March Madness

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Our varsity girls’ basketball team made it to the quarter-finals of the state play-offs this week. Tuesday night we faced our toughest opponent, a rematch of our district championship rival from a game that gave us our first loss of the season. This meeting in the state playoffs did not end as we had hoped it would, either, and we ended with a record of 28-2 for the season.

I meet these girls in middle school (or earlier) as their teacher in the classroom, and watch them grow into varsity athletes as I keep their stats on the sideline. I believe in the power of sports. Through sports these young women are developing character that will allow them to meet the challenges life throws at them. They learn to work as a team, and learn to take personal responsibility for their actions. They learn to balance school and sport, work and play. They will take the lessons from the classroom and the gym to college and then out into the real world. And they will succeed, many of them, because of their time spent on the basketball court and other playing fields.

It is time for the madness to end for the season. It has been a long road to get to this point, but every step has been worth it. The seniors are ready to do exactly what we have prepared them to do, head out into the world and become the next generation’s leaders. For those left behind on the court, the underclassmen, their time will come soon enough.

Being able to help kids on the journey to become who they are meant to be is not a gift I give, but the gift I have been given. Even though we did not walk off the court victorious, on nights like last night, I wouldn't trade my job for anything else the world.