#SENIORSLASTBLAST
Well hello there, Rick here on behalf of YSN. Welcome to the first of what I hope to be many blogs RIGHT HERE on YSNLIVE.com (cheap pop). I hope to be entertaining, informative, and attention grabbing. This is quite new to me so please be patient as I learn to navigate these new waters in hopes of hitting land someday! Today’s selection is one I am sure everyone has thought about or talked about. The 2020 seniors are losing out on their spring seasons. Without any more delay I invite you to sit on the magic carpet and enjoy the ride! Off we go!
Close your eyes for a moment, picture everything as normal as it ever has been. Same routine going on the 4th year, same patterns 9 months out of the year. You are excited about this particular month because it means spring sports. Outdoor games, people and lots of them everywhere. Being with your friends and family for the very last time as a high schooler. Smiles, memories, happy times.
OK, now open your eyes, you see that this is not the case right now. How do you feel? Disappointed, annoyed, heartbroken, devastated, lost, confused just to name a few. I bet you got at least one of those feelings if not more. This is exactly what EVERY high school senior is feeling right now. All the excitement about their respective seasons, gone. The goals of division titles, league titles, state tournaments, personal accomplishments just vanished into thin air.
I feel for every one of these kids who were looking forward to this season. As a coach and parent I am disappointed and upset about there not being a season, but in no way can I feel anywhere close to how these kids do. Sure some of them may continue their careers at the college level and maybe even go pro, but that is a small percent. A lot of these kids will not get that chance to continue at a higher level due to a variety of circumstances. So for their careers to be over, and not on their own terms, is completely unfair.
But I had 2 ideas, both I think are doable but will in no way be able to make up for this loss. The first is to put together a weekend or two where we can bring area teams together for a tournament of sorts. Sure it isn’t a full season but I feel these kids deserve one last time on the field/track. One last time to be a teammate, and a leader. Let us pack the stands and facilities ( social distance permitting) and cheer these kids on one last time. We set aside a 2 week window where the teams can practice, get their conditioning, timing, everything down and then head into what I call the Last Blast. Let’s make this about the kids, no records, no stats, no wins or losses. Let’s just let them enjoy one last run as their career comes to a close. I call for a #seniorslastblast on all social media platforms to get this to happen.
The 2nd idea i had is more of a longer term one, but I feel it will have great benefits. I encourage and invite these seniors to come back around in the coming years and talk to these younger teams. Tell them this story about your senior year and how everything got turned upside down. Come be special assistants during practices and games. Give back to the sports you loved all these years. We can use this moment to teach a valuable lesson to our youth, never take anything for granted because you never know when it can be taken away for any reason. Appreciate every day, every practice, every game, because it could be your last. I think this would really be an eye opener for these younger kids coming up.
There you have it, 2 ideas I have that we can send these seniors out the best way we can! I think they deserve a lot more, but circumstances permitting I think if we come together as communities we can make this happen! And we start it by making our voices heard everywhere! #seniorslastblast all over social media, spread the word!
Feel free to reach out to me on twitter (@YSN_Rick or Instagram at YSN_Rick) I want to hear from you! What types of things would you like to read about? Let me know! Until next time boys and girls!
