|
Lady Mustangs provided county unifying force
One thing we can all agree on regarding the subdivision moratorium passed by county commissioners is the issue has been contentious.
Those on both sides of the issue have passionately given their arguments that sometimes have pitted friend against friend and even family member against family member.
In such a time of divisiveness, it’s ironic that this week’s other top story has brought our county together.
The Smoky Mountain women’s basketball team’s march to the state 2-A championship transcends sports. When the Lady Mustangs wrapped up the title Saturday with a convincing 85-62 victory over Graham in Chapel Hill, they completed the process of becoming our unifying force.
Whether pro- or anti-moratorium, Democrat or Republican, a native or a recent arrival to the area, everyone was pulling for the Lady Mustangs. The crowd that followed the team nearly four and a half hours to Chapel Hill and those who met the players and coaches on their return show how special these young ladies are to our community.
When last year’s season ended with a loss to Salisbury in the finals of the Western Regionals, there was disappointment. But as soon as the tears had dried, the players, along with Coach Cindi Simmons and her staff, began the hard work that led to this year’s championship. They made sure that tears at the end of this season would represent joy rather than sadness.
As proud as we are of the players’ on-court accomplishments, we’re even prouder of them as people. These 14 young ladies are outstanding representatives of their school and community, a fact that speaks volumes about their families and the way they were raised.
Half of them will return next year, and we’ll be pulling for them to continue Smoky Mountain’s success.
We’ll also be cheering for Cetera DeGraffenreid as she plays basketball for North Carolina and Amy Haggard as she takes to the soccer field for Coastal Carolina.
We’ll never forget the thrills the Lady Mustangs brought to Sylva and Jackson County throughout the 2006-07 season.
As commissioners and planning board members go forward in drafting a subdivision ordinance, we hope the spirit of the Lady Mustangs will prevail. We look for all competing interests to make sacrifices for the common good.
It worked for our basketball team, and it will work for our county.
|
