Heads Held High

The W-P Cardinals may not have shown up during Saturday's semifinals at Lampson Stadium until the third quarter when they finally scored against the Broncos.

But we're deeply proud that they showed up consistently during the rest of the season and got the combine to this point for the third year in a row. Thanks to head coach Jeff Bartlow and his assistants, thanks to the support of the schools and to Jubilee Leadership Academy, thanks to the parents and the team's ardent fans, it was another great season, coming close to repeating last year's spectacular rise to the finals and the team's return to Main Street with the state title trophy.

This year's Cardinals ought to look back at the 2012 fall season with satisfaction and a sense of accomplishment. The student athletes' commitment is as strong as it's ever been and the program has rarely been better at sustaining its consistency and performance.

The 2012 Cardinals as their 2010 and 2011 versions before them have once again set the bar for future teams and inspired younger players to reach for the playoffs with stars in their eyes. And that, in turn, keeps bringing teenage boys (and girls among the cheerleaders) into the program, pursuing the healthy pursuit of athletic skills instead of less desirable "recreational" activities.

2012 Cardinals: You have every reason to hold your heads high and remember your season as one of the best ever for this community.

Give 'em space. This publisher recalls being at a summer camp when he was a teenager. We were all staying in a large dormstyle compound with half a dozen kids to a room - boys and girls separate, of course. One night, a spontaneous pillow fight broke out before lights out and a few camp counselors initially turned a blind eye to the ruckus, figuring we could hardly get hurt by flying feathers. After about half an hour, however, the camp director showed up and put an end to what she perceived as out-of-control mayhem. The fallout for her was an earful from the teens and some of the counselors who thought it was all pretty innocent. So, the director came up with what she thought was a bright idea. We would have an organized pillow fight with a time schedule and more supervision the following night. Of course, you couldn't get any of us kids there with a stick. Planned spontaneity. An oxymoron. Forget it. It was a bust. The current debate about parent access to Waitsburg High School dances reminds me of that pillow fight. The school board is looking into the legal question regarding the rights of parents to be present at social events put on by the district. It's conceivable that the district's attorney will discover in his legal research that parents can't be denied access to school premises to be present at the school dances (state law appears to be unclear on the subject) and those parents concerned about being denied access may score a victory, but it really won't be hellip; a victory. In the case of school dances, parents need to give their teenagers and their selected chaperones some space. What kid is going to feel at ease at a school dance with their parents checking their behavior or that of their friends, standing unmoving against the wall eyeing their youngster's every move? C'mon. Just let them have a good time. They're in good hands. Instead, take the evening to have that date you've been wanting to go on for a while with your spouse or friends. Would you want your kids to be present for, say, your romantic wedding anniversary dinner in town? There's another principle at stake here. There may well have been genuine concerns about the provocative dancing styles at previous dances. But earlier this school year, school staff and students agreed on new rules that should mitigate these "dirty dancing" worries and pave the way for clean fun at the dances. We're trying to encourage our kids to work constructively in situations requiring compromise or policy matters that affect them and they should be applauded for contributing to a solution. It's right for the school board to take up the issue and decide on the appropriateness of the new staff-student rules and their legality. But our point here is that we wish the debate were moot, hoping kids are smart enough to behave themselves in the presence of responsible chaperones and parents are relaxed enough to give their kids some space on the dance floor.