On Monday, the Charleston Daily Mail reported a sad story in high school sports in our state.
Hurricane High School in Putnam County will not field a girl’s volleyball team this season due to the fact that they have been unable to find a coach.
I live in Hurricane. But, I have no agenda here. I don’t have any children in the high school and I don’t have a daughter interested in playing volleyball. I don’t even know any children in the high school.
I do know that Hurricane is a great place to live and the schools are outstanding. Hurricane usually ranks in the top three or four in the state in various academic rankings.
I also realize that not having a girl’s volleyball team is not that big a deal to most reading this column. But, try telling that to seniors Miranda Sook, Sami Null, Allie Browne and Brittany Goode. Tell them that they won’t have a team this season. They only went 32-13-3 last season.
The high school experience is many things. It is about growing academically and preparing for your future. Athletics is a big part of that. Athletics is about teamwork, physical fitness, competition and wearing your school colors. It is also about having fun.
Now a group of senior volleyball players will no longer have a chance to compete because the school can not find a coach. I hate that for these kids. They are only seniors one time. There are no mulligans or "do overs" to a senior year.
What is happening to the volleyball seniors at Hurricane should not happen to any group of kids at any school in our state.