Hometown Traditions
by Laura Reed, Metcalfe Hornet ever and Champion of Hometown Traditions
Last night, our school district hosted the annual “Meet the Hornets” event at our city park. Each year, excited student athletes don the traditional maroon and white, while proud family members gather to show support for our young people as they begin a new academic and athletic school year. In a town as small and supportive as ours, this event is akin to the anticipation of Adele fans awaiting a newly released CD.
This is just a sampling of the student athletes involved in the annual “Meet the Hornets” night.
During this event, each athlete from every fall sport is individually recognized. We view performances from the band, dance teams, cheerleaders, and football team. We stand while clapping to our county’s fight song, holding on to the remnants of school spirt from years gone by. Some might believe this is a lot of “hoopla” for extracurricular activities, but as a veteran teacher in this school system and mom of three student athletes, I can vouch that many of our children’s most profound learning moments and enduring memories have been due to participation in competitive sports.
Competition
Competition, as with any two-sided event, has its pros and cons, but I sincerely believe the advantages of student participation far outweigh any negative situations. My son and two daughters have played sports since they were three years old, ranging from karate, dance, cross country, and gymnastics, to basketball, football, frisbee, and volleyball. Over the past nearly two decades, I have witnessed essential qualities such as teamwork, camaraderie, spontaneous decision-making, confidence, physical fitness, empathy, dedication, coping and organizational skills, good sportsmanship, adaptation, pure enjoyment, independence, selflessness, cooperation, and a desire to excel, not only through my own children, but also their teammates. All of these skills are definitely applicable to the post-secondary environment, workforce, and “real life” circumstances.
After High School
As two of my children are now beyond their “Meet the Hornets” days, I reflect and become even more melancholy. This has been my sole existence for over 16 years: driving hundreds of miles, night after night, supporting our children and the beloved Hornets as they compete in multiple sports activities. I won’t say it’s always been easy, but I definitely wouldn’t trade one moment in the stands being my children’s biggest fan.
Nathaniel–former karate, football, basketball, baseball, cross country, ultimate frisbee athlete; Annika—current basketball, former softball and dance athlete; Jerrica—current dance and volleyball, former softball, basketball, track, and gymnastics athlete
No, “Meet the Hornets” (or Panthers, Falcons, Trojans, Indians, Scotties, Colonels, and Raiders) isn’t a silly hometown tradition…it’s an introduction to the next generation of student athletes, teams, coaches, and fans who are laying the foundation for their journey to successful future endeavors. I’m forever thankful my own and our community’s kids have been provided numerous opportunities to spread their Hornet wings and fly to great heights in a variety of places, careers, and aspirations.
Meet Laura Nunn Reed, mom of Nathaniel (19), Jerrica (17), & Annika (12), married 24 years to her high school sweetheart, Ronnie, lives in rural Kentucky along with their three cats and two dogs. Laura has taught middle & high school English for 24 years, and gains much enjoyment from sharing her love of literature and other aspects of language arts with her students. One of her greatest joys is catching up with former students and hearing about their successes. In her spare time, she attends her children’s many activities and professes to be their biggest fan. Laura strives to live her life in a way that others will recognize she is a Christian wife, mother, teacher, & friend.
