Sports commentary: Vikings brighten up Bigfork's shoulder-season

Fall has been my least favorite time of

each and every year, and, until a few weeks ago, I thought that

distaste would never change.

Then it happened. I uttered words I

never thought would come out of my mouth: “I love fall.”

The cause for the unthinkable was easy

to trace. It was a mild temperature evening, it wasn’t raining and

I was enjoying a tailgate barbecue with friends after the Vikings

had beat Townsend in the second round of the Class B State football

playoffs.

Fall, and particularly November, is a

rather boring and somewhat depressing time. The fun days of

enjoying the sunshine are behind us and the ski mountains haven’t

opened yet. In my first years here, I was encouraged to take up a

shoulder-season activity. I am not interested in hunting, so that

was out, and I love to fish, but I don’t have a boat. So the search

to find an activity to make me no longer despise fall has been

unsuccessful — until this year that is, when the Vikings hosted the

football playoffs.

For four Saturdays in a row, Bigfork

was filled with a revival of energy and excitement that rivaled

that of the celebrations the town is known for every summer. The

weekly events that came to feel standard brought back friends who

typically don’t show their faces until the summer months or

holidays, and locals who don’t get out too much during the off

season lined the fences at the Saturday afternoon games.

It is true that the Vikings have plenty

to be proud of for winning the state championship, but what they

did was more than any trophy could symbolize. They brought pride

back to Bigfork and taught the community that not only is it OK to

believe again, but that they should believe again.

Bigfork has taken some big blows in the

past few years, and while those wounds were healing slowly with

time, the Vikings’ run in the playoffs did a lot to speed up the

process.

It took until the first round of

playoffs for the daily papers and television news stations to take

notice of what these boys were doing, but, once they did, it was

obvious that they quickly realized the comeback that was taking

place. The thing is though, the boys on Bigfork’s football team

didn’t do it for the recognition. They did it for themselves and

for their town.

It is said that we can’t be where we

are today if it wasn’t for our past. Bigfork High School, like all

schools, has had its ups and downs, but this month has shown the

resilience of the town and the students with their ability to

bounce back even better than before. That is the sign of true

champions.

I think we can all learn something from

the 2010 Class B State Champions about working hard, not giving up

and achieving what we want most.

Bigfork owes these boys a thank you,

not just for those lessons, but for giving everyone something to

cheer about in some of the most ho-hum months of the year in one of

the toughest economic years in decades. They gave us front seats to

some spectacular drama, heart-tugging back stories and amazing

feats of athleticism.

While I am glad to be getting my

Saturdays back for a few weeks before the basketball teams start

hosting games, I will miss what has become the norm on my sixth

work day each week for the past month. Each Saturday started with a

trip to Bigfork Little Hoopsters to take photos. Many of the

football players were there as well serving as volunteer coaches.

Many said they welcomed the distraction on the morning of game day,

but, in an off moment, it was easy to see that their heads were in

the game already even though kickoff was three hours away.

A pregame tailgate followed, which gave

parents and community members a chance to see if they had enough

warm layers on to keep warm for the next few hours and to chat

about the game ahead. Usually the focus was the same, and not

surprising, “How nervous are the boys?” and “How do you think we’ll

do?”

Then it was game time. As the weeks

went on this meant more and more faces in the crowd — many of who

hadn’t been to a Bigfork football game in over a decade or

more.

The post-game celebrations were shining

examples of the hospitality, sense of inclusion and love of a good

time that Bigfork is known for. The smile and look of

accomplishment on the players’ faces was the best part though. Some

were almost embarrassed about the attention, but the pride allowed

them to take in the praise for just a few minutes.

As I walked downtown before this

Saturday’s game amid all the Christmas decorations mixed with

Bigfork Vikings signs, I realized how lucky we are to live in a

town that knows how to celebrate so well. I think we should all

give thanks for the moms who put in their extra time to make signs

and put them up around town, the kids who pitched in and painted

storefront windows and the business owners who so willingly donated

in various ways to the school and team this month. Then, we ought

to thank the coaching staff of the Bigfork Vikings for their time

and efforts with the boys and of course the players themselves. For

if it wasn’t for them, none of this would’ve been possible for us

to enjoy, and I would still hate fall.