Saluting sacrifice and commitment
With the dawn of another high school football season, here are some reasons why I?m so appreciative of those involved in a game that rarely produces college talent, and even more rare is the professional player, yet requires so much conditioning and sacrifice. Sacrifice. That?s a big word for me when football practices open up in 80 degree temperatures in early August, and because of the summer heat, many young men have to pull themselves out of bed many hours before they would even start to think about waking up.
To do what? Lift weights, run their tails off, bang heads and then run some more. Summer ends far too early for these local gridiron heroes and that might be one reason why football coaches are finding it increasingly more difficult to get kids out. A lot of it is injuries, as parents don?t want their teen to risk it, but I also believe it?s just too much work for some.
Now, this isn?t about those who don?t want to drag their carcasses from their pillow and run until a drink of water tastes like a 20-ounce pop pulled from an ice-filled cooler. No, I?m here to applaud the kids who are putting in the work. These young men are getting harder to find. The best example this season comes from the other side of the county. The Onaway football program had 33 varsity players a short three or four years ago. Now, they are in the teens like a lot of other northern Michigan schools, and they have huge numbers in their pee wee program.
Rogers City coaches would probably go out and buy lottery tickets if they had a roster of 20 on both the varsity and junior varsity squads. Right now, I?m sure they are just happy to have a J.V. What a luxury and blessing for the Huron program. In Posen, most are pleased to still have football. It has not been easy, and I believe the community was pretty close to losing the program a few months ago at a school board meeting, but Posen coach Wayne Karsten has done so much to promote the new eight-man game, and worked hard to establish a new league. Howe
And in bigger communities, there?s a cost to play. Granted, there?s always a cost to participate in athletics from extra equipment such as cleats and arm pads, admission fees and gas to travel to games. What I?m talking about are stiff fees to even step on the practice field, and ?pay to play? doesn?t always mean Johnny is going to get to play, even if his parents paid between $300 to $500. I can?t imagine what that would do for the game around here. The gate at Gilpin Memorial Field could stay locked up until spring.
That leads me down another path. As the season gets underway, and this includes all sports, support the boosters with any time you might have available, and whenever possible, financial support with whatever cause they are involved in. People are needed to help out at meetings and at the various activities in both Posen and Rogers City. If you?re already involved, great. Keep it up. More people like you are needed to keep sports viable in our communities. And show your support for the athletes by attending the games, because that supports the athletic budget, plus the athletes like to see the fans attend games. And that includes all sports. It shows their hard work has not gone in vain.