For most people, I suspect, 2010 will go down as a year whose end likely will be greeted with a collective “good riddance.”
It’s been a rare day this year when there wasn’t a reminder of the devastating impact of the struggling economy on a family I know or at least an acquaintence or relative of a friend. It’s been at times both heartbreaking and exhausting.
Some people suggest there are signs the economy is coming back. Maybe so, but gasoline and heating oil are more than $3 per gallon, and the jobs that left the region aren’t coming back en masse anytime soon — and without jobs the rest of the economy will continue to stagger.
At least the high school and youth sports world by definition is a 50-50 proposition, with a winner to counter each of the defeated.
But even it was a mixed bag in 2010.
Take the high school basketball tournament. The Class A boys state champion was crowned as much in a court as it was on the court, with Cheverus of Portland star Indiana Faithfull being restored to his team by court order just hours before the Stags’ tournament run to the state title began after he was sidelined by the Maine Principals’ Association because the Australian native who moved to Maine after his freshman year had used up his eligibility under that organization’s eight-semester rule.
Given the growing number of international students finding their way to Maine as high schools seek new revenue streams to cope with tight budgets, issues like those related to the Faithfull case aren’t going away. It may be time to revisit those regulations — perhaps even renew the discussion of creating a private-school league within the MPA ranks.
Meanwhile the state’s high school football community continues to expand — with Hermon joining the varsity ranks next fall and Ellsworth just a couple of years away — but even that growth is not without its frustrations. A proposal to increase the state’s football format from three to four classes gained initial widespread support, but when talks became more micro than macro the support waned and the matter was tabled.
I’m not certain the micro matters are going away with the passage of time, but with two years to sort out all the issues involving classification based on enrollment and fledgling programs struggling to stay solvent within that structure, there’s reason to believe that reasonable compromises can be reached.
And while it’s such controversies that usually produce the most emotional conversations, a more basic side of youth sports — the pursuit of the dream — continues to be the major motivator for young athletes and older mentors alike.
There was no better example of that than the ultimate feel-good story in Eastern Maine this summer, the Cinderella run of the Bangor Senior League All-Stars to within one victory of a world championship.
Understand that Senior League does not draw the worldwide attention of Little League, yet there are 4,800 Senior Leagues worldwide, so for the local team of 15- and 16-year-old kids to come within one victory of the Senior League World Series title was a remarkable feat, and a testament to the belief shared by the players that presented the chance to participate as the host team for the annual event, anything was possible.
Perhaps that quest can help the sports fans among us look beyond the general bleakness of 2010 to the dawn of a new year — and new possibilities.
