As you read this, there’s a chance you attended Meet the Panthers this past Tuesday in New Richland. I always look forward to this night for a couple of reasons. One is that my voice feels like it’s getting rusty, having been away from the microphone for some time. The other is getting a chance to see all our student-athletes getting ready for another season.
It’s no secret to my readers that I rank sports high on my list of enjoyable things. With that thought in mind, high school athletics are at the top of my sports list. Why is that? I’m glad you asked!
I see Audrienne Kormann at so many NRHEG events and have for many years. The very first time I met her, at a grandson’s baseball game, she told me, “I just love sports!” and then told me about her lifelong infatuation with all things sport. This past summer, I sat by her at some softball games that Jayna and her granddaughter played in together. I heard the same refrain, which gave me pause to think about why exactly people like Audrienne and me and so many others love these games.
Here’s what it boils down to: high school athletes truly play for the enjoyment of the game and the thrill of competition. There’s not an ulterior reward in the form of a college scholarship for the vast majority of them, and even fewer will ever play professionally. This makes high school sports the most pure form of sports you can watch.
How many of us look back on those “glory days” with fond memories? Those were great times, and I enjoy watching our young people make those memories of their own to remember someday.
Plus, sports are the most enjoyable “reality show” you can find. Even though you might think you know who will win, you just never know. Plus, you might see that one play that everyone will be talking about for weeks! That’s better than most of the fare that’s on TV these days.
Now, I will give full disclosure before this next part: I get into our local games for free. (Of course, I’m also “working!”) Still, when I bring my family and have to pay for them, I find it to be a reasonable amount to watch a game for a couple of hours. It certainly costs less than taking them all to a movie, and the popcorn is better!
I’ve seen declining attendance at so many events lately, with the exception of girls’ basketball. There haven’t been as many people at football or boys’ basketball games the last few years. I hope it’s not because the records haven’t been as good.
These kids work hard. There’s a lot to be said for a crowd infusing energy into a team (just go to one of the aforementioned girls’ games).
I’ll step into the Swami’s shoes for a moment. The football team should be better this year. I’ve officiated at the lower levels and have seen some more talent coming. The coaches always have them as prepared as they can, and the record doesn’t always show where a key play here or there might have changed things.
The boys’ basketball team should also make leaps and bounds. I can honestly say that I’ve not seen a team improve from beginning to end as much as that team did last year. They’re still young and should make a run at being a threat come playoff time this year.
Come on out and watch the kids play. The volleyball team plays a home game on August 27, and the football team plays two Fridays in a row at home, August 30 and September 6. Make it a goal to come and watch our young athletes compete and put on a show at least once per season. You never know, you might see something you’ll remember for a long time, and you may find that getting a season pass would be worth the money when you discover this same love of high school athletics!
Word of the Week: Special shout out to the winner of last week’s contest to identify the common link among my last five words of the week: erudite, candor, abnegation, amity, and dauntless. Cory James knew these are the five factions in a trilogy written by Veronica Roth, which leads to this week’s word, the title of the first book, soon to be a movie. This week’s word is divergent, which means differing or deviating, as in, “The running back became divergent when he saw a hole open up off the path he was supposed to run.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!