Opinion: Good team leadership is necessary to help ‘stay the course’ 

Dear Editor, 

We are unashamedly Tioga supporters of all things Tioga. If they wear Tioga Blue and Gold we just think of them as “extended family.” We are as proud of “our kids” winning the Junior High Scholarship Challenge last Saturday as we are of any other of our academic or sports accomplishments.

That’s why we feel the success of this year’s varsity basketball team should be celebrated as the year Tioga “turned around” our program. A lot was made of the fact it had been 30 years since we had won a sectional championship. 

Last Sunday we had a chance to rectify that, but we lost to a worthy opponent. We finished the season with a record of 17-5. By far the best in recent history, I believe. Along the way we defeated state ranked teams and upset the #1 seed in the sectional semi-final. Had we not had that knee injury to #21 last month, I believe we’d still be playing.

In just his second year, Coach Brian Card has done a great job in changing the basketball culture at Tioga. Stressing teamwork, he assembled a squad of four seniors and six underclassmen into a quick strike, slick passing, sharp shooting offensive unit that played tough, aggressive defense and loved to run. They were fun to watch. 

With the loss of such exceptionally talented seniors as Nick Klossner, Conner Hutchison, Scott Siburski and DeMario Chambers, next year might prove challenging to equal this season’s success. 

All is not lost, however, as three of the returnees are proven scorers and all six have varsity experience. Another big plus is that the players believe in their coach. The fact he has proven he knows how to win can only help build the over all program.

Everyone loves a winner. Even so, you don’t always win, even if you put in the work, time and sweat necessary to prepare yourself to compete. 

Losing, however, upsets the dynamic winning creates, and good team leadership is necessary to help “stay the course.” 

Good leaders set the example of conduct on and off the field, at practice and in the weight room. They have strong character and they don’t panic. They can be counted on to know what to do and then do it. When required they can “take over” a game and often be the difference between victory or defeat. 

They are, however, not super human. They aren’t perfect, and they don’t always win, but they don’t quit or give up on a teammate, their coach or the game. They play as hard as they can and if they win, hopefully they do so graciously, and if they lose, hopefully they lose the same way. 

In my book, and as far as I know, our four seniors – Conner Hutchison, Nick Klossner, Scott Siburski and DeMario Chambers, exemplify leadership. They played basketball the same way they did football. Outstandingly, team oriented, and like champions. 

All Tioga fans should be very proud of them. I know we are.

Sincerely,

Doug and Maybell Graves

Tioga Center, N. Y.