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It's the journey, not the goal, that is important in life.

World Cup snowboarder Justin Reiter reminded me of that this week while we were chatting about his accomplishments this season.

The veteran of the U.S. Ski Team knows what he is talking about. Before this season, he spent most of his energy, time and talent pursing the 2006 Olympic Games.

However, when the time came to board the train for Italy, Reiter and several other top American snowboarders, were left behind.

To some, his four-year effort to reach the top of his sport was reduced to failure. Nobody wants to listen to excuses. Who cares if injuries and a bit of bad luck held him back at the start of the 2006 season?

In the end, all the attention belonged to the top American athletes who were basking in the bright spotlight of the Olympic Games. Reiter was left in the shadows trying to make sense of the four years of hard work and the final few months that had sealed his fate.

Sadly, Americans rarely pay any attention to the world of Alpine snowboarding, and their interest in the Olympics normally is focused on the athletes who win gold, silver and bronze.

Despite his disappointment, Reiter rebounded by winning two national titles at the end of the 2006 season, and he is coming off of one of the best World Cup seasons of his career in 2007.

It would seem as if the Steamboat snowboarder is on a mission to make the 2010 Olympic team. But he is not.

Reiter, who traveled to Europe, Japan and Canada this season, says he's just living in the moment. Taking in the sights and sounds of the World Cup and doing his best to enjoy the ride. If the Olympics end up being a part of that, all the better.

It's a lesson we can all take to heart.

It doesn't matter if you're an Olympian or playing softball in a local adult recreational league - it's a message we can all learn.

In this country, we are so consumed with winning championships, earning titles and making it to the next level, that we rarely take the time to enjoy the things we love about sports.

Sure, everyone knows winning is more fun than losing, but in the end, I believe it's the game itself that really matters.

We should love the sound a bat makes when we hit a softball over an infielder's head, or the feeling of control that comes from throwing seven strikes in a row, or that little jump you feel in your heart after driving a golf ball down the center of a fairway.

If the main goal of playing a game is simply to win, odds are the only feeling you will know is disappointment.

I understand every great athlete is driven by the desire to win - it's only natural. But Reiter reminds us all that sports can also be about the journey, even if we never reach that final destination.