Inside the Cupboard

Sports are like politicians – they take a beating sometimes more often than not, they don’t deserve all that they get. Some sports are ‘rougher’ than others and they are often criticized more than others. You hear about all the negative with sports a whole lot quicker than you do the positives.

This past week, I was more than just a little excited to hear positives and not just one or two but many, many positives. It started with some of the youngest players and continued up to high school players. As everyone knows, recreational soccer was in full swing this season and I’m happy to say that soccer continues to grow in Jackson County.

Rec ball provides so much for young players, and often are the difference maker between a child loving a sport or never wanting to go near a field/court again. If you did not see a soccer game this year at the rec level, you missed out. The progress these little ones small group have made with their homespun ingenuity is nothing short of jaw dropping.

KUDOS to those players and their coaches and parents – those coaches had the patience of Job for sure and the parents had to have witnessed.

At a higher level, and in a different sport, there was an injury to a player at an away game. The game stopped temporarily for the injured player to leave the field but upon doing so, several players walked over to him as he was carted to the sidelines. I have no idea what words were said but the expression actions speak louder than words was very present.

The players from the home team, patted the injured player on the back and three of them repeated an action I’ve seen many times in church, and anyone watching knew there were prayers going up for that young man. I am proud to say the player recovered fully and I am positive the prayers played a part in his recovery.

Many moons ago, I couldn’t imagine how fights would break out (Lakes/Celtics come to mind) but as I grew older (not necessarily wiser), and because of my job as a sports writer, I found myself surrounded by athletes at every level, from tee/wee ball all the way to the professional level.

I became more alert to the heat of the moment. It’s easy to sit in the stands or on the sidelines and judge, but it’s a lot more productive to teach by actions.

So, let your kiddos, your players see you handle situations ‘in the heat of the moment’. No truer words were ever spoken than actions speak louder than words and that’s the way it is from Inside the Cupboard.