LORANE – Life right now is rather mundane following the business of the holidays. For Jim and I, the days are filled with doctor appointments, yoga classes, and trips to town to run errands … with one exciting exception.
We have season tickets to the 2020 University of Oregon women’s basketball games along with our son Rob, daughter Michele, son-in-law Brian, and the Steve and Renee Grube family. Last week’s had to be one of the best games I have seen – anywhere. In leading her sixth-ranked team to victory over third-ranked Stanford, University of Oregon Duck Sabrina Ionescu – considered by most to be the best college basketball player in the nation – set records for highest UO women’s career scoring and her own single-game scoring at 37 points.
What is so amazing about this team, though, is not only the supreme player it has in Ionescu but the standards that each of the team members represent. Regardless of whether kids today are even interested in athletics, the unselfish team play and work ethic on the floor make them ideal role models for today’s youth – both girls and boys.
I’d much rather our grandchildren’s role models come from the high school and college ranks rather than the professional levels of any activity or career because those who are succeeding are doing it for the pure love of working towards a goal, whether it be athletics, music, science, agriculture, business, education or any other endeavor that has caught their interest. Just doing it for the monetary rewards should be secondary.
Good game, Ducks!
Pat Edwards is a columnist for the Lorane area. Check out her website at allthingslorane.com.
