Go With It
April 30, 2012
One of my counterparts in another state asked me last week, “How do you do it?” He meant, how do I find time to prepare two blog postings every week; and he also meant, how do I find topics for 104 postings each year; and he also meant, how do I go about the actual writing?
As for finding time, it’s no problem; because writing helps me think. It helps me clarify and prioritize. And going public with these thoughts helps me be more certain that I’m committed to the ideas. For me, writing daily is as important as breathing deeply.
As for finding topics, it’s rarely a problem. I find subject matter in what I read, what I hear and what I observe in everyday life and worldwide travel. And I’ve discovered that the richest sources for writing about school sports are often found the furthest from school sports.
And as for the actual technique, I go about it this way: I try to provide a plain circle, and then invite readers to color it however they wish, to use any shade they prefer, to color outside the lines if they think that’s most beneficial to their situation.
When we were children we were praised for coloring within the lines and utilizing the appropriate shades for sun, sky, grass and flowers. These days I just want to provide a blank circle and ask, “What can you do with that?” Not dictating what readers should do, but inviting readers to take an idea and do with it what they will where they live, work and play.
At least that’s what I want to do.
UP Power
November 29, 2016
About five hours after leaving the Michigan High School Athletic Association office building late in October, I pulled into the parking lot of Munising High School on the edge of Lake Superior. It was just after 7 p.m. on this Thursday evening, I saw that there were many cars in the parking lot, and I guessed that there was a high school volleyball game about to be played.
Indeed. It was the last regular season match of the season, and senior night. I was greeted warmly by the match referee and the school's two veteran administrators. And one of Munising's senior players, a member of the MHSAA Student Advisory Council, interrupted her warmups to jog over to welcome me. After the match, we hugged and posed for pictures together. Between the greeting and the posing, I enjoyed a marvelous evening of educational athletics.
There was plenty of cheering, and never a "boo." Not once did I hear a complaint about officiating. In fact, on two occasions the Munising coach corrected officials' calls that resulted in a point being awarded to his opponent.
For a time, every player on the floor for Munising had played more than one sport that season. Every one of the six played tennis as well as volleyball, and one of them also ran cross country this season. At the same time, the other team's participants included two girls who were also playing on their school's 8-player football team this past season.
Here the multi-sport student-athlete is not an endangered species; it's an essential fact of life. Here a school sports event draws the community together in good spirit and sportsmanship. Here is the power of school sports.