I am long past the point of working because I have to. I work because I want to.

• Because I’m lucky to work with co-workers I enjoy and a board I care about and whose members care about me;
• Because I’m blessed to have work with a mission beyond the bottom line;
• Because I see needs that I feel qualified to fill very well;
• And, I’m equally certain, because I have needs that this work fulfills.

On some days or for some tasks, my passion is not great; but on most days and for most responsibilities I have, my passion is as great as ever. And it has never been greater for what I care about most. And that is to hold school sports accountable to . . .

• Pursue programs, policies and procedures that emphasize local opportunities for large numbers of students in a healthy, respectful, educational environment; and
• Resist pressures to copy the elitism and commercialism of non-school programs.

 There are more than enough people advocating that “anything goes.” My voice argues, “Not so fast.”

I would much rather see school sports tackle a half-dozen difficult health and safety issues than spend a half-minute debating national travel and tournaments. The former needs all the passion we can generate; the latter has nothing whatsoever to do with the moral imperatives of school sports, and wastes our precious time.