Captains today, leaders tomorrow?

This is an important time for kids to be leaders. Between the increasing number of day-to-day temptations … and many different ways that teammates can lose focus … and sad and alarming stories of intimidating and bullying in lockerrooms … it’s a challenging burden being a team captain.We’ve all heard, I’m sure, about the Richie Incognito story in Miami … the way he bullied and harassed a teammate right out the door. Zdeno Chara of the Bruins, responding to that story, said that after some bad experiences as a youth at the hands of older, alleged “leaders” of his teams, he no longer uses the word “rookie” to describe first-year players. And as captain of the Bruins, he doesn’t let anyone else use it either.The way he sees it, everyone, young, old, veteran, newbie … they’re all on the team for the same reason: to win. And, again, the way he sees it, how are you supposed to have the requisite confidence as a young player if you’re constantly being told you’re not worthy, or you’re being hazed into paying for everyone’s meals, or carrying equipment, or all those other indignities practiced all over the place under the guise of “team building.”Every Thanksgiving, Lynn’s business and civic leaders treat the captains of Lynn’s four schools to a luncheon at the Porthole. It’s put on by the Rotary and Lions Clubs and sponsored by three of the city’s credit unions: Brotherhood, St. Jean’s and Riverworks.Obviously, the fact that these leaders come together, and donate time and money, to show our captains our appreciation speaks to how all the people responsible for guarding the city’s legacy feel about them.We’re not simply proud of them (though we are). As one who has sweated through workouts on hot days in September myself, we’re proud of their perseverance. We admire them for surviving those hot practices and frigid cold games late in the season.It hasn’t always been easy to be a captain of a Lynn football team this season. All four teams have struggled at times. Yet as we head into the home stretch, three of the four squads have clawed their way back to being in positions to either have winning seasons or, at least, finish with an even record. Only English – which had a lot of obstacles in its wake before the season even began – won’t have that opportunity.Classical got off to an 0-2 start, yet with a win on Thanksgiving, the Rams will clinch a winning record. St. Mary’s has already done that. Tech, with a win tonight over St. Mary’s, will recover from a brutal mid-season stretch to finish at 5-5.Coaches can only do so much. But as we’ve heard so often, the real leadership comes at the peer level. And that begins with captains.It’s the captains who, more often than not, read the riot act to players whose focus might be wandering. It’s the captains who organize the summer workouts. It’s the captains who make sure the players are doing what they’re required to do in the weight room..In any adult-student ethic, the authority figure – as revered as he or she may be – is often cast as the bad cop … the one you might try to fool with false effort (though none of them are, really).But you cannot fool your peers, especially the ones with the “C” on their chests.So here’s to the captains for keeping their teams focused and motivated when it would have been much easier to just chuck it in at different points this season.As St. Mary’s coach Matt Durgin said at Tuesday’s luncheon: “sometimes you find out more about kids when things aren’t going well.”uAs mentioned earlier, three of Lynn’s credit unions contribute toward putting on the luncheon. Representatives from these organizations were there Tuesday. They are Dave Surface, St. Jeans; Adam Sherman, Brotherhood; and Maria Cacciola, Riverworks.Also, Camp Lion sponsored the speaker for Tuesday’s luncheon, former New England Patriot Jermaine Wiggins.Wiggins was one of the stars of the “Snow Bowl” game of 2002 – the one in which the Patriots, thanks to the “Tuck Rule,” defeated the Oak