Mayer: Appreciation for Wabash Valley High School Sports

It's a fun week for Wabash Valley sports. All kinds of great spring sports matchups are happening leading up to Big 4 day this Saturday. Terre Haute South, Terre Haute North, West Vigo, and Northview will play in baseball, softball, and track. This got me thinking about high school sports around the Valley in general. The attention the community gives to high school athletics is awesome.

There are endless examples of how much high school sports mean to the area. Big 4 day along with the Pizza Hut Wabash Valley Classic and the consistently large and rowdy crowds at basketball games are just a few. It may seem normal to people who grew up here to have two television stations and a paper constantly reporting on high school events. All of this should be cherished.

I'm a California kid, born and raised in Los Angeles. I love LA, but since coming to Indiana it's interesting to see the contrast between amateur athletics in the two places. Obviously this is true for most major cities compared to smaller cities. While Indianapolis puts a great deal more emphasis on high school athletics than New York or Chicago, a city like Terre Haute (and the surrounding areas) take it to another level.

For instance, my freshman year playing baseball a new coach was hired. He happened to be former two time Cy Young Award winner and World Series MVP Bret Saberhagen. Not only that, around the same time there was an anonymous donation (I wonder who???) to create a brand new baseball field. I'm not saying there was zero coverage, but it was minimal. If a coaching hire of this magnitude happened in the Valley, it would be a gigantic story that would be covered from all angles.

We had an awesome cheering section in basketball for about two years while the team was good. People still showed up to make solid crowds, but it wasn't the same my junior and senior years. Students went to football games as a social activity more than to support the team (although being one of the worst  teams in the entire state of California didn't help). For other sports the crowds usually were family and some friends. If you asked most students how the baseball team was doing, who the best tennis player was, or what the water polo team's record was they would not have the slightest clue.

Obviously, Indiana is known as THE basketball state and after experiencing this past season (especially playoffs) I can understand why. To see community after community come together every Friday to support the school and team was exhilarating. The student sections only make the atmosphere that much more charged. When I drove to the other side of the state covering girl's regionals and was met by countless fans making the journey it was hard for me to fathom. I'm not sure I can ever recall a student in high school talking about attending a girl's basketball game.

The support goes beyond basketball though. Obviously the crowds are not as big for other sports. Football is a big deal, but still can not compare to the ecstasy of basketball season. Crowd numbers are not the point though. People in the Valley care. There is civic pride when the swim team beats a rival and when a golfer finishes first. The amount of demand is so great for high school sports that it is a no brainer for all media outlets to make amateur athletics a priority.

I know there are many places all around the country that care a great deal about high school athletics. Kentucky for basketball and Texas for football are just two other well known examples. However, I'm sure many people grow up with the coverage and community fan fare being normal. For me it's not normal at all. It is hard to imagine having one of my baseball games covered by two TV stations and a newspaper. I never would have thought to attend the high school basketball games until I was in high school. It's just a completely different frame of mind.

So take a second to appreciate the rich history and support for high school sports around the Valley.