I have lived my life not looking for a moment of exalted happiness.
but days/months/years of sublime... for the most part, with success.
=====
I have also had the moments when following a team where they hit the pinacle run at the end of the game and won a championship.. though I probably wasn't as happy as the players.. I felt part of it
The quote, “Happiness makes up for in Height what it may lack in Length,” came to mind in reading your wonderful account of the athletic accomplishments of GFHS basketball players, past and current. And the bond you share with your special friend Dave, who shares your enthusiasm and appreciation for local sports history, is a treasure all its own.
Maybe the GFHS coach could be given a copy of your column today to share with the team and add to their pride in creating a lasting legacy to our local community.
Thanks for expressing the depth of appreciation and humanity in the realm of sports, especially the local team with which you share so much history.
Also, I was at both $tefanik events cited in Dimopoulos' coverage--and now can see myself as a player on a team. I have moved on, but the game continues--thanks to all the current folks who showed up at Crandall.
Imagine being on a team with Trump as coach--what value system drives his strategy? What tactics does he employ to "win?" What is the joy in winning if the game is rigged? Or you hire and extort the refs? Or use violence to intimidate?
Thinking of Trump's so-called golf triumphs at his own club that he needs to announce, and also the visual of Putin "scoring" a hockey goal because no one challenges him on the ice, or even tries to take the puck away and the goalie pretense of being in net. Why would grown men need to live life this way, unchallenged, pretending? No wonder we never see Trump smile like the young men pictured in your recap.
The Daily Beast gave mention to the Town Hall in Glens Falls with a photo of Stefanik on a chair in the cover article. Maybe she will see it. Thanks for the heartfelt article on the Glens Falls BB Team. We need to keep a little joy everyday.
Enjoyed reading your take on GFHS basketball, but I would go one step further. I’ve always been a devotee of high school basketball (I attended a large high school In Benton Harbor MI, and for four years of tryouts always made the final 20, and, yes, for four years was one of the last 5 cut 😢 BHHS produced the likes of former pro Chet Walker). My two sons played some high school basketball, one playing on a team that lost a squeaker in an Ohio regional final. In every community in which we lived, from the Midwest to East Coast, I have followed the local high school basketball teams.
This year, son Tim and I took in several GFHS games, including trips to Section II playoff games.
Here is where I go a step further, Ken, in your evaluation that they are the best GF team ever. They are THE best high school team I have ever seen—bar none!
Their disciplined, aggressive, intimidating defense was outstanding, and I have never seen a more balanced scoring offense. .And 53 wins without a loss!
Congratulations, Black Bears! As Mohammad Ali said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re so great!”
I would raise the ante to the best "local" team ever in the Glens Falls region - mostly small schools - but after 30-plus years of watching State Tournament teams, I've seen some great basketball teams and many were larger schools like Shen or Schenectady. The last team to have back to back unbeaten seasons and win state titles - Scotia - was also amazing.
Who am I to challenge a former sports editor and basketball fan?But note that my evaluation said, “…that I have ever seen.” Never saw Shen, Schenectady, Scotia championship teams, and I have no doubt there have been and will be other outstanding high school teams. There is something special about high school basketball!
Congratulations on completing your play and having the thrill of a staged reading. Here's to more steps on its way to NYC's stages.
Two perfect seasons in a row for the GF high school basketball team? If the don't quit the outrageous skein of mastery, they're going to let the magic of Glens Falls and surrounding areas known across the continent.
Finally, "Our Elise" will not be going to the U.N. because Trump took us out of the U.N. Hard to believe but maybe its a sign that he's worried about the mess he's making. I'm saddened by it because "Our Elise" never resigned her seat so she will continue to warm it for the rest of the term. May our local MAGAs realize in time how much damage she and Trump have wrought that they refuse to vote for these two another time. Yeah, Trump wants to stay in the WH so he can avoid the big house. Sigh.
This team had the one thing that separates awesome teams from truly great ones. Their shooting might ebb and flow but their defensive intensity never let up. This is what prevents truly great teams from succumbing to an upset.
I share your passion for GF hoops. We've traveled to P burg, HVCC and other venues for the sectionals and marveled at the attendance. Volunteers indicated at various games that stars like Fredette and Girard generate excitement and boost attendance. (The precuser toward paying high school athletes? I hope not.) Watching Jimmer playing with BYU in Buffalo we sat in a section sporting our BYU garb. Not long after the game started, college students being college students, began chanting "OVER RATED, OVER RATED". Then Jimmer's gift for three's broke out and shots dropped like fall apples at Hicks. After the BYU win, one hostile fan, appreciating Jimmers performance, conceded "Man, that was worth every penny."
I have lived my life not looking for a moment of exalted happiness.
but days/months/years of sublime... for the most part, with success.
=====
I have also had the moments when following a team where they hit the pinacle run at the end of the game and won a championship.. though I probably wasn't as happy as the players.. I felt part of it
The quote, “Happiness makes up for in Height what it may lack in Length,” came to mind in reading your wonderful account of the athletic accomplishments of GFHS basketball players, past and current. And the bond you share with your special friend Dave, who shares your enthusiasm and appreciation for local sports history, is a treasure all its own.
Maybe the GFHS coach could be given a copy of your column today to share with the team and add to their pride in creating a lasting legacy to our local community.
Thanks for expressing the depth of appreciation and humanity in the realm of sports, especially the local team with which you share so much history.
Also, I was at both $tefanik events cited in Dimopoulos' coverage--and now can see myself as a player on a team. I have moved on, but the game continues--thanks to all the current folks who showed up at Crandall.
Imagine being on a team with Trump as coach--what value system drives his strategy? What tactics does he employ to "win?" What is the joy in winning if the game is rigged? Or you hire and extort the refs? Or use violence to intimidate?
Thinking of Trump's so-called golf triumphs at his own club that he needs to announce, and also the visual of Putin "scoring" a hockey goal because no one challenges him on the ice, or even tries to take the puck away and the goalie pretense of being in net. Why would grown men need to live life this way, unchallenged, pretending? No wonder we never see Trump smile like the young men pictured in your recap.
It is very sad.
The Daily Beast gave mention to the Town Hall in Glens Falls with a photo of Stefanik on a chair in the cover article. Maybe she will see it. Thanks for the heartfelt article on the Glens Falls BB Team. We need to keep a little joy everyday.
It was a wonderful weekend filled with job. I needed that.
Enjoyed reading your take on GFHS basketball, but I would go one step further. I’ve always been a devotee of high school basketball (I attended a large high school In Benton Harbor MI, and for four years of tryouts always made the final 20, and, yes, for four years was one of the last 5 cut 😢 BHHS produced the likes of former pro Chet Walker). My two sons played some high school basketball, one playing on a team that lost a squeaker in an Ohio regional final. In every community in which we lived, from the Midwest to East Coast, I have followed the local high school basketball teams.
This year, son Tim and I took in several GFHS games, including trips to Section II playoff games.
Here is where I go a step further, Ken, in your evaluation that they are the best GF team ever. They are THE best high school team I have ever seen—bar none!
Their disciplined, aggressive, intimidating defense was outstanding, and I have never seen a more balanced scoring offense. .And 53 wins without a loss!
Congratulations, Black Bears! As Mohammad Ali said, “It’s hard to be humble when you’re so great!”
I would raise the ante to the best "local" team ever in the Glens Falls region - mostly small schools - but after 30-plus years of watching State Tournament teams, I've seen some great basketball teams and many were larger schools like Shen or Schenectady. The last team to have back to back unbeaten seasons and win state titles - Scotia - was also amazing.
Who am I to challenge a former sports editor and basketball fan?But note that my evaluation said, “…that I have ever seen.” Never saw Shen, Schenectady, Scotia championship teams, and I have no doubt there have been and will be other outstanding high school teams. There is something special about high school basketball!
Loved your quote by Ali, Don!
I definitely understand, the breadth of my experience is obviously larger than the average person since I was paid to watch basketball.
Congratulations on completing your play and having the thrill of a staged reading. Here's to more steps on its way to NYC's stages.
Two perfect seasons in a row for the GF high school basketball team? If the don't quit the outrageous skein of mastery, they're going to let the magic of Glens Falls and surrounding areas known across the continent.
Finally, "Our Elise" will not be going to the U.N. because Trump took us out of the U.N. Hard to believe but maybe its a sign that he's worried about the mess he's making. I'm saddened by it because "Our Elise" never resigned her seat so she will continue to warm it for the rest of the term. May our local MAGAs realize in time how much damage she and Trump have wrought that they refuse to vote for these two another time. Yeah, Trump wants to stay in the WH so he can avoid the big house. Sigh.
This team had the one thing that separates awesome teams from truly great ones. Their shooting might ebb and flow but their defensive intensity never let up. This is what prevents truly great teams from succumbing to an upset.
I share your passion for GF hoops. We've traveled to P burg, HVCC and other venues for the sectionals and marveled at the attendance. Volunteers indicated at various games that stars like Fredette and Girard generate excitement and boost attendance. (The precuser toward paying high school athletes? I hope not.) Watching Jimmer playing with BYU in Buffalo we sat in a section sporting our BYU garb. Not long after the game started, college students being college students, began chanting "OVER RATED, OVER RATED". Then Jimmer's gift for three's broke out and shots dropped like fall apples at Hicks. After the BYU win, one hostile fan, appreciating Jimmers performance, conceded "Man, that was worth every penny."