Hungry for more

Published March 14, 2013

in the Stockton Sentinel

by Nancy Becker

            It was a great week to be a Tiger! The Stockton Tigers made us proud by representing our school and community so well at the 1A-DI State Basketball Tournament in Emporia last week. This group of boys was very well-behaved, always looked nice and remembered their manners. It was a joy to be with them and celebrate their success. These are memories you will remember all your lives, Tigers!

            Way back in the late ‘80s, long before these boys were even a parent’s dream, Bob and I accompanied another group of basketball players to the 1A State Basketball Tournament in Hays. We were there three out of four consecutive years and brought home first-, second- and third-place hardware in those three years. It was such an exciting time, not only for that group of boys, but also for the entire community of Goessel. And everyone went! Goessel folks who had not even followed the team throughout the regular season made the trip to Hays to wear the colors and cheer for their team. Back then, the popular saying was, “Last person to leave town, turn out the lights!” I remember how one entire side of Gross Memorial Coliseum, all the way to the top, was a sea of blue, all cheering for the Goessel Bluebirds.

            My husband was assistant coach for two of those trips, and our youngest son was five years old the first time we were there. Much like Coach Stephens’ young Grant, Brett was everywhere in that arena. I didn’t always know where he was, but I knew I didn’t have to worry about him; there were plenty of Bluebirds to take him under their wing.

            During those years, our community of Goessel learned a lot about town pride. We learned what success feels like and how to wear it. We understood what it means to have “a winning tradition.” The word “community” was no longer just a locale or a dot on a map.

It is events such as state basketball where we all come to understand how important sports competitions are in the lives of high school students and the community that supports them.

            It has been 30 years since a Stockton Tiger boys’ basketball team made a trip to the state tournament. Hopefully the taste of it this year was enough to whet the appetite of some young players and left them hungering for more.

            Tigers, let’s go back for the full meal deal! (And I’m not talking about the Golden Corral!)