You say goodbye and I say adios

By BOBBY LA GESSE
I hate goodbyes.
I’ve never been good at them. That’s probably because I associate goodbye with the last time I will ever interact with someone.
As some of you may know, this is my last story for The Independent. I am leaving to cover Iowa State football for The Ames Tribune. I wasn’t looking for the job. It just fell into my lap.
I’ve always loved college sports. As a kid, I always came down with a cold during the NCAA Tournament. As a college student, my favorite memories were following the Illinois basketball team. As a journalist, I always wanted to cover college sports again.
And now that I have that chance, I can’t bring myself to say goodbye.
If I say goodbye to someone, it’s the last time I intend to communicate with them.
That isn’t the case.
I will still follow the Marian Central and Woodstock athletic teams. Just like you, I want to know if Marian Central can win a state title in football.
And if the Blue Streaks can make the football playoffs.
And if the Woodstock girls cross country team will get to state.
And if Joe Conroy and Curtis Price can turn both schools into winners on the hardwood.
The thing I will miss most about Woodstock is the high school athletes. They are unlike any high schoolers I have covered in the past. After Marian Central’s final volleyball game of the 2006 season, I had a senior come up and thank me for covering the team. I never had an athlete do that before — let alone minutes after his or her high school career just ended.
I’ve had athletes from both schools thank me for covering them. They’ve thanked me for writing stories on them. They’ve even chatted with me while watching sporting events at their schools.
Marian and Woodstock should be proud of the student- athletes they produce.
I’d also like to thank everyone at both Marian and Woodstock — superintendents, principals, athletic directors, coaches, secretaries — and at The Independent who I have had the pleasure of working with for the last 13 months.
Now I have one plea for the town before I go. Please do not push the young athletes of this town too far.
While in Woodstock, I’ve covered youth sporting events where the coaches, parents and officials let the kids be kids and play the game. You should be commended.
I have also seen a few renegade coaches and parents who have gone too far. We all have to remember that the children are playing sports for fun. Let them have fun.
I’ve seen too many athletes stop playing a sport they love because they were burned out by the time they hit high school. They played too many games with too many ranting and raving coaches to want to do it anymore.
I think that might be the worst thing that happens in sports. Youth sporting events are held for the kids’ fun and enjoyment. We all need to always keep that in mind.
So I will say so long and adios. Who knows when we will run into each other again?