It is time for you to get up off your couch, go out the front door (the back door in our case), get in your car and go to a football game. I know, you don’t want to do it, what a hassle.
Believe me, you will be glad you did. First of all, when you leave the house, turn off everything and save at least a few pennies off that horrendous City of Clinton light bill (have you seen social media recently?? Ouch!!). Second, the kids deserve it.
I know we always talk about the players - and we should, we should be excited about their accomplishments, we should be understanding of their growth process, it is after all just a game -- but there is SO MUCH more that goes into community football.
The Band deserves your attention. The Cheerleaders deserve your dollars for programs. The school administrations deserve a thank you for maintaining the stadium - and, wow, what improvements we have seen to Wilder in past few years and again this year. This Friday, just take a look at our new Jumbotron - well, it’s not as big as Camden’s but still pretty impressive.
But, I digress. When you’re in the stands at the football game, look for a minute at the sidelines. You will see trainers at work, you will see ball-boys and girls who someday will be players. Outside the stands you will see the very-haggard concession stand workers. You will see EMTs on standby, and police officers for order - you will see people selling stuff at the merch stand, and ticket-takers. And you can see them if you want to look up, people broadcasting the game on the radio, and even sideline reporters. You will see an old guy limping around on a bump left knee - hey, be nice!
In certain places in Clinton, you will see a football player stand on a rock and wield a sword, and other players ringing a victory bell. You won’t see them playing for The Derby anymore, and that’s a shame.
When the game is over, you will see players talking to each other - maybe they went to the same camp, maybe they meet on the basketball court or run in the same track meet. In some cases, it’s what you won’t see, those people who were here and now, sadly, aren’t. There’s nothing like the ebb and flow of football.
Vic MacDonald is Editor of The Clinton Chronicle. In June, 2025, he will observe his 50th year as a community journalist. Reach him at 864-833-1900.
