Editor's note: Oklahoma coach Sherri Coale will share a bi-weekly diary with ESPN.com for the rest of the season.

Feb. 23, 2002

We just clinched the Big XII championship! I think I lost 20 pounds about midway through the second half when we finally pulled away. Missouri played great; I have to give them credit. But we played heavy -- early anyway. Much the way we played in Austin earlier this week ... burdened. Being the lead dog in a race as brutal as this one can make you weary. Sometimes having someone to chase reminds you that there is a prize at the end. The Big XII conference race is long and difficult and it can drain you mentally if you ever, even for an instant, forget why you're running.

	Coale

It reminds me of my days on the high school track team. I ran the lead leg on three relays and my individual event was the quarter mile. The quarter is often called the gut race -- the one that ultimately can't be won just because you're better. You have to want it more than everyone else who is running. I can remember the opening curve being laborious as everyone pushed and elbowed and strode for an inside position. And I remember the straightaway being really hard because you had to find your stride and sustain your position; patience was a must. And I remember the final stretch being all about the mind. It had to be; I could never feel my legs.

Though I won that race far more often than I lost it, I almost always came out of the last curve behind -- partly because I was never fast enough not to be and partly because I could become superhuman if there was someone in front of me to catch. The fact that our team has crossed the tape, leading the crowd since the first curve, says something to me about the fire in their bellies.

Circumstances can enhance or hinder capabilities. Just ask Sarah Hughes or Michelle Kwan or Irina Slutskaya. I love the Olympics. One of my favorite songs is the old hit by Kathy Mattea that goes, "You've got to sing, like you don't need the money. Love like you'll never get hurt. You've got to dance, dance, dance, like nobody's watching. It's got to come from the heart if you want it to work." That's what Sarah Hughes did last night. She came into the final round of women's figure skating in fourth place. She changed her routine. Made it tighter. Upped the ante. Took the big bat and swung for the fence. And Sarah Hughes skated free.

Kathy Mattea was somewhere very proud, applauding, I'm sure. I sat covered in goose bumps throughout the routine and leapt from the couch at her denouement. I don't know beans about ice skating, but I can spot a performance from the heart from a mile away. What a beautiful reminder Sarah is to us all that it's not always about trying to do everything right; sometimes it's more about just loving what you do and letting yourself get lost in the business of doing it.

The age-old debate
A very good friend of mine once told me that every team faces challenges. If you're No. 1 and you're undefeated, you have challenges. They're not the same as those of the 188th place team in Division I basketball, but they're real nonetheless. One thing you can always count on is that there will always be something. The age-old debate rages on: Is it harder to become No. 1, or is it harder to stay No. 1?

	The season is over, but three OU players, including Stacey Dales-Schuman, were first-round WNBA Draft picks.

Since we're not No. 1 (in the country, anyway) I cannot possibly be expected to answer that question (thank God). I remember with great clarity, however, the process of teaching my team how to win. Nothing is harder than that. We have had our share of struggles this year: how to play against the game ... how to be up for every opponent, knowing we have a huge target on our backs ... how to beat a team by 40 if we're supposed to beat them by 40 ... how to close our fist around an opportunity that we've worked so hard to put in the palm of our hand.

The answers aren't easy. And though we closed our fist today, it wasn't without a fight. I do know this, however: Our team expects to win and that makes everything possible. Players trying to win when they don't believe that they can is like an alcoholic trying to become sober without ever admitting he has a drinking problem. Genuinely confident kids can be led and molded and stretched. Kids who lack confidence are grounded. For all the things that might occasionally frustrate me about my team, we have passed "go" in the confidence department. Even when we're lousy, we're sure we're going to win. (Clear evidence that my challenges have not dissipated, they have merely changed.)

Stacey Dales reminded everyone today that she is extraordinary. The memo came in the form of break away layups, turnaround jumpers and perfectly completed no-look passes. The final tally read: 30 points, five assists and five steals. I only wish there were a statistical category for impact, because if there were, no one in America could come close to the numbers she would post. When Stacey Dales walks the walk, our team feels invincible. Her swagger seeps into the skin of her teammates. I like to watch their shoulders go back when she is really good. She's a Naismith candidate and a hopeful again for Kodak All-America, but I don't know if she'll even be the Big XII Player of the Year. While her numbers are good, they're not phenomenal. Yet, few could argue with her presence. When the game is on the line, we go to Stacey Dales. And she's been the right answer 23 times thus far.

A nauseous night
Wednesday is Senior Night. We formally say goodbye to six incredible kids while simultaneously celebrating sole ownership of the conference championship. It won't be the last home game for these kids as we should host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament, but it is an opportunity to recognize their contributions and allow our fans to appreciate the impact they've had on this program.

This night always makes me nauseous. I have a group of kids who try too hard on the most normal of days. I can only imagine what they might be like on Wednesday. I am completely prepared for airballs and travels, and I have a stockpile of quick-hitting jokes for the four time outs I might need to call in the opening five minutes of the game. Senior Night is always unpredictable so I'm going to be prepared for anything.

All joking aside, our final Big XII game against Texas Tech is significant in its insignificance. It all depends upon the lens through which you look. We've been about the long haul since day one. The object, right now, is to play well, to play as one, to finish what we started and to move into postseason play competing with abandon. I can't wait to watch us break the tape!

For more on coach Coale and the Sooners, or for her previous diary entries, visit Oklahoma's official athletic site.