"For us, it's our biggest stage.
"To be that close on our biggest stage and come up short, how many chances do you get?
"The fact our top players are showing up consistently on our biggest stages and performing well, by that measure alone I think our system is working," said Helfant, who is, nonetheless, well aware of the complaints about the length of the season.
Girls played there in 2008 – "our first festival; our first big stage".
Talley, 17, a golfer on his high school team, added, "It's a big deal in our small town to see one of our own on the big stage".
"We need to go out and show our consistency on the big stage.
Because one day, we might get a chance to showcase our talents on the big stage, proudly representing, and hopefully validating, the underdogs.
"We have a culture where we are all aligned," says Kline. "As I am fond of saying, 'passion is the shortcut to competing on the big stage.' Our team is the underdog right now, but we all are working every day to really dominate the space.
Eight Belles died on our sports biggest stage.
"It's a big stage for our team.
