— by Art Lange —
Winning football games feels good and it’s a great sense of accomplishment. To know: “I’m good at this! We are good at this!”
Something else is equally, maybe more, important: the pride in knowing that you honored yourself and your teammates when you gave everything you had on every play, that you tested your limits both mentally and physically, that you never gave up in the fourth quarter when you knew winning was not going to happen; that you were outnumbered virtually every game and you still hung in there. Knowing that about yourself is priceless. It will be a part of you for the rest of your life, not just the memory but it will influence how you think and act.
Thank you Art for your support of the boys! This group of kids walked out onto the field game after game outnumbered by 40 players. Most of the kids played every play, offense and defense, all game. Each game they played their hearts out showing pride and dedication. At the end of the day they can all take pride in their performance.
The lessons they have learned will help them later in life and exemplify why giving our students the chance to play, succeed, fail and grow on the field is an extremely important part of their education. Congratulation to all of the kids who left it all on the field this fall. You have made your community proud! Go Vikings!
I agree wholeheartedly with you,Art. As the mother of one of the players, I thank you for your kind and encouraging words.