Frontiersman Editorial

Purity in sport found at Valley events

August 7, 2007

By Greg Johnson

Sports are ingrained in our society, a piece of our culture many cherish. Sports are unique, a world we can actively participate in, watch closely, discuss, dissect and critique.

Sports are events that can represent the best of the best or worst of the worst.

In the last several weeks, at the national level, we have seen the worst of the worst.

Four major stories - the alleged illegal gambling of a National Basketball Association referee, the dog fighting ring allegedly captained by a National Football League star, the chase of Major League Baseball's most treasured home run record potentially tainted by alleged steroid use and the drug scandal surrounding cycling and the Tour de France - have taken control of the national media, sending shock waves throughout the world.

On Friday, we can table all that in favor of the best of the best when local high school football squads officially take the field for the first time this season.

The Colony Knights and Wasilla Warriors each kickoff on Friday, while the Palmer Moose and Houston Hawks see their first action on Saturday. Colony travels to Eielson to take on the Ravens at 6 p.m. Friday, while Wasilla makes the short trip to Anchorage to face Eagle River at the Anchorage Football Stadium. Saturday, Palmer meets Dimond at AFS at 1 p.m., while Houston is on the Peninsula to take on Kenai Central at 2 p.m.

While professional sports have always been tainted to some degree by greed and scandal, there is still something pure about youth and prep athletics.

It's where - regardless of record - some of life's most important lessons are learned. It's where teamwork, sportsmanship, work ethic and dedication prove more important than mere talent.

A true sense of community can be found on a Friday night in the Mat-Su Valley during August and September. Thousands of people flood the local high school fields to watch Valley youth in action. This is where we find more than just parents and friends. The support of local business is represented by banners on the fences and advertisements in the program. There are newspaper reporters and photographers roaming the sidelines and radio reporters in the press box calling the play-by-play.

There are the fans of football who love nothing more than a game under the Friday night lights.

And there are those who attend games not just because they cheer for the teams, but because they support our schools and our community.

That's just football.

In August, we will also see the start of the cross country running, volleyball and swimming seasons. As the months go by basketball teams will take the court, hockey squads will skate onto the ice and wrestlers will hit the mat. If that's not enough, the local youth programs - such as the Matanuska Youth Football Association, Pop Warner football and Northern Lights Volleyball Club - will see action as well.

While nationally there tends to be a focus on the negative aspects of sports, from our perspective in the Mat-Su Valley athletics are positive and a testament to the strength of our community.