[Squid]

Supporting your locals is admirable. Being unrealistic is not. Set reasonable goals. Winning this region is a good goal for the better teams. Going deep into the state tournament is not. It may not be "touchy, feely" but it is the real world. To expect what is not likely to occur is to put added and unneeded pressure on the participants.

You're quite the motivator for today's youth in the 16th region. I hope that whoever comes out of the regional tournament chooses someone else to give the pre-game pep talk prior to the appearance at Rupp Arena.

I think it will probably be Barnhill, Buck, Bair, and the boys (how's that for alliteration?), but whoever it is, I sincerely hope that they walk out on that floor, knowing in their hearts that they will play their best, and that they have a real chance to win.

If you give the pregame speech, I fear that most of the athletes will simply cut their wrists, rather than face the slaughter that you would have them believe they are walking into. Depending on the draw, the 16th regional champ may need to pull off an upset (or they may be favored) - but either way, that is why they play the games. Rather than have our kids go into the game expecting to be victimized, I'd prefer that they go in knowing that they can beat any team in the tournament, if they play well and get a few breaks.

Fairview will certainly have the talent to win a couple of games, and then, who knows? East is (in my opinion) capable of playing with most teams in the state. The last couple of years, Elliott County was certainly a fun team to watch, and they put a scare in their opponents in the state tournament.

In 07, they beat Shelby Valley, and played Warren Central tough.
In 08, they lost to the eventual state champs (Mason County) by 4 points in the first round - the smallest margin of victory for Mason in the entire tournament.
In 09, they lost to Holmes in the semifinals, by 10 points.

Elliott truly believed that they were the equal (or better) to every team they played. A defeatist attitude (even if you cloak it in the terms of "being a realist") robs kids (and adults as well) of the drive to succeed that are what athletic competition is all about.