Are champions born or made?

It’s a question I ponder on a lot, and probably one without a simple answer. But by the end of tonight, I hope I can give you a little perspective

Thank you for this opportunity. It’s an honor to be here tonight, surrounded by people who love this game.Who’ve worked hard, sacrificed weekends, sleep, to be sitting here the night before a state final. Here’s the thing: all of those things I just said, they’re not really sacrifices when you’re doing something you love.What a privilege it is to play, coach, and support this sport, what a privilege it is to sit among the best. Nights like this don’t happen every day.Many athletes, coaches, and families will go their whole lives without this opportunity, without ever feeling this energy, this sense of we made it here.To be one of the last teams standing, surrounded by people who love you and believe in you, that’s rare. You’ve earned your seat in this room. Don’t take it for granted — enjoy it.

Volleyball — and sport in general — teaches us lessons that reach far beyond the court.I was a 10-year professional and Australian National team player, and I can tell you I lost A LOT more than I won.I have coached for 12 years both professionally and in the National team, and I have won a LOT more than I lost.I’m a true volleyball and sport nerd, I study the game, I study what wins and what loses… So, I’ve spent a lot of time watching athletes who win.Those that win when they shouldn’t, those that create dynasties, those that don’t care when they lose, they get up and win again.It took me years, until I was deep into coaching…. And a lot of winning and losing myself, to start to get a bit of an answer to the question I asked you at the start.

So today, I want to talk about what I have learned about the characteristics of champions.

Champions are curiousChampions want to know how to be better, they want to know how to win. They ask questions. Those might be verbal questions, but they also might be simply exploring with training.They want to know why something works and how it can be better. They explore every aspect of a skill, of the game and they try to find new solutions to old problems.Champions are curious, because they know that their journey to mastery will never end.———Champions are the hardest workers in the room.Not just when the gym is loud.Not just when people are watching. Not just when it feels good.They work when it’s boring. They work when they’re tired.They work when no one is paying attention. They chase improvement, not praise.They prioritize the team, not the highlight.

Because champions know this:You don’t rise to the occasion. You sink to the level of your training.Work doesn’t guarantee winning — but without it, being a champion is impossible.Champions fail.But Champions are resilient, they are courageous.Champions fall down, but they get back up. Courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s doing the scary thing anyway, and boy losing feels scary.Every athlete feels fear. Fear of missing, fear of losing, fear of letting people down. Champions feel that too, but they don’t let it drive who they are.You have all heard the proverb: “Fall 7 times get up 8.”You have all heard from the great Michael Jordan: “You miss 100% of the shots that you don’t take? “ Ed Latimore a famous heavy weight boxer said “Embarrassment is the cost of entry. If you aren’t willing to look like a foolish beginner, you’ll never become a graceful master”

I coached one American athlete for 6 years in Switzerland. In the first year I watched her miss the winning line shot 5 times, leading to us losing the game. It was the right shot to take, but she missed it.She didn’t stop, she kept taking those shots, and she started hitting them more than missing. 16 titles and 5 league MVP’s later and she goes down as one of the greatest players ever to play in the country.

Champions fail, they fail big, they don’t care who is watching or how they are perceived.

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Champions love to compete.They want the moment. They want the test. Whether that’s against themselves or opponents, they want it. Competition isn’t about proving someone else wrong, it’s about finding out how good you can be.Champions crave that feeling of being pushed to their limit. They live for the challenge.They want the big stage, and they want to be ready for it.

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Champions love the processThey don’t chase shortcuts.They understand the journey is the reward. They find joy in that journey.Champions understand that they cannot rely on motivation. It is an impossible ask to say we love our job, our training, our tasks every single day. It’s not realistic, especially when we are trying to achieve great things.Motivation comes and goes. Discipline stays.Champions do the work, especially on the days they don’t feel like it. I often think of this analogy, is the glass half full or is it half empty?Sometimes the glass has the worst medicine, you plug your nose and get it down because that’s what’s needed today.Sometimes it’s a beautiful smoothie (or a glass of wine for all the parents in the room). And its a joy to drink.Either way, you do it.Champions don’t care if the glass is half full or half empty….

The glass is just there to drink.Champions love the journey and the process, they don’t focus on how they feel in the moment.

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Champions play ugly.They know that playing well isn’t winning, winning is winning.Champions don’t care if they are perfect, they know their teammate has their back, they know they don’t always need their A game to win.Something I have learned over the years, if you play 25 games a year, realistically, individually, you will play only 5 perfectly, in full flow. But you gotta find a way to win anyway.Champions do the little things even when the big things don’t work, they push their teammates, they cheer from the bench, champions are desperate to win no matter what their role.They know every little bit of help matters.Champions know it’s more important to fight, scrap and never ever give up, than it is to play the perfect game.

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So now that we have discussed some really important traits of champions-curiosity, hard work, resilience, competitiveness, a love for the process, and the ability to “play ugly”-we come back to our initial question: Are champions born or made?

When I was in Australia a few years ago, I visited my niece June, she was 4 at the time.She waddled up to me and said, “Aunty Lauren, help me learn these animal names and sounds.” She had this little board book with animals, and buttons that made noises, cows, pigs, ducks, and the sound of the animal would play when you touched the button.She wanted to memorize and learn it all.So, trial and error it was, my role was just to choose the animal for her, and give her hints when she got stuck.She tried to say the name and the sound. Over and over and over.

Two hours later, she had memorized every single one.I just sat there thinking, wouldn’t it be great if my athletes acted like this, and even more important…. this is what MY BEST athletes do.

She was curious. She asked for help when she needed it.She didn’t care if she got it wrong or looked silly, she was courageous. She wanted to master it; she was competitive with herself.She made mistakes, she played ugly, but she got through it.Her persistence, like a champion’s, showed a deep love for the process.

And she worked. Not because someone told her to, but because kids are naturally persistent. They repeat things over and over with joy. Hard work isn’t something we gain, it’s something we start with.

We are born curious, courageous, persistent, we love to play ugly.We come into the world ready to learn, ready to fall down and try again, and we don’t care who is watching us fail.

But as we grow up, something changes. We start to worry about looking bad.We start comparing ourselves. We get scared of failing.And that’s when we start to lose what made us special in the first place. Champions, the real ones, they don’t have more talent or better luck.They just never lose those traits they were born with.

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That’s what I love about sport and that’s what I love about Volleyball.It brings us back to that kid version of ourselves, the one who’s allowed, in fact the ones who MUST care deeply, fail publicly, and try again.Sports reminds us that emotion isn’t weakness, it’s connection. That pressure isn’t punishment; it’s a real privilege.

So tomorrow.

When the pressure hits, act like a champion. When you make an error, act like a champion.When your role changes, when it’s unfair, when it’s not your best day, act like a champion. Because being a champion is about how you carry yourself when it matters most.It’s about who you are when no one’s cheering for you, and what kind of teammate you are when the game doesn’t go your way.

Be curious. Be courageous. Play Ugly. Do what needs to be done whilst enjoying the privelidge of being a part of such a great day.

No matter what happens tomorrow.

Being crowned a champion is not totally in your control, but acting like one is.