Winning is its own reward

This past sports week, both in college and high school, has provided striking differences between meritorious accomplishment and, in my opinion, not. Which brings me to effort, talent, skill, deep commitment and the elusive victories these things can produce based on merit — won with no guarantees or unusual advantages.

Let’s start with the University of Wisconsin, whose women’s hockey team won its seventh national championship under the direction of Wisconsin’s home grown all-time great hockey player and coach Mark Johnson. The Badgers overcame some tough circumstances to win the title against a fairly matched Ohio State University, and Johnson praised his team for doing things the right way even if such devotion might not ensure ultimate success.