I would like to give my whole-hearted thanks to the Greely youth football coaches. My sons have played in the league for seven years now, and throughout that time the coaches have continually provided positive life lessons to the players. Coaches have rightly placed academic achievement before athletic prowess, stressed the need for sportsmanlike behavior, and created a team atmosphere in which all players are allowed to improve their skills.

Too often our youth see the impunity that athletes are given. Bad behavior is often greeted with only a slap on the wrist or a shrug of the shoulders as the desire to win outweighs our inherent understanding of what it means to be a good sport. Kids learn from this all the time, and it is hard to combat this sense of entitlement. It is up to coaches, athletic directors, and parents to hold all of our student athletes to high standards. On and off the field, they represent our communities.

The role modeling that our coaches demonstrate, the athletic success of the Greely football program, and the enthusiasm Greely football families bring to the fields each week speaks to a successful program of which I am happy to be a part.

A special congratulation to this year’s eighth-grade Colts as they were not scored on for the entire season.

Julie R. Blodgett
Cumberland