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A winning attitude
Recently, news coverage has spread outrageous stories about Southern Methodist University’s football program, including payoffs to supposedly amateur college athletes. Earlier this season, local sports fans were treated to the spectacle of a Courtland basketball coach berating an official as he lay prone on the court. These are only the latest incidents in a series of college and high school sports scandals.
This kind of conduct by supposedly principled individuals makes the attitude of the coaches at Rappahannock County High School particularly deserving of commendation.
Frank Clemson, who coached the Panther junior varsity to the Bull Run district championship (unbeaten for the first time ever in district competition), said in an interview following the championship game, “I didn’t stress winning. I concentrated on the fundamentals, and playing hard and putting out. If you do those things, winning will come.”
Gary Leake, whose varsity basketball team handed second-ranked Manassas Park its only loss in district play this year, then lost a hard-fought semi-final game in the Bull Run playoffs, expressed similar feelings. “They gave 110 percent. That’s all we asked for. I was very proud of the way they played... I’d rather get beaten that way.”
This attitude blows like a fresh spring breeze through the “Win at all costs - it’s the only thing” attitude so prevalent in sports at all levels in our society. We are geared to loving winners, and finishing second, no matter how hard you try, doesn’t usually count for much.
For professionals, who are highly paid for what they do, • that attitude is fine. But for student-athletes, especially at the high school level, the enjoyment of participation should be the important thing. Apparently, the coaches at RCHS agree.
That doesn’t mean that winning isn’t important, and the records compiled by Panther teams prove that. Certainly, Rappahannock fans enjoy cheering a winning game as much as anyone else, and are just as disappointed when the Panthers lose.
But, the youngsters who are participating in the sports program are being taught a more important lesson: that taking part, and always giving your best, is what makes a really outstanding person, whether on the playing field or elsewhere.
Coaches Clemson and Leake, with the assistance of several other dedicated coaches, are preparing to lead the Panthers into the spring track and baseball season. We wish them and their teams continued success, and hope they will always teach their players those really important lessons.
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