As hard as you try, there are times you just can't avoid it.
I used to cover plenty of high school sports back in the day, and I met some great kids. It thrilled you when they won. It broke your heart when they lost.
I watched Newswatch 16's coverage of the Lourdes Regional girls' basketball team last week. I was extremely disappointed when they lost the state championship game Friday. They handled that setback with a great deal of dignity and class.
The same goes for the Lady Bucks of Dunmore High School. I interviewed a couple of players last week, after the semifinal victory in Pottsville. They were a nice bunch, and I know the older sister of one of the players.
I stayed up well past my bed time Thursday to watch the championship game with Delone Catholic, and I was crushed when Dunmore lost. I will give the kids tons of credit. They fell behind early, but they made it close at the end. They never quit.
There is an old saying in basketball: "You can't teach height." I think you can teach class, grace, and dignity. The Lourdes Regional and Dunmore teams are proof of that.
One final note on the Dunmore telecast... It was a championship game, but not a championship broadcast. Frequently out of focus, missed baskets, disappearing graphics, slow score updates, cameras out of position, and the choreographed player introductions seemed to be a major surprise. It was disappointing, to say the least.