One of the many missions of high school athletic departments is to provide student-athletes with opportunities to reach the next level.
College.
Through various sports programs at each school, student-athletes can get those opportunities by earning scholarships with their play. The more sports played at a school, the greater the chance at earning one of those coveted scholarships.
State championships might bring recognition to a school, but an auditorium stage filled with students signing national letters of intent with various colleges is far more satisfying to professional educators — coaches, teachers, athletic directors and school administrators — than any trophy or medal.
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That’s what made last week’s visit to Wildwood Middle High School to check out the first flag football program in Lake and Sumter counties so satisfying. The decision to start the program was made so girls at the school would have another avenue to pursue their college dreams.
It’s refreshing to see a school take a leap of faith for its students.
“It’s another opportunity for our girls to go to college for free,” Wildwood Athletic Director Ryan Harrison said, as he watched the team go through its paces at a recent practice. “We learned that more and more colleges in Florida are offering scholarships for flag football. We want to provide as many chances as possible for our student-athletes to earn college scholarships.”
Certainly, Harrison and administrators aren’t fielding a team to pad the school’s bank account. With no home games on the schedule this year — Death Valley, Wildwood’s home field, is the midst of a complete rebuild— every game will be played on the road.
That means more money going out and little coming in.
If this season results in even one girl earning a college scholarship, then all the headaches that go along with starting up a program will be worth every penny spent.
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Truth be told, area schools have been adding programs for years in effort to give their student-athletes more opportunities. Several have started wrestling programs and others have opted for lacrosse teams.
Girls weightlifting still is relatively new, but programs throughout Lake and Sumter counties have established themselves as some of the best in the state.
Lake County has produced multiple state champions in bowling in the nearly 20 years since the Florida High School Athletic Association held its first state championship tournament. Beach volleyball is new to the FHSAA, with state championships set for later this school year, and it likely won’t be long before area schools begin making an impact in the finals.
In fact, with a world-class facility at the Hickory Point Recreation Park, Lake County could become a potential home for FHSAA state championships.
All this, of course, is in addition to the mainstays — football, basketball, baseball, softball and track-and-field programs — that nearly every school has had in place for years.
So what’s the point in all this? Why am I taking up time to write about a single flag football team, along with sports that some might not even care about?
I just hope to point out — especially to those who constantly complain about schools and school districts — just how hard those in charge are working to help our young people succeed. High school sports is about so much more than wins and losses. The trophy case does not define a program.
Seeing student-athletes who have earned college scholarships is a defining point.
Kudos to Wildwood and the other schools that have started up new programs in recent years. For the casual fan, those programs’ successes might not be easily apparent.
But, for those involved on a more personal level — the coaches, student-athletes, and administrators — the victories will be clear, regardless of the scoreboard.
Write to Frank Jolley at frank.jolley@dailycommercial.com.
