Written By Alan Good
SPORTS - Our weather keeps changing. One minute we’re sweltering, the next we are searching for our sweaters or coats. All that change signals the closing of some minor sports for this year.
The kids of summer will soon put down their bats as the children of soccer kick the ball in the last game of this season. Soon, we’ll look for the drop of the first puck. But that’s Canada. That’s Ontario!
To the last game, though, skills are taught, and warmups and practice adhered to. The take-away from these sports is that all the training and skill honing is applied to the personal life of the players.
Skills like teamwork, cooperation and good attitudes are sidebars to the skills learned to play the games. Coaches, volunteers, and those who come to the games regularly to cheer on the players, need to be recognized for their sacrifice and desire to be a spark of truth in a child’s life.
When they are adults, hopefully things taught now during practices and games will come to mind making them a better self. Those who gave their most to improve my qualities and show me by their example how to act, talk and live when I was a youth, have been remembered most.
As we enter another sports season, keep in mind these games are not just 30–50-minute activities, but are molding of the future for the players. When you watch, or participate as a volunteer, know that what you say and do can speak volumes and shape lives—for good or not.
