Over the course of 26 years of broadcasting in Warsaw, I have had the chance to do so many really cool things. It would be bragging or name dropping to run through the list of things I have been blessed to be able to do and people I have had the pleasure of meeting along the improbable journey of this recovering stutterer/slobber box. Monday, I was reminded of why living in Warsaw is such a different experience than living in just about any other place. The elementary schools in Warsaw, which include private schools Sacred Heart and Warsaw Christian, compete in sports in every season of the year. It’s like their own little conference. They keep score, of course. They turn those scores into Dan Graney at Harrison Elementary, who keeps track of them and uses them to create standings. He’s like a sports information director. Lots of kids, playing in lots of sports – it’s a really good thing. And while all of the sports are important and all of the kids who play them are important, this is Warsaw and basketball is still the reigning champ. That’s why about 1,000 people showed up to watch the boys and girls city championship games in the Tiger Den Monday night. They had to pull out the upper deck seating on the north side to accommodate the spectators from the three schools represented. We at the radio station did our part by broadcasting it live just like we would any Warsaw Tiger varsity boys or girls game. It was a lot of fun, and it was really loud. Boys coach Doug Ogle was there to hand out the boys runner-up and championship trophies, while Lady Tiger senior Page Desenberg was on hand to help Athletic Director Dave Anson present the trophies after the girls game. In between games, when fans of the girls game were still there and fans of the boys game were settling into their seats for the second game, I took a look around and thought “what a crazy thing this is!” A thousand people in a varsity gym on a Monday night in February to watch fourth, fifth and sixth graders play basketball. Where else does this happen? What town in Indiana, or any other state for that matter, is this organized? I can’t imagine it in any other place. So let’s cherish it. At the top of the list should be the high school’s athletic department staff who organize and operate a majority of the events in the city elementary sports schedule. They have plenty to do anyway, but they work really hard to make sure kids get a chance to participate. Hats off to all of them for their effort. You also have a lot of coaches who volunteer their time. I would say in my time covering the city tournaments, I can safely say most of the coaches have clearly had the best interest of the kids as their motivation. It’s the job of elementary coaches to teach the kids the fundamentals of the game and how to play it correctly so they can enjoy it more. Winning is the byproduct of that. Lincoln beat Washington 21-15 in the girls game to avenge its only loss of the season, while the Jefferson boys did the same in beating Washington 38-21. There were tears all around: tears of joy for some of the winners … tears of sadness for some of the losers. For some, the sadness came from the thought that this thing called “a team” that they had been a part of and involved in was no longer. Their situations away from school being such that being on the team gave them a sense of belonging, a safe place. Even kids who don’t play on the A team or who don’t ever score are still part of the team. Reality is, those kids need that team to give them a sense of purpose. When the buzzer sounded Monday night, a void was opened up wide in the hearts and lives of kids who now must find a way to fill it. But for this one night, youth was served and two great tournaments ended in a great town in front of a huge crowd of supporters. I hope we all appreciate how special this place we call home is. Monday night was reason number 4,385.
