HERMOSA BEACH, California — Miles Partain thought he was a loser.
Those three AVP wins? Three Elite16 medals, a collection of every color? The stunning, back-to-back victories over Anders Mol and Christian Sorum to win the Gstaad cowbell? The accolades lavished upon him by his peers: two-time Best Offensive Player, Rookie of the Year, both on the AVP and Beach Pro Tour, Best Defensive Player?
Luck.
All of it.
Meanwhile, the losses, few as they may have been?
His fault.
All of it.
It weighed on that lean and explosive left shoulder of his, as it would anyone.
“I used to see some athletes as winners and some as not, and I would view myself as not,” Partain said. “I was just like ‘Why do I see myself this way? What does a winner mean?’ ”
He didn’t know. For 21 years, he’d never bothered to ask. Until finally, he did.
It’s not an easy task, soul-searching. Not for the…
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