July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Thanks for the championship attitude (03/07/06)
Editorial
The basketball player looked out over the crowd and said, “We're doing this for you.”
It was Saturday night in the gym at Blackford High School. The Jay County Patriots boys' basketball team had just won another sectional championship.
In the great scheme of things — given the war in Iraq, continued threats of terrorism, and a global economy that seems to grow more complicated every day — basketball may not mean very much.
But within a small community and in the lives of the young people involved, it can mean a great deal.
So when a player who is part of a team that has just won a championship says, “We're doing this for you,” it matters.
It matters to the family members he was speaking to. It matters to his friends and classmates and teachers and administrators. It matters to the fans and to the community at large.
But what may have mattered more was the attitude demonstrated by this particular team at this particular time.
For decades, Jay County High School athletic teams have operated under something of a curse. The curse was a belief that a sectional championship was the ultimate goal.
This team doesn't seem to buy that myth. This team seems to believe that a sectional championship is a starting point.
Saturday night was special in several ways.
It was special because of the remarkable fan turnout. Jay County showed up for the game in force, harkening back to the glory days of Hoosier Hysteria.
It was special because of the student support. After decades when the JCHS student section was often an embarrassment, the 2006 edition of fan support was big, vocal, colorful, and raucous. These kids rocked.
But mostly it was special because the guys on the floor looked as if they wanted to play forever.
There was never a sense that this was a team willing to see its season end. There was never a sense they would settle for something less than victory.
They seem to know what they want, and they're willing to do what it takes to get it.
That's a championship attitude. Thanks, guys. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
It was Saturday night in the gym at Blackford High School. The Jay County Patriots boys' basketball team had just won another sectional championship.
In the great scheme of things — given the war in Iraq, continued threats of terrorism, and a global economy that seems to grow more complicated every day — basketball may not mean very much.
But within a small community and in the lives of the young people involved, it can mean a great deal.
So when a player who is part of a team that has just won a championship says, “We're doing this for you,” it matters.
It matters to the family members he was speaking to. It matters to his friends and classmates and teachers and administrators. It matters to the fans and to the community at large.
But what may have mattered more was the attitude demonstrated by this particular team at this particular time.
For decades, Jay County High School athletic teams have operated under something of a curse. The curse was a belief that a sectional championship was the ultimate goal.
This team doesn't seem to buy that myth. This team seems to believe that a sectional championship is a starting point.
Saturday night was special in several ways.
It was special because of the remarkable fan turnout. Jay County showed up for the game in force, harkening back to the glory days of Hoosier Hysteria.
It was special because of the student support. After decades when the JCHS student section was often an embarrassment, the 2006 edition of fan support was big, vocal, colorful, and raucous. These kids rocked.
But mostly it was special because the guys on the floor looked as if they wanted to play forever.
There was never a sense that this was a team willing to see its season end. There was never a sense they would settle for something less than victory.
They seem to know what they want, and they're willing to do what it takes to get it.
That's a championship attitude. Thanks, guys. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]
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