The Plane Broke and the Team Went 5 for 5

Everything happens for a reason. I’ve heard that line my whole life and honestly, most days I don’t buy it. But last Saturday made a case for it.

The plan was simple. The whole family was flying out to Charleston. Beach week with my mom, my sisters, their significant others, and a brand new baby in the mix. Bags packed. Everybody ready.

Here’s the wrinkle. Five of our students were signed up to compete at Fight to Win the same night we were scheduled to leave. I’d made my peace with missing it. You can’t be everywhere. Family comes first, the coaches had it covered, and I told myself the team would be fine without me.

Then the plane broke.

Maintenance issue. Delayed. Delayed again. Canceled.

Completely out of my control. Nothing to do but stand at the gate and accept it. And look, I’m not going to pretend I was thrilled in the moment. Nobody enjoys watching a trip fall apart in an airport.

But two things were suddenly true. One, I didn’t fly on a broken plane. I’ll take that trade every single time. Two, I was now home on fight night.

So instead of sitting on a beach, I was matside, coaching alongside my big bro, our co-owner and head coach at System. Right where the team was.

They went 5 for 5. Five matches. Five wins. Five submissions.

A perfect night. And I got to be there for every second of it, in the corner, yelling instructions, watching our people do the thing we train for.

Would the team have won without me there? Probably. They did the work. But it wouldn’t have been the same for me. There’s something about being in the corner when your students’ hands get raised that you can’t get secondhand.

I don’t know if everything happens for a reason. But sometimes things don’t just happen to you. They happen for you. That canceled flight felt less like bad luck and more like the universe grabbing me by the collar and saying, you need to be here tonight.

It was right.

V/R,

Nick Hession-Kugelman