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George Ferguson Column: Remembering the true spirt of sports and Christmas

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A few days ago, my wife jokingly asked if I had forgotten the meaning and spirit of Christmas. I’ll admit, at the time, we were having a conversation about Christmas presents. Maybe she wasn’t kidding. But, kidding or not, it certainly got me thinking.

Maybe I do lose sight of the spirit of Christmas at times. Maybe we all lose sight of what’s really important at Christmas time. In many ways, it’s comparable to how so many of us lose sight of what sports are all about, too.

Christmas is a time of giving, a time to be thankful, a time to celebrate life, family and peace.

Meanwhile, sports is supposed to be a celebration, too. Sports are about honor, tradition, integrity, hard work and doing your very best. Sports are a celebration of athleticism and grace and courage and will. But in today’s society, we’re all guilty of losing sight of that. In today’s society, we’re all guilty of being short-sided when it comes to sports. In many ways, our view of sports is more about winning and money than it is anything else, and I’ll admit, I’m guilty of seeing the world of sports through that viewpoint sometimes, too.

But, as I began to reflect on another amazing year of sports in Havre and on the Hi-Line, because those are the sports that touch my life every day, and matter to me, both professionally and personally, I was quickly reminded of the spirt of sport, and not just the end result.

And when I think about how special it was to watch high school kids from Box Elder and Havre High capture long-awaited state championships in basketball, as I think about the looks on those kids’ faces on a night that they’ll never forget, I’m reminded of what it’s really all about, and why I’m lucky to do what I do for a living.

As I reflect on the hard work and dedication of so many athletes and coaches in our area, I’m reminded, at Christmas time, just how amazing the sports around here are. To see a Chinook football team no one picked to reach the state championship game do so, with the entire town united, that’s what it’s all about. It’s not just about the trophies and the glory, it’s about the journey, it’s about the relationships that are built, it’s about an entire town standing together as one. The run the Sugarbeeters went on this past fall certainly exemplified that.

And so, too, was the spirt of the Montana State University-Northern football team. The Lights went through a season they’ll want to forget. They lost the only head coach they’ve ever known, and were embroiled in turmoil none of them expected when they returned to Northern’s campus this past summer.

Then there were the games. The Lights experienced some tough Saturday’s on the gridiron this fall, and with everything that happened to them, coaches and players, it would have been easy to just bag it, to forget about the season and move on.

But the spirt of sports showed true when the Lights went to Rocky Mountain College on the last game of the season and pulled off a thrilling victory on the last play of the season. That’s what it’s all about. It’s about not giving up. It’s about not giving in to adversity. The Lights certainly taught us all that lesson.

And as I reflect on what was this past year in sports, I’m also reminded of how precious life really is. The sudden passing of my good friend, and Hi-Line basketball coaching legend Charlie Robinson is a reminder to us all to make the most out of the time we have. To find what makes us happy and to enjoy it while it lasts. Charlie did that with his great life. He is someone who I learned so much from over the years, and his passing, as saddened as I was by it, reminded me to make sure I continue to appreciate sports, and most importantly, appreciate life and loved ones.

Yes, it’s those types of things that remind me of the true spirit of sports. The true spirit of competition. In fact, when I stop and think about it, with what I get to do for a living, I’m reminded of the spirit of sports every single day.

In a sports-crazy town like Havre, I get to see things from the inside. I get to see a swimmer from C.M. Russell High School being cheered on by not only his teammates, but also everyone in attendance at the Havre Invitational as he struggled just to complete a race, a race that everyone else had long since finished. It’s times like that when I’m reminded that it’s not always about the “W.” It’s not always about the ESPN highlights and it’s certainly not always about the money.

I try to keep those facts in perspective, and I think I do a pretty good job of it. But just like I need reminding about the true spirt of Christmas once in a while, I need a little nudge about the true spirit of athletics, too. After all, when all is said and done, it really is just a game. Yes, they’re games we love to win, yes, they’re games we strive hard to conquer, yes they’re games that rip our hearts out and drive us to madness. But at the end of the day, they really are just games. And the spirt of the games, the competition, the camaraderie of a team, the thrill of just playing, and the fulfillment we get from just doing our very best, those are things we all need not lose sight of as often as we as a society do.

I know, in a win-at-all-cost world, what I just said isn’t very popular. It certainly wouldn’t be popular in the NFL or the NBA or in big time college football. But I can bet you a million dollars, If I had that much to bet, even guys like LeBron James and Peyton Manning find themselves thinking the same things I’m writing about right now. The moments may be fleeting, but even the greatest winners of them all, even those men and women find themselves remembering what it was like to just play, remembering what it was like when they were in high school, and the only thing that really, truly mattered was the love of the game.

I love to win. Anyone who has played golf or tennis with me can attest to that. Anybody who coached me in little league baseball probably remembers just how competition crazed I was and still am. Come watch a Montana Grizzly football game with me in my house sometime. There you’ll see just how crazy, competitive and passionate about winning I can really be.

As a coach, I’m very proud of all the winning, all the accomplishments and all the pride the kids who have played for me have brought to the Havre High tennis program in my 12 years. As a competitor, I love to watch the Blue Ponies win tennis matches. But perhaps more than the winning, I’m proud of the way all the kids who have played for me have given their all to the program and to the school. I’m more proud of their dedication, their work ethic, their enthusiasm for the sport of tennis and the heart and soul they give to the team and to the program. The wins come and go, the trophies get dusty, but those things I just mentioned last a lifetime.

And, at Christmas time, I also need to take the time to remember why I loved sports in the first place. And also to say what a privilege it is, and will continue to be, to cover, watch and write about sports in this great community. It’s an honor and a privilege to just get to watch and write and talk about all of these kids, all of these great athletes and all of their hard work and sacrifice every day. It’s what I do. It’s why I get up in the morning.

This past year in sports has been a series of reminders to the true spirt of sport. And as I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a prosperous new year, I can’t tell you what a privilege it will be to spend the next 12 months covering the spirt of sport in this great community all over again.

 

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