Cope: Trying out is what high school is all about

“It’s late September and I really should be back at school!” Rod Stewart sang in 1971.  

Last summer, we spent some time at a lake in northern Wisconsin with some of our dear, long-time friends. Locals around the lake lamented the end of the long summer, from Memorial Day to Labor Day, when kids could recreate on and in the water, hang around campfires and just relax. 

That version of summer began to decline in the 1980s with the rise of the Youth Sports Industrial Complex involving travel teams, tournaments, summer practices and personal coaches. By the end of the first quarter of the 21st century, it became hard for families to steal away for a few days at a lake, much less the whole summer.  

So, did the squeeze on the American long summer ruin our youth? Hardly. Eddie Cochran was already complaining about the long summer in 1959, when he sang that, “there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues …” This song was later covered, most famously, by The Who as generations of teenagers reluctantly came to the realization that heading back to school, sports, activities and friends was an exciting prospect. 

The liberation and jubilation of closing the schoolhouse doors for the last time in June, with Alice Cooper’s classic, “Schools out for summer,” blasting from the intercom, slowly fades until, a few short months later, the questions arise, “When are tryouts?” “Who is our first game against?” And the cycle begins anew.  

Support Local Journalism

Donate

As the early mornings at the golf course get a little colder, tee times later, and the days a little shorter, it must be time for school to start up again. Sir Rod was talking about September, but around Colorado and the United States, August is the new September. NFL fantasy teams are being drafted, Premier League teams are kicking off a new season, NCAA teams are back on campus and Colorado high school teams begin practicing the first week of August for golf and for every other fall sport the following week. Let’s go!

Contrary to popular belief, there is a secret to thriving in high school, and in life, for that matter. It’s having something to look forward to. That sounds simple, but it takes some initiative, both for the average teenager and the person next to you at work. 

People with a date on the calendar and an event to look forward to tend to be happier than the average person churning through their to-do list and completing tasks at work or home.

What, you may ask, should I look forward to? It could be a game, a concert, a tee time, a show you are going to, or just a get together with neighbors. But it needs to be on the calendar and anticipated for it to count.  

Decades of observing high school students in their native environment have made it clear to me that having something to look forward to is the key. Your tribe is out there, even if you haven’t found them yet. 

Keep looking, try new things, master old ones, and if one thing doesn’t work out, find another. None of our schools here is so large that you can’t accomplish something, even if you are starting from scratch.  Commit to something, train for it, keep grinding and by senior year, you will become a leader in that activity.

The great Jeff Campbell of Battle Mountain High School spoke of the connections he made on his teams at CU during his college career in a recent article in the Vail Daily.  

“The group that I came in with, we were all very, very different, all from very, very different backgrounds,” Campbell said. “And for some reason, that group just jelled right away.” 

I immediately thought of our best teams when I read that quote. Kids from all different backgrounds who “just jelled right away.” That’s the stuff, right there.

I strongly urge any kid entering high school this fall in Eagle County to join something and get involved. It can be a team, a band, a fall play, any club for that matter. Anything will do, as long as you get involved and put some events on your calendar. You may make connections that will last a lifetime, but at least the weeks will fly by faster if you have something to look forward to.

As the great philosopher Winnie-the-Pooh once realized, it’s looking forward to something that might even be better than doing it.

A.A. Milne wrote: “‘Well,’” said Pooh, ‘what I like best,’ and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn’t know what it was called.” 

Oh, and tryouts? They start Aug. 11 and our first home soccer game is against Denver East on Aug. 22, the first Friday night of the school year. I’m looking forward to it. Happy New Year!

David Cope is a husband, dad, coach, retired teacher and general loudmouth. His wife, kids and dog don’t listen to him, but maybe you will.