Over the last few years, our Park Rapids football team has faced a lot of struggles and disappointments. We have had some very painful losses and we oftentimes have had to endure the boys from the other teams rubbing their victory in our faces with team cheers and songs.
Last Tuesday, our football team won its first playoff game in many years by finally defeating Crookston after seven straight losses to them. The boys were excited and so were the fans. Following the game, both teams huddled on the field as usual, but this time there were no team cheers or team songs that belittled the Crookston team. Both teams walked off the field quietly and later I realized that what I saw was our boys walking off that field as men, as they showed restraint and respect for the Crookston team.
Later, I asked my senior son why the team responded that way and he said it was because "we knew it was a tough loss for them." That was a lesson learned through experience and good mentoring by our coaches.
I want to thank the school for allowing my son to play football and for Coach Ahrendt and his staff for teaching my son and the other boys on the football team how to respond with honor, as men would do. I hope in the future the rest of our young boys will get the opportunity to do the same. It would be a significant loss for the boys and girls in our community if they were not allowed to learn lessons like these that help them to become honorable men and women.
Mark Waller
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Park Rapids
