Always a winning combination
As we all recover from the first high school football Friday in Butler County, it is good to take a moment to reflect on why enthusiasm and excitement reign.
From events like the Butler Tornado pie festival on Thursday to the games where eager players, cheerleaders, band members, flag carriers and majorettes take the field, it’s celebrating hard work, dedication and training. It’s the thrill of testing their skills before their friends and families.
The young athletes driving for the touchdown or defending their quarterback are learning life lessons. How should they handle winning and losing? Did their grueling preparations pay off? How should they regroup when handed a setback?
Other students who choose to show their athleticism on the sidelines or at halftime at the 50-yard line are also discovering the importance of practice to reap the rewards of a great performance. To stay upbeat and follow their routines regardless of the weather or the results of the game takes their concentration and determination.
Stepping out in uniform to play in the night air adds another dimension and experience for student musicians who find they can ignite school spirit. Working in concert with flag carriers and majorettes, they all pack a full show in to minutes and then hand off the crowd with the often-aerial antics of the school’s cheerleaders.
Through their talents, these students all become ambassadors to young fans who might be searching for a way to express themselves and be involved with such close knit groups that will make lifelong impressions on them.
From the stands, the fans — young and not so young — cheer. And they should, for every effort.
It takes discipline and confidence to step out before a stadium of people especially at during those high school years.
One lesson that every student participating should learn is that no matter what the outcome of the game, the crowd is rooting for their success on and off the field.
— DJS
