EDITORIAL: Providing perspective

Sometimes things just don’t make sense.

A reader recently approached us with something that didn’t make sense to this person and we must admit that it had crossed our minds as well as a bit strange. So we put the issue in the form of a “What’s going on...” featured on the front page each week. It is addressed this week.

At issue are the signs in the Greencastle-Antrim High School gymnasium that note some athletic accomplishments of our Blue Devil athletes and teams. While the current arrangement of the signs appears to be very orderly and comprehensive, the addition of a new sign a few years ago opened a can of worms that area apparently still wiggling.

The newest sign in the gym denotes the finalist boys’ basketball team of a few years ago. Of course that is an accomplishment that the whole community is quite proud of and enjoyed immensely. But the sign honoring a finalist also sets a new precedent. Should there be signs for every team or athlete that was a state finalist? Perhaps. We could name a few off the tops of our heads, so there could be quite a few signs to add. Should there also be a separate sign for each state champion team and individual?

It has been explained that the sign is in the gym because that’s where basketball is played. A sign noting the state championships softball team of 2009 has been installed at that field. Yes, very appropriate. However, Kaley Field doesn’t include any signs that denote the state champions who have worn the blue and gold and there have been a good number from track and field and cross country. There is no sign at Jerome R. King Playground where the state finalist Blue Devil baseball team played in 2000.

It has also been explained that the sign came along with the donation of a new scoreboard for the gymnasium. And it’s a fantastic scoreboard that we appreciate very much. We also wonder what the guidelines are for such donations.

The bottom line is that it sets a precedent. It would certainly be nice to recognize every accomplishment of our young people, no matter how big or small. But that’s not likely. Athletic competition is a terrific thing with lots of lessons. One of those is that there is a winner and there is a loser. Why else would we keep score. Let’s just help provide perspective.