A Real Gift To Our Town

To the Editor:

If you coach kids long enough, you start believing that you’ve seen it all. I wish I meant that in a good way, but unfortunately we seem to have no shortage of politics, nepotism, and very questionable behavior taking place in our sports. Even though I often wonder why it seems to be so pervasive here, if I were to be totally honest in my assessment, it probably doesn’t distinguish us that much from most other towns. I suppose it’s the nature of the beast. And to top things off, just when you’re ready to go off on a rant about how bad it really is, something happens that snaps you backward and renews your spirit for the sport you love so much. A reset of all the switches so to speak.

I was lucky enough to be present for most of the girls varsity home games this year, but what I experienced this evening during the final round of playoffs leading up to next week’s championship game, for lack of a better term, blew me away. I watched a team... not several individual egos... but a team... dig down deep to a place that very few of us will ever journey and pull off a win against some seemingly insurmountable odds. What these young women were able to accomplish, with more heart than I’ve ever seen in a high school match-up, was nothing short of astounding. In one game, they’ve renewed my faith in the process and what can be accomplished with drive, perseverance and determination and pretty much erased for me any negativity I’ve felt lately about our “sports issues” this year. They are an inspiration to me, my daughter, and hopefully to every player that follows in their footsteps. I have never felt prouder of a team.

I wish them all the luck possible this weekend and I know in my heart that they are already champions, even before they make it official. They have shown us not just how well a game can be played in terms of skill and intensity, but more important, what can be accomplished with the human spirit when you refuse to give up. And at the end of the day, I hope every young kid who was present took that message home with them. That’s their real gift to our town, even bigger than any trophy. 

I will really miss watching some of these young women play this sport. I know for sure that they have made the kind of magic happen that will leave them with cherished memories forever. I wish them all the luck possible but I know they have no need for it; they proved tonight that they can make anything happen with enough effort and heart. Go get a championship Newtown!

Rob Hoffman

9 Brandywine Lane, Sandy Hook                                March 10, 2012