York High School, Cont.

What makes our program successful?:

Kids want to be part of a tradition where discipline, effort, skill, and teamwork are of the utmost importance. This year we should have in excess of 200 runners. We have had kids come out for cross country who would have been starting offensive linemen. Two years ago we had three athletes who would have started on the line but came out for cross because they knew they would be cared for more by the runners and the coaches. Tell me where else do kids walk away from football to be the 130th man on the team? I kow this doesn't happen in Texas! Everyone is treated the same and subjected to the same rules. Each athlete knows that his coaches and teammates care for him. We continually seek to teach young men life lessons and help them to become productive members of society. We continually repeat the following words - IT'S NICE TO BE GREAT BUT IT IS FAR GREATER TO BE NICE! Our program is great because we ask the athletes to make sacrifices, require them to work hard, be present and on time. These requests are a foreign language to many in a society that makes few demands of excellence, doesn't want to hurt anyones feelings, accepts excuses for all types of behavior, and in general lacks a commitment to anything for longer than it feels like it.