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| Enjoying success in athletics |
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| Athletics are not all about winning and losing and Crook County is having a good fall season |
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Good things are happening in Crook County High School athletics this fall. From the boys soccer team making the state playoffs for the first time in school history to the freshman football team going 8-1, to Michelly Foley winning the state cross-country title, or the volleyball team going through league undefeated and putting themselves in good position to defend their state title, athletic programs are having a lot of success on the court or playing field.
But one of the best things happening is something that seldom gets any press. The Dairy Farmers of Oregon give an award out each sports season to the sports teams in each classification with the highest grade point average as a team. Crook County has done very well this fall. The boys cross-country team was fourth of all the 5A cross-country teams in the state with a 3.77 GPA. The football team was fifth with a 3.23 GPA, the volleyball team was sixth with a 3.63 GPA, the boys soccer team was 14th with a 3.13, and the girls soccer team was 22nd with a 3.20.
It is good to know that Crook County athletes are excelling in the classroom as well as on the playing field.
Regarding success, one of the interesting things about our society is we tend to see success as wins and losses, and it is not always so simple. The Crook County cross-country team is a good example. Juanita Tripplett, Cecillia Muzzolli, Austin Morrell, Micah Perry, and Cody Woods each saw huge improvements in their times at the district meet. As none of them qualified for state, they largely became footnotes in articles or even just a line with a time buried near the back of the sports section, and yet by any normal standard they were all successful at that meet.
Athletics should be about the dedication, the sweat and blood, the character building, sportsmanship, fair play, the sense of team, and the effort. The attempt to win or do your best is much more important to society in the long run than who actually won or lost.
As a case in point, in the 70's Linfield College had a runner on their track team who was blind. I think his name was Mark.
Because of his handicap Mark could only run in home meets, and only in the outside lane where he could hold on to a rope that they had staked out against the track. He ran holding the rope in his right hand and tried to keep up with the other sprinters in spite of his disadvantages. He would wear a glove on his right hand and count the stakes that his hand hit to know where he was on the track. His hand regularly had cuts from the rope and bruises from the stakes.
It was not uncommon to see people making fun of him, or commenting on him having no business being on the track team. In his entire career up to his senior year Mark had never made the finals in a meet, or even placed in a small meet. I had the privilege of competing in the meet where this changed. It was the last meet I ever ran on Linfield's track.
I was busy doing my own events and not really paying attention when the gun went off for the start of the 100. I looked up because one of our runners was expected to win the race and we were fighting for the team title and needed the points. I saw our sprinter win the race and then I saw Mark cross the finish line. I think he was trying to lean at the finish, but anyway he fell flat on his face. As he was trying to get to his feet pandemonium broke loose. The grandstands were filled and everyone in them was standing and cheering loudly. Even the finish judges left their stand and ran to congratulate Mark. He ended up on his knees on the track weeping tears of joy, and everyone joined in his celebration. You see the meet gave six places and Mark finished sixth.
Almost no one remembers who won the 100 in that meet, or even who won the team title, but I seriously doubt if there is a person alive today that was in that crowd who has forgotten about Mark. The courage and dedication it took for him to persevere; to overcome huge obstacles and score. It was only one point, it wasn't a win, and it didn't do a thing to change the outcome of the meet, but to Mark it was huge, and it made a lasting impact on me.
We need to strive for excellence. We need to do everything in our power to attempt to win, but it really is about the effort and the attempt, not about who actually wins. Leave that for the pros. If athletes are doing their best that is all any coach can ask for. If athletics really belong as part of our school system then they should be developing character and teaching first and winning should be secondary.
With that said go Cowgirls! Good luck at state. But win or lose-as spectators let's show the same sportsmanship and class that the team has shown all season.
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