One step at a time

The class of 2022 has graduated having endured the challenges brought on by C-19 like on-line school and wearing masks at school. There was a lot of experimenting going on at different school districts as to the best way to educate kids and be able to have sports competitions.

As a substitute teacher I too experienced some of those rules that needed to be followed. I honestly had trouble dealing with those rules and was more than happy to not have to endure more than a couple of days in the classroom each week. I think the students put up with a lot of these restrictions because they wanted to be with their friends and still wanting to create positive memories.

Getting back to normal meant getting back to playing competitive sports in the correct season. Last fall was successful for the Bronco football and volleyball teams.

The football team with only one senior won the NE 2B football championship and would make it to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs before losing to defending champion Onalaska. There were some tough away games during the season where the Broncos rallied for one point wins over a tough Davenport Gorilla team and a very good Colfax Bulldogs squad. The championship was the first since 2015.

The volleyball team improved throughout the season and would make it to the state playoffs in Yakima the first tournament held indoors since the state shut down in March of 2020. The Bronco girls had some injury issues and would be eliminated the second day but not without a determined effort.

The basketball teams did not make it to state this year but they improved and had had their moments to look back on fondly. The girls felt the effects of the volleyball injuries and were never at full strength but they always were fighting for success. The boys’ team, without any seniors, made great strides throughout the season and was one quarter away from going to the regional playoffs but came up short in the final elimination game of the district tournament.

The wrestling team sent one member to state this year. Myra Miller was the lone member wrestling in the girls’ tournament. Just her first year she made great improvement.

The golf team sent Hunter Dinkins and Amelia Court to state and the tennis team was represented by Alexis Melcher and Amy Anderson as its only state athletes. Although they didn’t place the experience is an important aspect of the events. Missing two years of state events in spring sports is huge and it is great that these athletes worked hard to get there.

Baseball and softball did well enough to make it to the league tournament but the teams were eliminated. Hopefully the young teams will forge on and create success.

The girls’ track team sent four to state. One relay team and two eventual state champions. Senior Sydney Kinch won the pole vault and her cousin Myra Miller a junior won the discus. Sydney was second in the pole vault as a freshman. It has been a long two years for her to win this event.

There were other successes for extra-curricular groups at school. The FBLA placed two teams in the top three at state competition. The Parliamentary Procedure team placed second and will be going to Chicago in late June to compete nationally.

The local LR High School FFA chapter has had an interesting spring and has been extremely successful by placing first in six state competitions. Winning one or two is one thing but to win six may have never been accomplished before especially for a school this size.

Several of the students on these teams are also two and three sport athletes and belong to other organizations. They are at school all day, go to practice and attend practice sessions to compete at a high level and win. Talking with one of these team members, she told me that the practice sessions were actually more difficult than the state competition was. In other words they were well prepared and like sports practice should be more difficult.

This year’s valedictorians and salutatorian are great students but also pretty good athletes as each member competed in at least one state competition.

The students at Washington schools were finally allowed to make a choice to wear a mask or not in in early March. There are a few students that still wear a mask and rightly so those kids are given the respect to make that choice and are not ridiculed for it. We have come a long way since March 2020 and it is great to see that the students had a great year in sports and education. All it takes is one step at a time.