We truly have some of the best high school athletic programs right here in Milam County. Each of the six public schools in the county have various programs, from track to volleyball. Right now, football and volleyball have the spotlight. From the athletic directors to the trainers, they all do such an amazing job at not just teaching the skills of the games, but more importantly the lessons of life, which are embedded in sports.
Football teaches a lot of life’s important life lessons, such as how to act when winning or losing. Last week, I saw a lot of this. That Thursday, I shot three games in Bellville, including the combined, seventh grade and eighth grade games. Rockdale had a tough time during all three games, in part, because Bellville had many more players. However, under Rockdale Coach Eric Willard, none of the teams gave up and fought to the end with class. Losing a football game is part of playing and it teaches an important lesson of life; never give up!
On Friday, I shot the Milano-Thorndale game. MHS got behind early against a very good Thorndale team. The game was never close, but both teams played with class. Thorndale Coach Kovar did not attempt to run up the score and Milano’s Coach Morehead continued to “coach up” the kids in a positive manner to the very end. As I left the field, Milano player Nick Grimes had the wherewithal to thank me for coming to the game. In that moment I thought, I should be thanking him for having the courage to fight to the very end. His words were those of courage which demonstrate the kind of conduct we can all be proud of.
His actions are exemplary of the type of conduct and sportsmanship that is being taught by all these fine athletic programs. As much as no one wants to lose there are clearly important lessons of life to be learned, even during a loss. These athletes will carry these lessons with them for the rest of their life. And when things get tough, they will undoubtably remember those hard games where they did not give up and know they can perform the seemingly impossible task at hand.
I encourage everyone to get out and support these fine players, coaches, and staff. Let them know how important their work is. Without the dedication of our nurturing school administrators, coaches, and staff, none of this is possible. But our fine schools are teaching these lessons of life to our leaders of the future, right here in Milam County.
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