Life on the Kitsap Peninsula WA: "High School Football and other Life Lessons"

Few things in life are better than watching your own kids participate in athletic competition.

Especially when their team wins!....

Alright, I know, winning isn't everything,.... but it sure beats losing!....

For the past several years, our youngest son, Luke, has played football. He was involved in our local Silverdale Pee Wee Football league for 3 years. In his last year, he was the starting quareterback.

When he played for Central Kitsap Junior High here in Silverdale WA, he was fortunate to earn the starting quarterback postion for both his 8th and 9th grade years.

Now in his first year at Central Kitsap High School, things are a bit different. The school is larger, there are more students, and sports are much more competitive. There are two teams - the Varsity Squad, and the Junior Varsity Squad. For the Varsity home games, everyone suits up and stands along the sidelines. But unless we're ahead by a gazillion points, the Senior and Junior starters are the only ones playing. At the Junior Varsity games, most of the remaining Juniors and Sophmores get the opportunity to rotate in.

And so it's been a year of change, struggle, and adjustment. Instead of being the primary 'Go-to-Guy' Luke has been relegated to the 3rd-string Sophmore dweeb back-up. In order to get more playing time, he's learned to play strong safety on defense. A few weeks ago, he scored his first high school touchdown when he recovered a blocked kick and ran it into the end zone.

Last week, while on defense, he intercepted a pass that set-up for a score. He later went in as quarterback and led the team down the field, where he threw his first high school touchdown pass!

Still, most of the time, he's either on defense, or watching someone else take the snaps.

We've had a number of great Father/Son conversations in the car on the way home after his games. I always try to say something encouraging and how proud I am of him. He's usually more concerned about whether or not I'm going to stop by Taco Bell.

Playing high school football is a lot like living life when you're grown up. It takes hard work to succeed. Things are rarely handed to you, you have to earn them through commitment and solid effort. Life isn't always fair. Sometimes you get passed over. Someone else gets promoted before you. You can become bitter and complain, or you can focus on becoming better. You learn the importance of contributing to the success of the team, rather than simply being concerned on what's in in for me.

But for now, I just enjoy watching my son play, and I'm proud of the man he's becoming.

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Rich Jacobson is a licensed real estate professional providing knowledgeable empowerment and relentless representation for his clients of residential properties and vacant land throughout all of Kitsap County WA and portions of Pierce, Mason, and Jefferson Counties. You can also find him at KitsapLife.com, SOUNDBITEBLOG and Crabbing in the Hood, or e-mail:  kitsapagent@gmail.com