To the Editor:

For a number of years now my husband John has worked the chain gang during the home Panther Football games. Often he comes home and shares what he has observed and heard while being on the opponent’s side of the field, because that’s where they mark the downs. It’s hard not to notice the behavior of the coaches and players and their “colorful” language. While some teams are worse than others, there is always a lot of cursing. The coach screams obscenities at his players both on and off the field, and the players on the sideline do likewise, because, after all, the coaches set the stage. Earlier this season even the young girls accompanying their team to take pictures on the sideline laced every comment they made with an obscenity. It’s a wonder the air didn’t turn blue.

Well, that’s not what happened Friday night during the game with Wichita North High School. The difference was so noticeable, it needs to be shared.

Despite the team rarely getting beyond their initial line of scrimmage in four downs, fumbling the ball, and losing big-time, the Wichita North coaches complimented their players even if they only made inches during a play, and then they took a moment to tell them what they needed to do differently. They used every failure as a teachable moment and kept encouraging the young men to try again. No obscenities were shouted, and even the players on the sideline were supportive of their teammates. And yes, the team did get better as the game progressed.

The difference in coaching was so noticeable that both John and another member of the chain gang made a point of visiting with the coaches after the game. They learned that about half of the team is Hispanic, and many of the boys had never played football before this year. They have lost every game this year by 30 points or more, and the one touchdown they scored Friday night was one of only two they have made this entire season. Amazingly, however, these young men keep coming back. They pick themselves up after every failure, run off the field, and return for more. No cursing, no obscenities, just a concentrated effort to try and do better. Here’s KUDOS to the players and coaches of Wichita North. You played with both heart and class!

Crystal and John Cross

Great Bend