I have a confession. I have never been to a high school basketball game. Even when I was in high school. And I’ve only ever been to one high school football game.
Other high school sports I’ve never seen: volleyball, tennis, jai lai, track and/or field, and snowshoeing.
I grew up in upstate New York. The only sports we have come from Canada or American Indians. We stick to hockey, field hockey and lacrosse. If I’d been closer to the border, perhaps we would have added curling, too.
So it is not surprising that I don’t understand high school sports around here. I don’t understand whatever issue “class basketball” is and why it seems to make people madder than a box of frogs.
I feel like this is the conversation that I have at least once a week:
“Hey, Erin, are you going to the game tonight?”
“Um... No. You may have noticed that I’m not in high school. Why? Are you going?”
“Yes.”
“Are you in high school?”
“No.”
“Do you have a relative playing?”
“No.”
“Do you know someone in the pep band?”
“No.”
“Are you a college recruiter?”
“No.”
“Then why are you going?”
“Because it’s the game, Erin. Because we are Hoosiers.”
I polled some friends to see if they also attend things like middle school plays, dance recitals and youth soccer games. (Yes, yes and yes.)
This makes me think my friends A) love their community and the children in it or B) are super creepy.
They listed all the reasons behind local sports — community pride, supporting an alma mater, love of athletics, entertainment and “because we are Hoosiers.”
Their passion for high school basketball was so intriguing that I promised them I would attend at least one game this season.
I mean, it’s no secret that I love learning to be a Hoosier.
I might go one step farther than high school basketball and sit at PAL football games, intently watching the children. And if that doesn’t work, I’ll go hang out at the fence during recess.
They told me if I really want to go all out, I will lament that school yard kickball leagues used to be better before they went to class kickball.
— Erin Shultz
[friday] editor/go, sports!
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