-Isms: Summerland success

Success breeds success and fuels momentum.

At the moment, momentum and success for Summerland activities and events are cause for excitement.

In the co-operative's inaugural year, the cross country program made major strides, drawing approximately a dozen students into competition and qualifying two athletes for the state meet in Kearney.

If you have not attended a cross country meet, add it to your bucket list next season. What a great showing of dedication and determination! A definite sense of teamwork and camraderie exists, even though cross country may be viewed as an individual event. Runners who aren't near the front of the pack receive as much encouragement as those leading the race.

At state, the Kearney Country Club was filled with fans who lined the course and cheered athletes as they passed along the fairway. Then, fans made a mad dash to the other side of the raceway to cheer once more, while runners weaved through a maze of turns as they neared the final 800 meters.

Impressive.

My advice: bring a lawn chair and enjoy the race.

This week, the Bobcats' volleyball team travels to Lincoln for the state tournament. While the atmosphere is familiar for some players, a strong sense of anticipation makes the trip as sweet as ever. For others, it's a new experience they likely won't forget.

Again, if you haven't watched the Bobcats play volleyball, consider a trip to Lincoln to cheer on our team. Saturday's district match in Burwell was one of the loudest district finals I've ever witnessed. The sideline encouragement seemed to fuel the 'Cats as they pounded kills and nailed ace serves.

I expect that momentum will carry our team as they face the Class C2 field in the capital city.

Hopefully, with successful passage of the school bond, the list of historic firsts and continued successes spills into classrooms. The addition of new curriculum and programs that prepare all students for future vocations and provide opportunities to investigate areas of interest will be the biggest and best success story Summerland may offer.

We have a chance to make an impact and leave an impression on the importance of education in our communities. This is a chance to provide opportunities for our children and grandchildren, the capability to grow our communities, foster forward and positive thinking, create new ideas and see them come to fruition.

I've always believed it takes a village to raise a child. I've always believed the place where I grew up and the people who lived there gave me infinite opportunities for growth. Along with my family, the village built the foundation for success and motiviation and a lot of that foundation included educational opportunities.

In this case, three communities can support future generations with experiences that will shape and impact the outlook for this region.

That's the kind of momentum and success we can all cheer for.