County's graduates deserve congratulations

Congratulations to all graduates. You have made it through high school. And you know what? You have just begun on the great journey of life.

Some people mistakenly consider their high school years as the highlight of their lives. Let's hope not. There is so much more out there.

If you are reading this, my guess is you know you attended school in a pretty special place. You won't begin to know the impact good teachers have had on you during the past few years and you will probably never again have an entire town rooting for you like you have now.

High school graduation is called commencement for a reason — you are commencing or beginning on a lifelong journey armed with everything you are today. That is why everyone is rooting for you.

Graduation is a new start. All of us old folks you call parents and grandparents graduated from something at sometime and we all know the feeling when the world is yours for the taking.

You will hear many theories on what makes a person a success. I have a feeling you will find your own definition. Hint: Money isn't everything, marry your best friend and find a job where you can make a difference.

Good luck, graduates. It's your future.

There's been a lot written and a whole bunch discussed lately on displays of poor sportsmanship at some baseball games and soccer matches. I have witnessed these embarrassing displays more the past two years than I have in all my years up to now. I hope it's not a trend.

I have yet to find out what's the use in yelling at a volunteer umpire in youth baseball or a teen officiating a soccer match or refereeing a basketball game. It seems the same people who yell at the officials also yell at their own kids and other players, for that matter.

Without officials and players there would be no sports. Who would these folks shout at then?

It's my opinion that for every one loud dad who is trying to forget his athletic shortcomings through screaming at his son or the official, there are at least 50 dads who take youth sports for the fun it is.

We just completed our first year of Strikers soccer. My son, B, 9, was lucky enough to play for Ray Smith and Erik Bauer on Sandpoint's U-11 team. From the first day of practice, the young men on this team and parents were told about the Strikers Code of Conduct.

The coaches led by example and parents and athletes followed their lead. Several games this year we faced coaches who yelled profanities at players and referees, incited their players into needless physicalness and cheap shots and even one Coeur d'Alene Sting coach had players punch Sandpoint goalies and hold our leading scorer.

Sandpoint should be proud of the way coaches like Smith, Bauer, Dave Fox, Shannon Ireland, Scott Clawson, Keith Anderson and Matt Linscott and many more who I haven't seen or met this year, inspire our children to be competitive without being cheap.

These coaches are all winners on and off the field and have gotten the most from our children by expecting the best.

Anderson and Linscott's U-13 boys team went 21-2 this year and won three tournament championships. The team was awesome to watch. Clawson's girls were also in the championship games more than they weren't this year and will be a force to be reckoned with for years.

Take Shannon Ireland for example. She's a SHS senior who loves soccer and kids. She coached a very talented U10 girls team. These girls love their coach and even had a sleepover at the coach's home.

When coach Ireland couldn't attend one of the girl's matches because she wanted to go to her senior prom, she stopped by Centennial Park to root on her team — wearing her prom dress and bringing along her date, Reid Weber. What a great role model she is.

Congrats to Erik Swanbeck, who took over some very big cleats this year to become the Sandpoint Soccer Association's soccer director. He did a great job and has plans to whip soccer crazy Sandpoint up into a frenzy when it comes to the world's number one sport.

These folks are participating in youth sports for the right reasons and we're lucky they're here.

Speaking of soccer. Our last adventure this year took us to Kalispell for the Three Blind Refs tournament last weekend.

Montana's state motto is: "Esto Perpetua Licensa Persona" which translates to "Everyone Must Have a Personalized License Plate."

Some of my favorites on this trip included: LIVRDIE, which was attached to a pickup with more than a few bullet holes in the tailgate. L8AGIN plates adorned a soccer mom's van.

On Saturday I met the owner of a Subway restaurant who was wearing a Grizzly (University of Montana) cap. Of course, I instantly liked him. He talked about all of the rain Kalispell had received in the past month.

"We have another Sandpoint Mist storm coming tomorrow," he said. " What's that?" I asked. "It's another storm that missed Sandpoint," he replied. Funny thing was, he didn't know I was from Sandpoint.

E-mail of the Week: Alice and Frank are bungee-jumping one day. Alice says to Frank, "you know, we could make a lot of money running our own bungee-jumping service in Mexico."

Frank thinks it's a great idea, so they pool their money and buy everything they'll need and travel to Mexico City. As they are constructing the tower, a crowd begins to assemble. Slowly, more and more people gather to watch them at work. When they had finished, there was such a crowd they thought it would be a good idea to give a demonstration.

So, Alice jumps. She bounces at the end of the cord, but when she comes back up, she has a few cuts and scratches. Unfortunately, Frank isn't able to catch her and she falls again, bounces and comes back up, bruised and bleeding.

Again, Frank misses her. Alice falls again and bounces back up. This time, she's got a couple of broken bones and is almost unconscious. Luckily, Frank finally catches her this time and says, "What happened? Was the cord too long?"

Barely able to speak, Alice gasps, "No, the Bungee cord was fine … It was the crowd. What the heck is a pi-ata?!"

David Keyes is publisher of the Bee. His column runs weekly.