A QUICK WORD Giving today’s students a break

Every once in a while, I’ll run into someone who has the “kids these days” mentality—someone whose opinion of today’s generation has been jaded by a limited sample size, often a single experience with which they brush an entire group of kids as lazy, or deficient, or phone-addled.

Those people need to relax.

Each year, our local school districts – Plattsburg, Lathrop and East Buchanan – are producing dozens of high-achieving, well-educated young adults who have a grasp on the importance of community. These kids have their name on everything; they’re in the starting line-up, on the honor roll, serving as chapter officers, representing their schools at state-wide (or even national) competitions, then graduating with a long resume of accolades and scholarships.

Look at Lathrop student Max Gagnon. Through just two years of high school, he’s been an individual KCI champion in golf, represented the FBLA at state competition, helped the baseball team win its first district title, helped the scholar bowl team win championships, taken on the announcing duties at other sporting events, and likely has a dozen other feathers in his cap. At graduation, I thought to myself, “This might be the only thing that Gagnon kid isn’t doing this year,” just to turn around and see the sophomore playing in the band.

He isn’t alone. There are so many students who are excelling at levels that were nearly unthought of when I was in school.

There’s a second edge to this sword, however, specifically in high school athletics. With each passing year, the demand on student-athletes to train, practice and compete continues to mount. It’s a natural progression. Championships and scholarships are up for grabs. As the level of competition goes up, so does the requisite dedication. Student-athletes use the summer to grab an edge. Club competition has become a big money business. More athletes opt for specialization; instead of playing two or three sports during the school year, they’ll focus on one, using the rest of the year to play travel competition and train.

Cramping matters, both the winter and spring sports seasons begin sooner than they did 15 years ago, leaving little time for student-athletes to catch a breath between sports. This includes coaches, who make a lot of personal sacrifices to dedicate themselves to the success of our students. There are dead weeks prescribed by MSHSAA at the end of these seasons, but it hardly seems enough.

Game days are a grind, themselves. Students attend class all day, get on the bus, travel to a game, compete (while also watching an additional game, or several, as junior varsity and other teams play) and arrive home that night. It takes a skilled time manager to shoehorn additional time for family, sleep, studies and other commitments.

With another school year coming around the bend, here’s a hat tip to all of the students, coaches, teachers and advisors who find a way to make it work. Your dedication doesn’t go unnoticed (and hopefully your teachers/bosses take it easy if they catch you snoozing in the library).