the line.
And who gets the tip to tie it?
Team captain. FIVE-time Olympian.
Hilary Knight.
Leadership doesn’t disappear in hard moments.
It surfaces.
It steadies the group.
It makes the right play.
It believes before everyone else does.
I’ve seen this in my own best teams.
When things get tight, the leaders don’t shrink.
They always step up.
4. Poise Under Pressure
There was no panic.
No frantic body language.
No emotional unraveling.
Just focus.
You could see it in their eyes, an internal belief:
“We’re going to find a way.”
Poise isn’t passive.
It’s controlled intensity.
It’s confidence without ego.
It’s urgency without chaos.
It’s fighting to the very end without losing composure.
That’s competitive greatness.
One More Thing: Joy in the Moment
When the puck hit the net in overtime, and the arena exploded, what stood out wasn’t relief.
It was joy.
Pure joy.
The best competitors aren’t tight.
They’re free.
They prepare relentlessly.
They compete fiercely.
But they also love the game.
And that joy fuels everything.
For Coaches:
Ask yourself:
Do we have 100% buy-in, or are we hoping for it?
Is our competitive spirit intentional or accidental?
Are we developing leaders before we need them?
Do we train poise in practice, or just expect it in games?
Competitive greatness isn’t built in overtime.
It’s built on ordinary days.
I was lucky enough to see it up close last week.
Now the question is this:
Are we building it in our own programs?
- Greg
P.S. Watch a 7-Minute overview of the game here:
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📜 GREAT QUOTES
“A grateful mind is a great mind which eventually attracts to itself great things.”
"Coaches have to watch for what they don’t want to see and listen to what they don’t want to hear."
🔗 LINKS FOR LEADERS
🎥 Video: Mike Vrable sits down with Bill Cowher [LINK]
🆇 ICYMI: High School Sports is About the Journey [LINK]
📰 Article: The Donkey Principle for Leaders
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Check out my website for more: www.gb1leadership.com
Need resources? www.gberge.gumroad.com
Contact Me: Greg Berge, [email protected]