What if the fire that drove you through high school sports never really leaves—just changes shape? We sit down with Mr. Sanko, a world history teacher whose identity was forged on the court and diamond, to unpack how competition, coaching, and even superstition follow you into adult life. The talk is candid, sometimes funny, and often raw: hating to lose more than loving to win, learning from a brutal 0-15 season, and translating that edge into a classroom where accountability is a daily game.

We trace the arc from early cutthroat tryouts to the quiet ways sports sculpt character. There’s no single hero coach here; instead, it’s a mosaic of tough-love mentors who pushed hard and made it clear they cared. That tension—pressure that builds or breaks—echoes through stories about teammates, standards, and the fine line between drive and burnout. Along the way, we dive into the rituals that hold athletes together: unchanging seats during games, repeatable warm-ups, and routines that become anchors when everything else wobbles.

The story doesn’t end at graduation. Sanko chose teaching over college baseball, but he kept the competitive engine alive through golf—an unforgiving mirror where there’s no one to blame but yourself. We explore why golfers become obsessed, how focus and breath steady the swing, and what those lessons mean for work, study, and relationships. If you’ve ever wondered whether winning really matters or why losses linger longer, this conversation offers a grounded take: victory thrills, but defeat teaches.

Join us as we examine resilience, sportsmanship, and the messy, motivating psychology of competition. If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a teammate, and leave a review with the biggest lesson you took from youth sports. What did your toughest loss teach you?

Recorded 2023-2024 school year

FHSTheFlash.com is the outlet for the voices of students at Fraser High School, Fraser, Michigan