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The MPA high school basketball tournament week in February is a much-anticipated time for many Mainers. If you’ve ever been to a game, you know that the atmosphere is nothing short of electric. The games are fun, competitive, and break up the winter blues. It seems so simple. Of course Mainers come out in droves. Why wouldn’t they? But, there’s more.
Why do we Mainers love our tourney week so much? Why do we make the drive to the venue? Why do we walk across the frigid parking lot? Why do we wait in line for tickets and spend too much money on a bag of popcorn?
Because, hope. Nothing brings a community together like all wearing the same color and cheering for the same team. There is no greater collective hope than the moment of tip-off in a tourney game. For the 32 minutes of play, everyone sitting on the same side of the court can agree on something that matters to us. We cheer together as a community. Even if we are different from the people sitting near us in every other way, for a brief time, we forget to care.
Everyone is cheering for our kids. OUR kids. The players, the cheer teams, and the bands. They are ours, and we love being their fans. We are proud of them. We are their parents or grandparents. We are their friends. We are their coaches. We are their teachers. We are their employers. We go to church with them. We are their neighbors. We might even remember when their parents were teens. Our communities have raised these kids, and we show up for them. They bring us hope.
If you find yourself needing a hefty dose of community spirit and pride, you’ll find it court-side every February in Maine. If you’re the last person out of town on game day, please shut off the lights!
Shianne Priest
Middle school teacher
Old Town
