What wining means to me.

Recently while attending my nieces last home game of her high school career I was witness to something so amazing it nearly brought me to tears. Needless to say it was already an emotional day to begin with as my niece was born when I was 14 and we have shared many beautiful and memorable moments together. This amazing moment I speak up didn't happen during her game no it was actually during the boys game that I saw something so special that it honestly made me realize how fortunate we truly are to live in such a tight knit community. During a game that would be the last in a lot of kids high school careers one special kid was the main star. He would not be the star player for the usual reason you would find on the court but for his amazing ability to light up the court in a different way. Many of you reading my know him others may not but he is a special kid with many needs of a very small build an unlikely athlete. He was one of the starters of his last home game. The most special moment came toward the last minutes when the crowd began to cheer for him to get put back in the game and the coach complied with the demands. During this game where the scoreboard was obviously not in our favor he ran out with such gusto and just pure joy that in that moment the scoreboard no longer mattered. The crowd cheered for him not just on our side of the sands but on the opposing team too. In fact one of the opposing team kids told the referee to give him a foul only to allow this special kid an opportunity to shoot a free throw. When he made one of his baskets the crowd jumped to their feet and cheered it was as though he made the winning shot and in a way he did. He continued to play and at the end he made another shot everyone again jumped up to their feet and I knew then and there that sometimes scoreboards lie, we won that game. In that moment it didn't matter to either team who won we became humans and put all that to the side, a kids dream came true and my heart was filled with pride to come from a place where most people can see the true meaning of sports. It is these moments that make me feel stronger than ever about how sports are simply entertainment to us but to the kids it can teach them so many life lessons unfortunately we are so often blinded by the scoreboard that it becomes hard to see. On a professional level in sports you support your team weather they win or loose because you believe in them and sometimes they have great seasons and sometimes they don't but you continue to support them and be there for them. You wear their jersey with pride even if they are on a loosing streak. You place their emblem on your car or as the profile picture of your facebook page. You stick with them because they are your team win or loose. Well these kids are my team win or loose and I will not give up on them just because they had a rough season. I will not discount all their hard work because they had a rough season. I will not say there is no hope for them because they had a rough season. I will continue to wear my shirts and show pride in them because they are my team. Kiowa Pride never dies.