LYNN — After Wednesday’s All-Star ceremony, call it another year in the books for high school sports.
With all of the communities we cover – featuring towns and cities stitched together by rivalries and respect – sports are a fabric of our local life.
For student-athletes, it’s often when dreams start.
It’s when a kid tries lacrosse for the first time in elementary school, only to grow into a senior captain leading a postseason run.
It’s when pitchers battle late-inning pitch counts, and tennis players go deep into final-set thrillers.
It’s when a shot putter clears a personal record while teammates cheer.
But . . .
As athletes took center stage to collect plaques and hear claps, it became clear that it’s bigger than box scores and trophies.
During a time when local traditions sometimes feel like they’re slipping away, high school sports give communities something to rally around.
The packed bleachers at a rivalry baseball game; the parents who fundraise for new uniforms; the neighbors who show up in lawn chairs.
These moments build identity. They remind people what it means to be from somewhere.
There’s also something uniquely powerful about seeing young people strive for greatness in front of their classmates, teachers, families, coaches, and members of the community.
With every award handed out Wednesday evening, there was a story.
Hours spent training in the offseason, daily grinds that no one sees, players battling back from injuries, others balancing academics, jobs, and social lives.
These athletes are role models – whether they know it or not.
Ask any senior what they’ll miss most, and they’ll probably talk about more than a game. It’s the pregame bus rides, team dinners, and laughs during practice.
It’s the friendships and mentorships that form through sports — the quiet ways in which an upperclassman helps a youngster find his or her footing, or when a coach checks in on a student-athlete going through a tough time.
That’s the heart of it . . .
High school sports aren’t just extracurriculars — they’re lifelines, launching pads, and in many cases, safe havens. They teach resilience and leadership, collaboration and humility.
Wednesday’s awards ceremony was a tribute to talent, yes, but also togetherness.
And in these towns and cities, that’s something worth honoring.
