Sports commentary: Community gives support, takes home memories from tournament

As I stood in front of the student section taking pictures of the Bigfork-Columbus game Friday afternoon at the Class B State Tournament in Belgrade, tired from the five-hour drive I had just made from Bigfork, I heard something that immediately reminded me why I was glad to be there.

"Alright guys, there are four minutes left in this game and I really don't want this to be my last game at Bigfork High School, so we have to win this. Come on!" BHS senior Bridger Mahlum, the school's student body president, announced to the student section.

His peers immediately responded with cheers and kept their energy up for the remaining minutes of the game, including the part in which the Vals let their lead slip into a loss.

Mahlum's pep-talk was a great reminder of why we all make the sacrifices that we do to attend sporting events, especially in Montana where the traveling distance is often greater than other places.

I'm sure that parents and family members of players feel an obligation to go to games, but there is more to it than that. I don't believe that people would rearrange their schedules, spend money they don't have in this poor economic time and put themselves through the obstacles of traveling if there wasn't more to it than obligation.

The time, expense and added work of an away tournament on paper can make the whole thing sound pretty awful, but I wouldn't trade it for the world because to me it is all worth it. Until last week, I thought that I may be one of the few people who believes that wholeheartedly. Then I attended the Valkyries' send-off dinner Wednesday night. Parents buzzed around the Bigfork Middle School cafeteria talking about who was riding with whom to the tournament and where everyone was staying. I can't even count the number of times I was asked these very questions.

After dinner Valkyries' Head Coach Mark Hansen stood up and gave a speech about the importance this community's support has had on his girls' season. He had us all join hands, as the girls do before each game in the locker room, and he told us about how prior to game time they focus on the team's "one heartbeat."

It was then that I truly realized why sports in Bigfork are so important. They are the heart and soul of the community. Those who live here year round build their worlds around it.

The past month the Village has been abuzz with tournament fever. People I never thought would care too much about BHS basketball traveled to post-season tournaments and those who didn't make the trips wanted to know all the details of the games they had missed and were disappointed they had not been in attendance.

Students and parents base some of their biggest memories off of sporting events. Mahlum and the rest of the student section made that clear Friday afternoon, as did the parents and community members in the Bigfork fan section. It wasn't enough for them to just see the score or a few pictures. They wanted to be there for the game. Hearing that the Vals nearly won their first game at state in three years is great, but seeing them do it would be far better.

Perhaps the appeal comes from the fact that basketball has been the sole activity in Bigfork for the past few months. We didn't get a lot of snow for skiing, but we got a lot of wins on the basketball court. I guess the simple way to justify the trials and tribulations of making the trip to state is, "It's winter in Bigfork and it's what is important."