Local pride in a small town includes sports at every level. Parents and grandparents spend a lot of time in bleachers or along sidelines watching their favorite players being introduced to and growing through athletics. A case in point: high school girls basketball. They were great fun to watch and listen to this year. Our public high school girls made it through a tough sectional and represented us in regional semi-state competition. This letter was a thank-you to a fine group of young ladies who did a great job.
To Our Lady Hatchets,
Wow. I hope you realize just how proud we in Washington are of you.
Change is difficult enough when we change by choice. It’s hard work.
To be surprised by change, then respond with a new game plan, is even more difficult. It tests your character, demanding you to step into leadership and make things happen.
There’s more. You may just want to play basketball. We ask you to go beyond that. To us, you’re not just high schoolers. You’re ambassadors representing our small town to the rest of the state. As odd as it may sound and feel, you’re also heroes. Kids in elementary and junior high school look up to you. They watch you and want to do what you do. College students and adults watch as well. As you’ve done well, we’ve renewed our pride in this community and we’ve remembered juggling studies and extra-curricular activities and shaping who we’d become. You’re in an exciting time of life.
Today, you met the challenge of change head on. You revised your strategy. You played like the remarkable team we’ve watched or listened to all year. You made our hearts race. You did things we wish we could do. Your opponent scored more points this morning, but I believe you won in more important ways and have proven things about yourselves you didn’t really know for sure.
Thank you for all your hard work and preparation. Thank you for digging deeply and rising to challenges. Thank you for your inspiration. Please be as proud of yourselves as we are of you.
All the very best,
Dave (and probably quite a few of the people around you)
