R-C News-Herald Editorial

Whether they wear blue, white, green, red or silver, the teams that represent us will be taking the fields in the coming weeks.

Football begins Friday night when Bertie, Hertford County, Northampton-East and Northampton-West take the field to start the 2006 season. A week later Gates County, Northeast Academy and Lawrence Academy will follow in their steps.

They will be the first ones to start the prep sports seasons. It will also be that group who gets most of the local attention and who is seen by more people.

In the coming weeks, the area’s young ladies and other young men will follow their football counterparts as volleyball, tennis and soccer begin.

As they take the field and become part of the history of sports in the Roanoke-Chowan region, it is important they remember they represent not only high schools but also communities.

We are proud of the young people who give of their time and talents to compete in local athletics. Unlike many in all areas of the country, our youth still find it important to work hard and compete and make themselves better athletes and better people.

We wish our teams success on the playing surfaces, but we also wish them success as they grown into men and women who have strong character and moral fiber, some of which will be learned in the coming months as they take the fields of our area.

As those young men and women take the field, it will also be important for the adults of this area to support their hard work and dedication by attending the sporting events.

It is a fine thing for parents to be in the stands and support their children, but it is also important for aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and neighbors to support young people.

It’s easy to sit around and complain about youth, but many times we don’t take the opportunities we have to support them and show them how proud we are of their accomplishments.

As they represent the area, the student-athletes of the local schools should be supported.