LETTERS: CENTRAL TEAM IS A WINNER IN MANY WAYS

To the editor:

I am the proud mom of the Central High School football team. Our team may have not been winners of the game, but I feel they were winners in many ways. I am writing to let the public know what great winners they were and how proud of the team I am.

I am so glad to be a part of the Central football moms club. It has been led by three hardworking ladies and their husbands, Kathy Tenkhoff, Jane Ogles and Terri Welker. The boys were winners to have the parent support they have had. I am a teacher in another school district and have taught in several districts. I have never seen a group of parents work together and support their team by providing supper before the game at home and serving supper on the eve of the away games. The moms also decorate the boys' vehicles each week and help out the cheerleaders. Above all, the moms try to group at the football game and cheer their boys on. And, boy, do we cheer. I think any football team member would agree that they are very much winners to have this support.

Another way our team has won this year is by the lessons the team members learned. In the early season, the team learned that once you quit, you can't come back. So many times today we give in and say OK. But our coaches did what is right and taught these guys a lesson. In the end of the season, our whole team learned the lesson that if you break the rules, you pay the consequences. This was not good for the people who did not break the rules, but it sure did show them that consequences result in actions. Today in our society the way things are, this made these boys real winners to use the information later in life.

Another way they were winners is by the other support they were shown by the other fans. I was very proud of all our fans Friday night. No one was rude or out of line. I was very surprised to see some of the trash that was on some Jackson girls' T-shirts. Even though we came out the losers on the scoreboard, we were real winners in sportsmanship.

I am very sorry that our senior boys' season had to end this way. I do want them to know that, in my eyes and many other eyes, I do believe they are truly winners.

I would like to thank the coaching staff, the cheerleaders, the football parents and all the fans who have been out there to support those kids no matter what their record was.

May God bless the seniors in their future endeavors and the rest of the team and coaches on an even greater season next year.

GAIL BRINK

Cape Girardeau