By Shaun Spencer- Community Marketing Director

Take a moment and imagine this; A local high school sports lockout. 

That’s right, no high school sports!  Not a single football game on Friday nights this fall.  No crisp Saturday afternoon soccer matches.  Not a single gym in the area hosting a volleyball triangular. 

How devastating! Could you imagine the consequences this would have on the student athletes, the schools and the community?  Luckily, that will never happen. High school athletics are the purest form of competition that we have.   

What I love most about high school sports is how one team can capture the imagination and passion of an entire community and help everyone feel a sense of pride.  For some, this may mean beating a cross-town opponent that has developed into an arch-rival over the decades.  For others, it may simply mean enjoying a cool Friday night with friends and family from their local community enjoying the festivities of a football game.

High school sports simply have a way of strengthening communities through the spirit of the game.  Players and fans become one, unified to represent their community to the best of their ability.  

Athletes, enjoy this opportunity.  You may not realize it now, but this is the best time of your life.  Study hard, practice with a purpose and represent your community with pride and humility.  You have parents, friends, teachers, businesses, and hundreds of others supporting you! 

Parents, you’ve chosen to live in your community and entrust your children to your local school.  Be proud of your kids and the effort they put in as they represent you, your school, your team and your community.  

As for the community as a whole, we have a lot to be grateful for.  Despite the fact we don’t always get the results we’ve worked so hard for, each local school represents its district, it’s league, and the area in a tremendous way.  Be proud of your local community and continue to support your local school, teams and businesses in your backyard.  As fans we feel a sense of belonging to our team and that’s what makes a community even stronger!

Fortunately, we aren’t faced with a local sports lockout.  So, head out and catch a game or two this week and be a fanatic!   Show off your school pride and represent your community to the best of your ability! 

- Shaun Spencer is a former baseball player at the NCAA Division III level and has previously coached summer youth baseball. He joined the Storied Rivals team in the summer of 2013 as the Community Marketing Director.  To contact Shaun about sports marketing opportunites shoot him an email spencer@storiedrivals.com.