Explore Steamboat, John F. Russell: Expect nothing, and enjoy the ride

John F. Russell: Expect nothing, and enjoy the ride

Sunday, November 25, 2007

John Russell

John Russell's sports column appears Sundays in Steamboat Today. Contact him at 871-4209 or e-mail jrussell@steamboatpilot.com.

Steamboat Springs — It’s time to forget the 2007 high school fall sports season. It’s disappearing faster than those Thanksgiving leftovers.

But if you happen to be one of the many diehard high school sports fans in the Yampa Valley, there is no reason to fret. By the end of this week, the Steamboat Springs, Hayden and Soroco wrestling, hockey and basketball teams will be back in action.

The sports staff at the Steamboat Pilot & Today has spent the past few weeks writing previews and evaluating potential. But the expectations, predictions and kind words will not matter later this week when those teams step back onto the court, the mats and the ice to open new seasons. The truth is, the optimistic words of a coach or a reporter have never gotten a team to a state title game. The only way to do that is through hard work, dedication and winning. That’s what we hope to witness during the next three months.

Previewing teams is a great way to introduce new players and coaches to the communities that will support them, but I never like to predict what’s going to happen. Sure, it’s fun to look at the opponents and listen to coaches stress the positive aspects of their team before the season starts. We can even make an educated guess about what that means for them.

But the unpredictable nature of the game is one of the main reasons I wanted to be a sports reporter when I graduated from college. I’ve always loved to root for the underdog.

The decision to cover high school sports has rewarded me with many magical moments that I never could have predicted in any preview.

Back in 1998, I thought the Steamboat girls soccer team was good, but I never would have guessed that group of girls was going to win the state title.

The same was true when Soroco won the state 2A wrestling title and when Steamboat came within a single point of topping Broomfield in the championship game of the state volleyball tournament.

The funny thing is that some of the best teams, at least on paper, never made it to a state championship game, and many of the athletes I know will tell you that expectations are dangerous. If those expectations are set too high, the only alternative is to reach that goal or to prepare for the letdown.

But the truth is that every team starts the season with a clean slate. The good teams will rise to the top, the bad ones will look to the future, and it always happens during the course of the season. No team knows that course until after the games are played.

The only thing that is certain is that a few months from now, the winter season will begin to fade as fast as the snow on Mount Werner, and we will all look to spring and the start of a new season.