Community through Sports
Our soccer and cross country teams are wrapping up strong seasons this week. Congratulations to all of our student athletes and coaches. Special kudos to our boys varsity soccer team for bringing home the league championship in a great game yesterday evening at Nickerson Field. It was, as they say, a dark and stormy night. Goal kicks traveled either 10 or 50 yards depending on the direction of the wind. Routine shots became dangerous for goalkeepers as the ball skidded over the soaked turf. The boys kept their focus and pulled off a great win.
I was struck by the number of fans who showed up in the monsoon. Parents arrived in the stands with umbrellas, long coats, and hot cider. Students came too – finding spaces on the sidelines and under eaves of a nearby building. It was a festive atmosphere, despite the weather. This was just a week after Fall Fest – BUA’s homecoming celebration – where students, teachers, parents, and alums came out in large numbers to cheer on our girls and boys soccer teams under the lights at the stadium. The sidelines were crowded with students holding signs cheering on their classmates. And there was no rain.
Sports do a lot of good things for individuals. They help young people build lifelong habits of physical activity; give students a rare chance to fail and learn from that experience; allow them to feel what it’s like to be on a team and rely on one another; and provide a way to see the impact of steady, diligent work toward a goal. For the community, it does something else. It brings us together. And I’m really grateful for that.
Basketball and fencing seasons are just around the corner. See you on the sidelines!