By PETER SINE
KCHS Class of 2026 President
Good morning family, friends, staff, faculty and, most importantly, the Class of 2026.
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Peter Sine, this year’s senior class president. I know some of you are wondering how the school trusted me enough to give a speech here today and honestly, I’m just as surprised considering the number of times teachers had to tell me to stop talking, sit down or “please just focus for just five minutes.”
If there is one thing to know about me, it’s that basketball has been what I consider my reason why; it has both given me everything as well as taken so much at the same time.
That’s why I keep coming back to something basketball teaches you early: Hesitation will lose you more opportunities than failure ever will. As they say, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
And I think that idea perfectly represents our class. Every single person sitting here today took a shot at something, whether it was academics, sports, leadership or simply pushing through difficult moments. That willingness to try, even when success wasn’t guaranteed, is what brought us here today.
Even though we’re all about to walk across the same stage, the path that got each of us here looked completely different.
High school is a lot like a basketball game. We all played on the same court. With the same scoreboard. The same final buzzer. But everyone plays the game differently. Some people started right away. Some of us had to fight for our opportunity. Many faced setbacks, losses or moments where they questioned themselves entirely.
But no matter how our journeys looked, we all found a way to keep moving forward.
And now, we’re here together, finishing this chapter as one team.
When I look back on my own journey, I realize the biggest reason I’m standing here today isn’t because I was the smartest or the most popular or even the best at sports, but instead because I took opportunities when they came my way. Not always successfully. Sometimes it felt like I was throwing up shots with no chance of going in. Sometimes I missed badly. Sometimes I failed. And honestly, sometimes it felt like a complete airball.
But I think everyone has been looking at the scoreboard wrong.
See, we always count whenever we do something successful, whenever we make a layup, score a 3 [pointer] or knock down a free throw.
At first it can look like we aren’t super successful. We can easily be too hard on ourselves.
But what if we didn’t just count success, but also counted every moment we learned something from a mistake, every time we got back up after failing, every time we tried again when it would’ve been easier to quit? I think we’d realize we’ve been a lot more successful than we give ourselves credit for.
The reason failure feels so heavy isn’t because it’s the end or we’ve lost, but instead it’s because we treat it like one.
In reality, failure is just feedback. It’s not a loss, it’s information. It’s a chance to adjust, grow and come back stronger.
Look at it like this, put a wooden beam on the ground, and almost anyone can walk across it. But put that same beam 100 feet in the air, and suddenly, people freeze. The beam didn’t change.
Fear did.
And that’s how life works, too.
Most of the time, we’re not held back by what’s actually possible, but by what we think could go wrong.
Why are we worried about what could go wrong when so much could go right.
And that connects right back to basketball again. You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. The game isn’t about avoiding misses. It’s about having the courage to take the shot anyway.
And I think too many people live their lives standing on the sidelines, waiting for the perfect play to be called. Waiting until they’re 100% ready. Waiting until there’s no chance of failure.
But that moment will never come.
You will never be handed the keys to success.
If you see an opportunity, you have to take the shot. Because yeah, you might miss. In fact, I bet you probably will, even multiple times. But every shot you take teaches you something. Every miss helps you adjust. Every failure builds you into a better player. And eventually, one of those shots goes in.
Moving forward, that mindset should never change.
I personally know I will be on the sidelines coaching basketball, not because I know I am the best coach and I can automatically be with a team. But I know that there is no reason I can’t.
The one quote I want everyone to live by was from a famous race car driver that was once asked how he knew he could do it. And he simply responded with, “I never thought I couldn’t.”
So be delusional. Speak what you want into existence, because you only sound crazy until it actually happens.
I don’t have the keys to being a basketball coach.
You guys in front of me don’t have the keys to a multi-billion-dollar business.
But we can all do it.
Because why not?
Why can’t you do whatever you want to do.
Because of fear?
The only thing holding you back is yourself.
If there’s one thing to take with you today, it’s to live in a mindset of “Why Not?”
Quit hesitating and just go for it.
Because now, it’s not just about the shots we’ve taken to get here, it’s about the ones we’re about to take next.
I want everyone to do something today that will make you proud in a year. Because right now, we’re stepping into a whole new game. Everyone has a new court. With all new competition. There’s no more set plays, no more guaranteed structure. And it’s going to be on us to create our own opportunities. There’s going to be pressure. There are going to be moments where the clock is winding down, and the game is on the line. And in those moments, you have a choice: Pass up the shot … or take it.
So don’t let fear keep you on the bench. Don’t let doubt stop you from stepping onto the court. And don’t let the uncontrollables, bad calls, missed shots, tough losses control how you play the game.
Because you can’t control everything that happens to you, so why let those uncontrollables control your emotions, your effort and your passion for your dreams?
Class of 2026, we’ve made it.
This might feel like the final buzzer, but really, it’s just the start of a brand new game. So take the shot. Take the opportunity. And don’t be afraid to miss, because the only way you truly lose is by never trying in the first place.
Thank you, Class of 2026. Thank you, Kent County High School.
I hope everyone has an amazing day, and I can’t wait to see where the next game takes us.
