Homecoming a lesson in school spirit, pride

Homecoming week at a school is supposed to be one of the best weeks each fall for students, faculty and the community. It is supposed to be full of fun, tradition and the execution of a well planned out sequence of events.

This year, Bigfork High School had to roll with quite a few punches, but I was really impressed with everyone's ability to not let that get in the way of the fun or the showing of school spirit.

The weather did not cooperate, many kids have been very sick the last few weeks, a Bigfork family's house burned down and the football game was looked at as a loss before the school year even started.

But when the festivities rolled around no one complained.

There was snow on the football field, so the powder puff football game that the girls were supposed to play was turned into a game of some sort of over-under/dodge ball hybrid.

Freezing temperatures made the football game a little hard to sit through, but the stands were still packed.

I had my doubts about what kind of a celebration it would be on Friday morning as I took pictures of the King's house engulfed in flames. I surely don't remember my Homecoming days plagued with such tragedy.

But leave it to BHS to yet again rise above it all and make the best of their situation.

I got a pretty good kick out of seeing Mark Heyka at Homecoming as well. He is a good sport and a good supporter of kids to sit through our pep assembly, attend the parade and the football game. There were many parents and a few coaches that didn't even do that.

In last week's paper, on page C2, there was an article I wrote about three Bigfork High School alumni who participated in sports as students and are now serving as coaches and an administrator at the school.

I first got the idea to write this story last year when I was in the Linderman Elementary School gym in Polson for the Class A volleyball divisionals. I went to Polson schools from seventh grade through my sophomore year of high school.

While at Polson High School, I participated in cheerleading, as well as several other activities.

When I moved away from the area nine years ago, I never thought I'd be back in the hallways of PHS or in any of the buildings or on the fields where I had spent so much time and created so many memories, other than for the next couple of graduations.

I certainly never thought that I would be there working as a sports reporter.

All too often we tend to decide that when something has ended or we have left a place, that it is the final time for us to experience that situation.

There is something surreal about standing at the exact spot I had nearly a decade ago in that gym.

Back then I never would've guessed I'd end up where I am today, and even more surprising to me is the way I got back here.

It was a nice reality check, and a good way to remind myself that no matter how things are today I can not predict the future, nor should I worry about it.

If I can get here from those terrible high school teen-drama years, then chances are I can end up a lot of unexpected places in the next 10 or so years.

It is also fun to go back to a place you used to call home to see what is the same and what has changed. In all three of my interviews with the Bigfork alums, they all said that not much has changed at BHS since they were students.

There have been a few improvements made to the school and some alterations to traditions, but mostly it is the same.

The biggest change for them they all said, is perspective. For them it is interesting to be the ones telling the team how to play the game rather than fighting for the win, to be the ones inspiring and impacting students rather than learning those lessons, and to be the ones shaking their heads at the teenagers who think they know it all, but still have so much to learn.

It used to be that Homecoming celebrations at schools were a given for alumni to attend. I feel like that has changed over the years as the importance of history and tradition related to school spirit has died down.

Admittedly, I have not attended a Homecoming celebration at either of the high schools I attended or the university I graduated from. But I have gone back for other occasions, and I think that is important in remembering where I came from.

Returning to your alma mater also helps to show the current students that their options for the future are plentiful and that someone who was once in their shoes made it out into the real-world relatively unscathed.

When you read the stories of Matt Porrovecchio, Tracy Wicklund and Jake Hill, who come from three different eras, I think you will find that they all have a few things in common that may serve as great lessons to current students.

All three didn't think they'd end up where they are today, they all took different paths and ended up in the same place and, from what I gathered, none of them stayed on the path they set out on after graduating high school, but they are all happy with their current roles in contributing to the betterment of the students at BHS.