Young athletes an inspiration for the rest of us

The weather is getting colder, and economic uncertainty is the order of the day.

But one bright spot for Southwest Nebraskans is the ability of our young athletes to provide inspiration for the entire community.

The Hayes Center football team is 11-0, and takes on 10-1 Ewing at 3 p.m. Saturday. The Cambridge volleyball team got off to a slow start because of injuries, but is now 19-11 after defeating David City Aquinas to take on Johnson Brock at 9 p.m. tonight in the C-2 semifinals. Bailey Soucie, with repeated knee injuries, and Traci Keyser came back to boost the Trojans to a peak at the right time of the season.

And the 11-0 McCook Bison make the long trip to Aurora again Saturday for a 4 p.m. Class B semi final match. Aurora's only loss was a week 3, 42-7 loss to McCook, and there's no doubt the Huskies have taken to heart every lesson learned since then.

Yes, there are more important things to worry about than winning a volleyball or football game, but the lessons learned -- hard work, cooperation, self-sacrifice for the good of the team, giving your best performance under pressure -- will serve these young athletes well for the rest of their lives.

Win or lose, all of us can draw inspiration from their talents and accomplishments.