Act of kindness ripples through Valley

If we had one regret about the exhibition match Jan. 11 between Palmer High grappler Kris Don and Colony High’s Trevor Burgoyne it’s that we weren’t in the gym to witness it personally. This is a sporting event that will go down in local lore not for its outcome, but for how the game was played.

Neither athlete was expecting to turn heads or earn a turn featured in their hometown newspaper. But these two combined Saturday to make the ordinary extraordinary.

We take pride in the accomplishments of our local youths. We cheer for them on the Schools and Sports pages, and in real life on stage in their schools’ theater productions or on the mat testing their skills and determination against each other.

While the nature of this job means that sometimes we also publish stories about young people involved in crimes, by and large when we write about Valley kids it’s to lift them up and cheer them on toward their potential. They are all our kids.

Today we single out Don and Burgoyne for our brightest spotlight. These two high school sophomores have earned a reputation among their neighbors this week for sportsmanship and top-shelf character.

Burgoyne has Down syndrome and had never won a match — until Saturday. Don is a quiet young man who didn’t act in search of praise. He just did the right thing and started a gymnasium, and then our whole Valley, cheering.

At the match, Don had already finished competing when his coaches asked if he’d consider wrestling in an exhibition match with Burgoyne in the 170-pound class. There was no plan beyond to have the two young men test each other on the mat.

While his coaches told Don to make the match competitive, when it started, Don decided Burgoyne would not only do well, he would win. Don truly seemed to have no idea what he’d accomplished by losing. In fact, it was several days before he even mentioned it to his parents.

Only a few high school athletes continue on to careers as college athletes, and fewer still make it to the professional level. But the life lesson Don drilled home in the center circle Saturday is one each of us should carry going forward.

It’s worth knowing that something that may seem small on your end can ripple through the community like this act of sportsmanship has. Thank you, Don and Burgoyne, for your example of kindness and dignity. You’ve set the bar high, now it’s up to us to reach the mark.