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The
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February 28, 2015
Proud Patriot
Fan
Amy Farmer
In response to Dr. Leon Knore’s article recently published in the Daily
Advocate, I would like to thank you, sir, for providing an opportunity
for us to show what a fine community we live in and just how proud we
are of the young men and women we call Tri-Village Patriots. Your
words have struck a chord that all of “Patriot Nation” has heard.
The young men who sport the red, white and blue in New Madison, Ohio
are some of the finest I have ever known. Although I know that
all teenagers, including these young men, have flaws, theirs are
certainly not on public display on or off the court. These
gentlemen are admired by underclassmen, revered by elementary and
preschool children and consistently courteous, respectful and most
importantly, selfless in a way that is sadly lacking within our society
today. Our student body lines up to form a tunnel through which
the starters run at every home game, and to the see the faces of the
young fans as they get to touch the hands of their heroes is a sight
that brings tears to my eyes. Watching these young men sacrifice
individual glory for the good of the team, or focusing all their
collective efforts on helping a teammate reach a goal (breaking the
record for assists or individual points, for example), is a study in
sportsmanship and contribution to the common good that I have rarely
witnessed in sports or in life.
It’s difficult to describe how it feels to be a fan of this particular
Patriot team. It’s a pride that reaches back to my own days as a
Patriot athlete and brings it forward through the years. As a
community, we feel every shot, every foul, every victory, every
shortfall and every single drop of sweat and blood that our boys put in
for us. We focus our collective pride and our hopes on a team
that can make our dreams of a state title come true.
The Patriots beat the Ansonia Tigers by a 90-point margin, and they did
so because that’s what we expect of them. We expect them to give
100% and leave everything they have on the court every single
game. The fact that they meet those expectations doesn’t make
them bullies; it makes them capable, successful, disciplined young men
who know that doing their best and giving their all is the only way to
play, both in basketball and in life.
We would not have expected our young athletes, especially those who
came in late in the game to get some varsity time, to do anything but
score as many points as possible, and would have been deeply
disappointed had they intentionally backed down in intensity just to
keep the margin within whatever your idea of a respectable range might
be. There was no intended disrespect or demoralization of their
opponent in this victory, and I’m sure the attitude of the Tigers is to
work hard and look forward to next year’s contest rather than wishing
the Patriots had taken it easy on them. After all, it’s not
whether you win or lose that counts, but how you play the game,
correct? Purposely competing with less intensity and at a level
beneath the norm is not something I would be proud of as a fan or a
player on any team.
In reference to the statement about how to judge a high school sports
program, I am a positive contributing member of society who graduated
from Tri-Village, and I certainly believe the athletic program at
Tri-Village is a success. Throughout my athletic career at
Tri-Village, I was taught to work hard, to do my best, to never give
up, to show humility, to lose gracefully and to walk with my head held
high, win or lose. Those are all lessons that prepared me for the
real world. In the real world, the opposing team doesn’t stop
scoring so we can catch up.
Finally, in reference to Dr. Knore’s comment about the “unbelievable
lack of class by the winning coach,” may I remind you, sir, that you
are not a member of our community and your opinion of our coach matters
very little to anyone? What does matter, and what truly shows a
lack of class, is for a retired school administrator who lives in Darke
County to publicly attempt to defame the character of local high school
athletes. Shame on you and shame on the Daily Advocate for
confusing your libelous, sensationalistic writing with an actual
opinion piece. In the future, you may wish to focus your rants on
people who truly deserve criticism, because these Patriot boys are out
of your league.
Amy L Farmer
Proud Patriot Fan
New Madison
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