One of the disadvantages to a weekly newspaper is it is difficult to hit holidays on the exact date the paper is coming out. So, you have to be constantly aware and looking into the future. And we blew it this week.
Tuesday was International Women’s Day. I should have gotten this column in last week so it could have been read at various celebrations throughout Colorado City and Rye. I apologize.
International Women’s Day was officially marked for the first time on March 19, 1911, with Austria, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland participating. In 1913, Russia joined the celebration and some historians feel that helped lead to the Russian Revolution of 1917. I wonder if this year it might lead to Russian troops leaving the Ukraine.
Communist countries and organizations were behind much of the initial celebration and, in 1922, it reached China. In 1949, China also declared March 8 as “halfday of work” for women.
Always on the cutting edge, the United Nations began celebrating the day in 1975, 64 years after it began. They decided to up the ante and in 1977, invited members to proclaim March 8 as UN Day for Women’s Rights and World Peace Day. March 8 is still used for the celebration.
I don’t know if anyone takes nominations for awards for International Women’s Day, but I had the privilege of watching the Rye High School girls basketball team for the first time on Saturday through the wonderful world of live stream subscriptions. I’d like to nominate the entire team.
Sydney and Sophie Adamson, Jordan Holgerson-Rahl, Morgan Elarton, Gracie Graham, Kelsey Stribling and Alaina Bourgeios dominated the regional tournament they hosted, and the team has moved on to the “Elite Eight” ranked #5 in the state. They are the only undefeated program in Colorado 2A basketball.
You can read about the regional tournament in the sports section of this week’s Greenhorn Valley View. What this touches on about statistics and wins and losses doesn’t give you a very complete picture of these young ladies.
Head Coach Kermit Spencer leads in praising the determination, the hard work, the comradery, intensity, and intentionality of this mostly senior basketball team. Not to mention hours and hours and hours of practice.
Watching the championship game against Yuma, I saw only one uncontested shot by Yuma taken the entire game. While Yuma shuttled in fresh people two or three at a time, Rye made rare substitutions for short periods of time to give Adamson, Adamson, Rahl, Elarton and Graham brief seconds of rest.
When errors were made, and there are errors made when you hustle as hard as these young ladies do, there was no condemnation visible by the rest of the team. When good plays were made, and there were plenty of those made when you hustle as hard as these young ladies do, there were quiet, appropriate high fives and encouragement.
When the final buzzer sounded and they had quadrupled the score of their opponent in the final game of regionals, there was no showing off, no poor winners. There were happy celebrations but it looked as if the focus had already shifted to the upcoming state tournament.
Focus.
While innocents are being bombed in the Ukraine. While a championship Ivy League “female” swimmer sets national records because a short time ago “she” was a “he”. While gas prices spiral upward, along with every other cost under the sun.
While radicals, some of them actually elected by their constituents, scream to defund police. While business owners beg for employees in a world where the government pays people not to work. In a country where the homicide rate rose 30% between 2019 and 2020, and an estimated 3,000 babies are aborted in the United States every day:
Focus.
Focus on the “Magnificent Seven” as they give us a break, a champion to cheer for, a group of young people and coaches to be proud of, and winners, regardless of any score registered on any scoreboard in any game.