High School Sports--The Way It Should Be!

Tomorrow is an important day at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel High School. Our men's soccer team will play for the championship of the MIAA C Conference at 4:00 p.m. at Archbishop Spalding, a neutral site. There will be excitement building all day tomorrow in school. Students will wear the school colors of blue and gold instead of their uniforms. I am sure some faces will be painted blue and ponytails will be adorned with gold and blue ribbons. The school day will end with a pep rally and then the team will depart. They will be followed by a school van full of cheerleaders and a rented bus full of student fans. It has been several years since our team has gotten this far--to the very last game--on a championship run. Actually, the last time we won the big prize, our coach Drew Ganzerrmiller was a player! And, that brings me to the real reason that I write this commentary tonight instead of after the game tomorrow.
In recent years, professional athletes and even college level athletes seem to have lost something that all athletes used to embody. Most sports had a sense of purity now lost at these upper levels. High school sports, though,still has that magic . There is still something wonderful about high school athletics that causes the fan--student, parent, alum or principal--to yell with delight at a great play or get a lump in the throat when disappointment is a game's result. Our student athletes play because they love the game. Be it soccer, volleyball, lacrosse--you name it--they participate because they love the game and value the deep comraderie that results in working as part of a team. Athletics, at the high school level, still allows the loner to become part of things, allows the less skillful player to make a contribution, and allows the student leader to set a standard of sportsmanship and character that surpasses whatever number is on the scoreboard. Student athletes really care about each other. They care about their school and desire to bring "glory" to their efforts through hard work and cooperation. They want to win for the right reasons and they are willing to work hard to make that happen. (Our fall athletes began practice in mid-August and have put in two-three hours everyday since then training and practicing!)
I decided to write my comments while I was sitting in Church this morning! Today just happened be the Mass celebrating the children (ages 3-14 or so) who participate in our parish Athletic Association. This group includes coaches, parents, and kids that are part of the traditional CYO league. They play either on Saturday or Sunday during the fall and learn the skills I spoke about earlier including how to play soccer, how to share, how to accept a win with grace, and a defeat with sportsmanship. One glance at the flying helmets and late hits on television later on Sunday afternoon emhasizes just how important these life lessons are for kids who see great athletes some of whom have traded a love for their game for something else.
So,finally,here is the reason I chose to write my blog entry today! This morning I saw an example of high school athletes reaching the highest standard possible! Into the 10:00 a.m. Athletic Assoication Mass, marched our men's varsity soccer team. These high school boys were dressed in their uniforms and had decided to pray with the younger athletes before the last practice before their big game. They sat together as a team, toward the front of the Church. They were, every single one of them,reverent, respectful, and sincere. Fr. John wished them well and the congregation applauded. Better yet, the eyes of every little kid soccer player in that Church watched them. Those little kids saw prayer, respect, and community. They watched those older boys and looked up to them both literally and figuratively and dreamed of a day when they, too, might have a chance to play for a championship.
I think that in the bigger game of life, our boys have already won. They have dedicated themselves to hard work, doing their best, putting priorities in order, and setting a standard for others to follow. I am enormously proud of this team and the other athletes like them who may not have made it to a final championship game. Sports at Mt. Carmel remain close to what high school sports should be because our kids know what is really important--Striving to be the best without sacrificing who you really are! As for tomorrow, let's win that game! GO COUGARS!!!!