Advantages can be found in unwanted change

On page C1 in this week's paper you will find the second installment of a two-part series I wrote about the anniversary of Eagle Bend Golf Club. I spent my "extra" time over the last month researching these articles, and I discovered a lot of interesting information.

Most of the facts and a few of the stories are contained in the articles, which first ran last week, but what isn't in those articles is the perspective I gained from talking to locals who were here from the very beginning.

When I first sat down with Steve Hullett a few weeks back at the Eagle Bend Golf Club, I joked with him that I was two months old to the day when Mike Felt hit the first ball the day the course opened.

Although it made for a good laugh, it also made me realize just how different things used to be not so long ago, and what a difference a golf course can make.

I would imagine that most people who moved here after the mid-90s, as I did, wouldn't think too much about the impact of Eagle Bend.

To us newcomers, it is just a part of Bigfork that we have always known. We are relatively unaware of the struggles it took to create it and the changes that took place in the surrounding area as a result of its opening.

I am old enough to remember a time when we didn't have the Internet, cell phones or CDs. But I have never known a time when the sports facilities that I frequent weren't around. I don't know what life was like without them, any more than many people knew what Bigfork was like before Eagle Bend Golf Club existed.

It is easy to take for granted what we have in front of us and not think twice about what sacrifices, efforts and grand ideas had to happen before it was all even possible.

However, many times those efforts are even shunned from the very beginning.

It is human nature to fear change. The developing of land is an especially frowned upon thing in Montana, and that was true even 25 years ago.

While it wasn't a unanimously popular idea to build a golf course on the farm land where Eagle Bend now sits, it is undeniable that it created a huge influx in the economy and has allowed many people to start calling Bigfork home.

Although some may still say that it has ruined Bigfork and brought, too many outsiders to what used to be a much smaller and quieter mountain town, change it inevitable as is growth in this day and age.

There are certainly plenty of people that have griped about the advancement of technologies too, but most are hypocritical as they enjoy the benefits in their daily lives.

The same holds true for the people of Bigfork. Those that have lived here for decades and those that are relatively new to the area all benefit in some way from the Eagle Bend Golf Club, even if it is indirectly.

The time to support fall sports is now

As I wrote this week's Bigfork High School sports articles it surprised me to see that some of the teams will be playing their last games this week and others don't have many more to go.

The fall sports season will come to an end this Saturday for the boys and girls soccer teams. For some of the seniors, it will be the last time they compete for the school, so it would be nice to have a good showing of community support.

I recommend bringing a blanket and gloves, though, as the temperature will not be high. But if the kids can get out there and play one last time, I think we can all brave the temperature as well.

This week also marks Homecoming for the high school. The volleyball team is hosting a match with Thompson Falls on Thursday night. They are having a great season and are really fun to watch.

The football team is taking on Fairfield for the big game Friday night. Yes, it is true that this is not the typical cake-walk Homecoming game, but the Vikings have already surprised us this year and Friday may hold even more thrills for Bigfork. It is worth grabbing some warm clothes and a few friends to check out any way.

The boys have really worked hard this season and pushed through a long era of misfortune to get to this point. Many of the players have shared with me on multiple occasions how much it means to them to have as much support from the community as they do, in the bad times and the good.

The cross-country team will participate in a meet in Polson on Saturday morning.

This is their last meet in the area before they take part in Running Edge in Missoula and then the state meet which is also in Missoula. To many people going to a cross-country meet may sound like one of the most boring ways to spend a Saturday morning, but the inspirational and energetic atmosphere may be just the warmth you are looking for.

I heard a great story the other day about a woman in Kalispell who goes to all the meets and cheers the kids on. She rings her cow bells as they run by until the last one has crossed the finish line.

The kicker is she doesn't even have kids that participate in cross country. She just loves the sport. It is a tough sport to get into watching, and for that reason it is the one that most people have never attended.

However, the cross-country team deserves your support and encouragement as well. They also deserve a pat on the back for their constant improvements this season.

I have never had a team turn in their results to me each week and have them always be better than the previous.

So as you search for how to spend these fall days let me suggest that you make the most of the snow-free days we do have left and go check out Bigfork schools fall sports before you miss them altogether.