PREP VOICES : ON CAMPUS : Q: How much emphasis should be placed on winning at the high school level?

“It may be politically incorrect to encourage competitive sports and emphasize winning because it is insensitive to the feelings of the loser. Wrong! To compete and try to win is to risk losing. That’s healthy. We must teach our young people that it is necessary and worthwhile to risk failure to make an attempt at success. An excellent lesson of competitive sports is that if you lose today, you go back, strengthen your weaknesses, and try to win tomorrow.”

Joel Bruce

Santa Ana

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“The obsession with winning is at the core of what’s wrong with the world today. People don’t see the relationship between competitiveness and the violence which pervades this society from top to bottom.

“In the world of sports, we’re not interested in playing or even watching a game just because we love the game, except for a few great (athletes). How many times have you seen someone switch the channel or leave the stadium because the score was 87-57 with three minutes to play. We don’t care about the game anymore, just who wins.

“In life we have Watergates and Whitewaters and gang-bangers and jealous husbands and wives killing each other for the same reasons: They want to win at all costs, or because they’re humiliated by losing. We see life as a struggle to be won or lost.

“Winning is not the only thing, just the final result. What we need to do is begin to look at life and sports like music. You don’t listen to a symphony or a single song just to hear the last note. In fact, the last note is no more important than any of the others.”

Waayl Salih

Rancho Santa Margarita

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“What’s wrong with winning? Winning at all costs is not right (i.e. illegal recruiting, ineligible players). Winning because you have a good program, good athletes, fine coaching and a winning tradition is right. No one likes to lose, period. Losing is not good.

“My son plays on a winning high school football team, with a winning tradition, with good coaching and good athletes. We enjoy winning. I am proud that we are winners rather than losers.”

James Santoro

Yorba Linda

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“The original Olympic Games ground to a shuddering halt due to the introduction of professionalism. Does the victory of our ‘Dream Team’ professionals at Barcelona ring a warning bell?”

Joe McGuigan

Laguna Beach

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“There are certain conditions as to how much emphasis should be put on winning. Coaches who have teams that are young and inexperienced should use practice and game time to teach fundamentals that are necessary to win games. It should not be a time for scolding and pushing kids into something that may not be tangible at the time. Constructive criticism is the key.

“On the other hand, coaches who have teams with talent, experience and the desire to win should be able to push their kids to the next level of play.”

Scott Enrico

Assistant football coach

Sunny Hills

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“Yes, winning is everything. But only if winning is defined in a much larger sense, both on and off the court or the field. The definition of winner must include the development of balance and perspective as well as humility, camaraderie, loyalty, respect for self and others and grace under pressure. Yes, it’s lots of fun to take first place. But the real winner does his or her best at all times. More narrowly defining the term winner --to refer only to the guy with the most points--makes us all losers. The obsession with getting ahead, no matter what the cost, weakens that sense of cohesion that is the essence of community.”

Karen Evarts

Newport Beach

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“Winning is the key to success and will be the foundation of many things yet to come. It is important to our society to be the best you can be. We all must pitch in to make winning the No. 1 priority for the kids’ sake.”

Abhishek Jain

Esperanza freshman

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“Vince Lombardi’s quote should be changed to, ‘Striving to win isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.’ That should be the most important objective of participation. Winning will be a result of striving to win. The problem we have is that too many people are focused on winning as opposed to the efforts to get there.”

Allan Pollack

Santa Ana

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“Winning is everything, but what is winning? In my mind, winning is mentally and physically being ready for the game and giving it all you’ve got.”

Jade Jamison

Marina junior

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“Many coaches and athletes say they are just playing sports for a good time, but it’s a totally different story when game time comes around. They are not out there to have fun with their opponents, they are out there to win .

“Without this love of winning, sports lose their pizazz and attraction, and athletes lose interest. The bottom line is that without the will to win, sports are nothing.”

Jeff Hui

Esperanza freshman

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“Winning at the high school level should be secondary to learning the fundamentals of a sport and having fun. Winning is a byproduct of executing those learned skills. High school should be an arena for preparing student-athletes for college or professional careers. The ultimate goal of winning as a primary emphasis should be reserved for the professional level.”

Eric Johnson

Huntington Beach

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“With school choice now a reality, parents will be more likely to elect a school based on what they perceive to be the more successful sports program. Sadly, and often, the only measure of success is a school’s win-loss record. Great athletes rarely transfer into losing programs. The successful sports program realizes that winning is not always synonymous with success, for the successful program continually meets the goals of the individual athletes, and for each the goals may be different.”

Jack Houston

Mission Viejo

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“Being a member of a sports team in high school is a realistic learning experience which educates students athletes on life itself. It offers opportunities to discover truths, such as:

--You will receive only what you invest.

--The need and respect for authority.

--Cooperation among teammates is essential for success.

--Life isn’t always fair.

--Everyone respects a winner.

“If one wants to be above average, it takes extra time and effort. As long as integrity isn’t compromised, winners should be held in high esteem.”

Bonnie O’Neil

Newport Beach

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“In Indiana Coach Bob Knight’s words, ‘The will to win is not nearly so important as the will to prepare to win.’ Aside from Knight’s periodic lapses in personal conduct, his words express the greatest lesson to be learned from competitive spots.

“Vince Lombardi, Mike Ditka, John Wooden and Knight all insisted on discipline and focus, without shortcuts, to achieve their goals. That applies beyond sport.”

Bill Seckler

Corona

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“It’s the spirit with which we participate in games--as in life--that counts far more than winning at any cost. As long as our society keeps insisting that there is only one winner in any game--implying that everyone else is a loser--we will always be that ‘Ugly American’ to the world. Let’s open our eyes and see the damage we are doing ourselves.”

Sam Sumanth

Placentia

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“The most important argument against focusing on winning is that it takes the fun out of the game. Athletes should concentrate on developing teamwork and sportsmanship. High school players should be taught how to accept defeat gracefully. It’s knowing that you’ve tried your best and given it your all is what sports should be all about. There is nothing wrong with wanting to win, but not at the expense of having fun.”

Harmeeth Singh Uppal

Esperanza freshman

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“Winning teaches kids to work hard to get what they want, but at the same time, they should be reminded that winning isn’t everything. Losing teaches them to work harder the next time to win. A competitive attitude should be emphasized because you need to be competitive in order to succeed in anything you do in life.”

Sabiola Nunez

Huntington Beach

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“There’s way too much emphasis on winning in high school sports. We’re in high school to get a education. The reality is that not many of us will be successful in sports after high school. Kids are being falsely led to believe they’ll be stars in pro sports just because they are in high school.”

Geoff King

Tustin junior

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“High school athletics should be a learning experience where athletes can get the fundamentals and improve themselves through play, hard work and practice. Winning games is great, but it’s not that important at the high school level because you’re still improving, trying to be the best that you can be.”

William Martinez

Fullerton

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“The desire to win needs to be replaced with the desire to play, learn and perform to the highest level possible at the time. Working hard at something, concentrating and improving skills should be the emphasis. When we play to our highest level, a win generally follows in sports, school and life.”

Marvin G. Dennis

San Clemente