Sports

Winter Ramblings

CLAREMONT — How many of you remember the old CVL? Some of the best games I’ve seen are between local schools, great atmosphere, big crowds and oh those local rivalries. Maybe someday it will return.

The next time you go to a gym, take a moment to look around. Look at the entrance area, you will probably see volunteers selling tickets, snacks, school T-shirts and the like and popping popcorn. These sales benefit so many things for the schools from the senior prom to field trips and so much more.

Those rosters at the front table are great and some schools list the names of players, their grade, position and height as well. I wish they would be available for all sports and not just football and basketball.

The athletic directors. Some may think anyone can do this but believe me it’s no picnic. They are responsible for coaches, players, officials, bus availability, gym time, checking on players grades and certifications for coaches and dealing with parents and those pesky media people just scratch the surface of a day in the life. Forget about game reschedules, budgets, hiring coaches, player discipline and all the politics that goes along with this job, that’s just another can of worms.

I can tell you first hand what it means for a player to see their teacher, principal or coach from another sport in the crowd, it really makes a difference and many attend games on a regular basis. There are programs that invite youth teams to attend games and be a part of team drills and more, I bet those memories will last quite a while for both the players and youngsters.

A tip of the hat to the Deputy who attends the BF games, it’s great to have him directing traffic as you leave the school.

Why would anyone schedule a big issue meeting when there are games taking place is something I’ll never understand. The folks who attend these games are usually the ones who vote and have great involvement in the community, to make them choose a meeting over a game is something that should be avoided.

To keep things moving along, there are 50/50 raffles, half court shots, tosses to center court and occasionally some halftime entertainment (star wars or some line dancing in Newport) to keep things busy during the break and of course the cheerleaders and dance teams (Newport, Stevens, Springfield and GM). I spotted my first pep band at Kearsarge last week and they were great.

The gyms always look clean and well taken care of and the upgrades in Springfield and Newport over the summer look great. Fresh paint, new scoreboards and more were all done by a group of very active boosters and some very dedicated coaches who all donated their time.

Enjoy the game and the next time you visit a gym, notice all the banners hanging on the walls and the history and memories they represent, smell the popcorn and think how lucky we are to have this. I know I do.

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