Another Friday night
There’s a line of cars leaving
Home team’s got an out of towner
– Eric Church
To the editor:
I am a proud alumnus of PIHS (class of 2000). I live in Waterville and don’t make it back to The County very often. I realized this weekend I should visit more, if for no other reason than to show my children what a special place it was to grow up and to let them see the area I still call home.
I was struck with this notion over the weekend because I was able to watch the hockey team in the northern Maine semi-finals at Colby College. I have had many opportunities over the years to keep up with the PIHS athletic teams when they are on the road. The one thing that hasn’t wavered, probably has even grown stronger is the support shown by the community for the effort of the athletes.
I was fortunate enough to be a three sport athlete during my time at PIHS. I look back now and think about the time commitment, passion and dedication the spectators show for the athletes and can’t help but smile. Attend a PIHS away game and you will find the visitor crowd equal to or above the home team. This is a very special thing if you take into consideration a large percentage of away games are 3-plus hours from the 04769.
I also want to say thank you to the PIHS administration. The continued inclusion of the PIHS game band for basketball and hockey playoff away games is nothing short of spectacular. It adds so much to the environment and makes a road game feel more like home. The athletic director for co-op Kennebec Riverhawks mentioned to me at the game on Saturday how special it was for the PIHS band to be at the game. He referenced how much it added to the magnitude of the game and the dedication of the students on the commitment. I couldn’t play a musical instrument to save my life but I still took some pride in his statement. We finished chatting just in time for me to stand when the school song played. The band at games and the visiting crowd outnumbering the home crowd are staples of PIHS — I hope that never changes.
CJ McKenna
Waterville
