Graduation time is here again

High school graduation time for the Platte Valley is right around the corner, and for some reason I can’t help but feel a little depressed all of the sudden. I know you’re probably wondering why a guy like me would be bummed about graduation. I don’t have any kids or other close relatives receiving their diploma and moving on this year. I also remember feeling like I escaped prison when I myself left high school, so I’m definitely not nostalgic for my own graduation experience. I think it’s the feeling of knowing that something I enjoyed being a part of, meaning the 2013-14 high school sports season, is nearly over and done with.

I look back on the entire season and think about how much fun it was to attend events, grab photos, interview kids and coaches, write game recaps or do features on individual or team achievements. At times I couldn’t believe I was getting paid to have so much fun. Covering school sports, whether it was football, volleyball, cross-country, basketball, wrestling or track, is what made my fall, winter and spring with the Sun quite the exciting and fun working year. I definitely gained a lot of memories that I’ll keep for a long time.

I think it’s also hard to see such great senior athletes I enjoyed talking with finally move on. Especially with the Saratoga kids, I felt like I came became somewhat of a friend to them, instead of just the annoying newspaper guy who came after them with that widely-despised digital voice recorder. Okay, so maybe there were several times when I got that “Please-don’t-try-to-ask-me-questions” look from kids after games (especially after a loss), but I do feel like I developed some friendships with our local seniors by covering them and their sports events. It’s sad to think I won’t see any of them ever again, let alone watch them play or shoot them an interview.

On the other hand, I am happy to hear about our local seniors moving on to pursue their realistic dreams and goals, whether it’s through college, the military or any other positive venture. It is truly inspiring to talk with them and hear about what they already have planned for the future. It’s not every day you meet so many mature 17-or 18-year-old kids who have realistic plans in mind, other than plopping on their parents’ couch to play video games all day. Being the somewhat unrealistic teen that I was, I sure could have used a lesson from these kids when I was their age. At that time, I was still wanting to move to Los Angeles after my college years, to try and become a famous multi-millionaire actor or musician in a rock band. Let’s just say I still had a few more years of maturing to do while in my late teens, unlike most of the seniors I’ve talked to here in the Valley.

So although it is sad to say goodbye to a year of fun memories and see people move on, at the same time, it’s inspiring to hear about those same people making positive steps into the future. The world would be a boring place if times or people never changed, and nothing or nobody ever moved forward. Things change and we all have to move on, but at least we’ll always have memories.

 

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