[sstack]

As to the bolded, it's so true that's it is important to him. It's important too that the team wins another state championship this year. Like many other kids in FT, he wants those football state championships like his uncles, cousins, brothers, etc obtained. Like many other kids in FT, he wants to be a starter for Highlands football. Tradition drives those desires.

Some people discount the impact tradition has on the outcome of a game or a season. Not me. Tradition is what causes 99% of the players to attend every weight lifting session; every conditioning session and every practice. It's what causes them to give a 100% all the time. It's what causes them to will themselves to a win against more talented teams. And, unfortunately in the eyes of some, it's what causes some of them to choose to concentrate on football and not play other sports.

Tradition has been going on at Highlands for a long time, and the recent abandoning of spring sports is just started to happen over the past 5 years or so. Why do we have a decline in spring sports now? We were winning football championships with kids playing 3 sports in the past and showing good in all sports. It is fine if the kids are choosing one sport only to participate in, but just curious why people think this is happening?