General | 10/9/2024 12:52:00 PM

    At the end of every school day, putting in work for practice, games, and tournaments, you're with your team alongside your coaches, and you end up finding family in them. A father figure and an older brother, a younger sister—you care for them; they care for you. You're given a chance to build a connection. 

    Like Coach Rumsey, one of our Oak Park Cross Country coaches, who believes that "you have to find the fun in the misery." She speaks from experience having found a friend for life through cross country and wants her athletes to do the same by doing activities together even outside of the sport, like their pasta nights. These connections are important because not only do they care for you, but they become part of your success, whether it is a team-led sport and they throw you a pass in the end zone or you in the final period of a match, and all you need is that teammate yelling at you to stand up and score those last few points. You find people to fight for and with. 

     We, as Oak Park Northmen prove that family isn't just blood. No matter what our background is like, we got our family's back. So this week and every week take some time to check in. You never know it might give you a chance to teach or be taught something new.