Step 1: READ THIS ARTICLE
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-25/news/ct-met-hebron-basketball-anniversary-20120325_1_phil-judson-paul-judson-alden-hebron-high-school
Step 2: RESEARCH ALDEN-HEBRON as a town and high school.
Step 3: Write a response to the novel Bleachers, the movie Hoosiers, and the story of the Alden-Hebron Green Giants. Compare the three stories and explain their value to the sporting landscape. How do small towns drive the sports world? Find an example and include it in your response. Explain what they represent within sports.
IS HOOSIERS REAL? http://www.chasingthefrog.com/reelfaces/hoosiers.php
The three stories we have talked about share one common theme, and that is that high school sports unite the town. These are not like sporting events we see around here in Palatine because their towns basically shut down at game time because everyone is there. This is cool because it shows sports being bigger than the simple competition that it is, and it brings people together. Hoosiers and Bleachers were similar because everyone in their small town had an opinion on the coach whether it was good or bad. The town of Hebron has 390 households so I'm assuming the number was areound the sam if not smaller back when they won. But I bet at least 90% of those people went to every game of the legendary season. That is similar to the other two stories where everyone who was any body went to the games. There are only Small towns drive the sports world because that is where it is most important. Everyone in those small towns want to be the star athlete that leads the football or basketball team and all of these people learn to love sports. An example of somewhere where football runs the community is in Odessa Texas. You may have heard of it because it is the town they based Friday Night Lights off of. Everyone in their town goes to every game and it was ranked the number two football town in America. The way that the whole town worships football is awesome and it represents how important sports are to the American life style.
ReplyDeleteThese three stories all talk show how high school sports are so popular in a town, and how towns rally around these sports. These towns care so much about their sport and have it as their number 1 priority. These small towns are what keeps sports so popular. They hold it together. People are crazy about sports in these little towns, that when all the little towns are added together, it makes a huge impact on sports
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part about high school sports has always been how the community rallies around the team. In these three stories the setting of the town is a small town which makes high school teams even more important. Living in a small town means that your Friday night will for sure consist of a football or basketball gameYou know the football and basketball teams are important when an entire town shuts down to watch the gameTowns like these have made a huge impact on the meaning of high school sports.
ReplyDeleteThese three stories all share on thing, they let whatever the sport is run their town. Bleachers had football, and the other two had basketball. All three of them are tiny towns that don't have much to look forward to besides supporting their home team. Whenever I think of towns like these, I automatically think of Friday Night Lights. Everyone is basically required to go to the games. Every store is closed and nobody works on game nights. That is how it is in three of these stories. They take sports serious and by being such a small town, the way they support the team makes them seem so big.
ReplyDeleteAll of these stories have so many similarities. They all are about small towns and the impact that high school sports has on the town. Small town high school sports make high school sports what they are. In these towns people aren't close to a major city so it's usually not possible for them to go to professional or even college level games. Because of that they use high school football and basketball as their big thing. It's really cool to see how big of an impact those teams can have on a small town vs a larger town. It reminds shows how united and together people are in small towns, and how divided and separate larger towns are.
ReplyDeleteFor people who live in small towns such as the three we have been reading about, sports are something they can all rally behind and enjoy together. These towns don't have much to do outside of their jobs and families, so they turn to their towns number one program and/or team. Towns like these are the ones that every city or town wants to resemble, with their undeniable fandom and relentless support of their hometown boys and girls. Some of the older people in the town have spent their whole life devoted to their team and have poured their heart into the program. It is remarkable how devoted some of these towns are.
ReplyDeleteSports are absolutely everything to a small town. Hoosiers and Hebrons had basketball. Bleachers had football. Small towns live and breathe for their sports. In all the stories we have learned about, the teams have a whole town following. The Green Giants came from a school with 98 students total. They won the 1952 state championship against Quincy High School. 1,035 students were attending Quincy at the time, 300 more than Hebron. I thought it was really amazing how much support all these small towns gave their players. It probably made them feel so confident and less inferior when they made it to the big gyms with the flashing lights. An example of a small school with a big splash, is Butler University. They are a small town but seem to be going places. Hoosiers is not exactly fake, but it's not real either. They based the movie off of a team and people that had similar things happen to them. The book was pretty good and the movie was pretty good too.Good job
ReplyDeleteI believe that it is fairly clear to recognize what the common theme is between these three stories. Small towns revolve around, live off of, and celebrate sports like nothing else. High school sports in these tiny towns allow the citizens to come together as an "organization" and celebrate one, fantastic team or the sport as a whole. Small towns drive appreciation for hard work into the sports world because they don't have much else to celebrate for. Almost every kid in these sub-1000 people populated towns dream of playing sports for the high school and work hard every day, because they know that if they make it the entire town will know their name. This creates a whole new level of dedication for athletes: for the town, for the team, for the school, and even for the coach. Considering the coach, in the case of Bleachers and Hoosiers these coaches played huge roles in not only the football program, but in each player's life and their families. The coach can grow a close relationship with each player since the town is so small. These players may grow a connection and appreciation for the coach, as seen in Bleachers. It truly is amazing how one relatively simple sport can bring a whole town together, and the fact that the town is so passionate about it is incredible.
ReplyDeleteIt seems pretty obvious that these three stories are about how high school sports bring towns closer together. In such small towns that's really all that they have besides professional sports. Their teams are the main talk of the town. This reminds me of the Aplington-Parkersburg football team. The story is a little different, but the townspeople would always gather for the games just like these stories. You could relate Ed Thomas and Eddie Rake as well because they both had a big impact on their towns.
ReplyDeleteThe three stories about high school sports have one thing in common. It is a very popular and important time when high school sports are playing. The Hoosiers team got the community to unite when they went to the state playoffs.
ReplyDeleteThey are from a small town and that is the only team they can support. The whole town was behind them cheering them on. The Green Giants did something spectacular when they won the 1952 state title. It was a miracle because their school had 98 students while the school they played had about over 1000 students. The Green Giants were from a really small town and school. They were true underdogs and thats why their town loved them. The bleachers also connects with the other two stories because of one man, Eddie Rake. Rake was the one who brought together a whole town. The town loved the football team. They were crazy about them. When Rake died there was a huge mourning when past players and everyone else assciated with Rake came together to celebrate his life.
One specific thing that stood out in these 3 stories was the important of sports in these small towns. Similar to what Garett said, everyone in their towns had their opinions on the coaches in Bleachers and Hoosiers but the were always well respected in the end. I think that it was really interesting to see how big of a deal one coach and once game could impact an entire town.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that stood out in all three of these stories was that they were all small- town teams that achieved something big. There's always some sort of stigma over small towns that they're insignificant and anyone who lives in a small town is just as insignificant. I think a contributing factor is that they don't really get to have local sports teams to root for, it's always just whichever team is in their state. So when they want to watch a game in person, the look to the smaller sports teams. Such as the high schools. It's almost a bit tragic because professional team sports bring a huge group of people together. You go to a Bulls game and you might not know the guy sitting next to you, but for that one night, you two are best friends. Small towns have that, but they know everyone in that gym.
ReplyDeleteSmall towns drive the sports world with the athletes that come out of them. Not only that, but the support system that goes behind those athletes is amazing. You make it into the big leagues and you're their pride an joy.
A good example of this would be Depue, Illinios. Every year in Depue they hold the national Championships for Boat racing at the Lake in the center of town. These races not only bring the town together but people from all around the country come together to watch these races, each person putting all their faith in one racer.
Sports in small towns are a lot different. Its such a big deal because its one of the only things that they can all talk about and relate to therefore, everyone goes to the games. It brings communities together because its a time to forget about everything and just watch the sport they love wether its basketball in indiana or football in messina. High school athletes are icons in small towns because thats who everyone looks up to. They dont have college athletes or pros just high school athletes. It really brings together everyone and can even help the town forget about tragedies that have happened just like the tragedy of eddie rake.
ReplyDeleteAll three of these show that sports in small town are a big deal. Small towns rally around high school sports. Nothing else really goes on in those towns, so everyone is always at the games, and supporting the teams. The athletes are the ones everyone looks up to in these small towns, they are the leaders of the town. If the teams season is going smoothly, then everyone's day to day life is also going smoothly. High school sports give people a chance to worry about something else besides their work. It gives them another niche. Sports in small towns make everything go smoothly. They are the only source of excitement it seems like.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I find similar in these three stories is that sports is very important for the towns. They are all small towns but when it comes to sports everyone gets together for the games supports their team. For example, the Hoosiers all went to the games and even drove their cars behind the bus that had the players in it. It's really cool to see how one sport can bring a whole community together even if they might not all like the coach.
ReplyDeleteSmall towns that have sports have always known to lift people to their feet.
ReplyDeleteThe commonality is that it brings a community closer for that season for the love of the game, players and even the school. High school athletes are the standouts of the school. High school athletes are the most talked about athletes in small towns because they have the potential to be the upcoming next great star in college or even the pros. With this in mind, high school sports can draw a small town together and for a split second make everything bad disappear.
These stories all show the true meaning about high school sports. it is truly amazing to see how something as simple as sports can have such a profound impact on a small town. I think that we really don't have a good idea about how serious these small towns take sports as we live in a more modern town that frankly doesn't seem to care about high school sports as it once did.
ReplyDeleteI think that small town sports is the embodiment of sports, because all they have is the few people in that town and the sport. Since sports is the only thing that is really interactive, it seems that they are more dedicated than large town sports because there's just a lot more things to do with a bigger population, especially being distracted by other sports that they have a possibility to participate instead.
ReplyDeleteIn each of these 3 stories there was one similar theme; pride in a town's team. In many cases and places, a high school sports team is a starting point for conversation or even just making pleasantries. The sport, the athletes, and the school becomes almost the center piece of the town and is recognized by everyone. Out of the 390 families living in Hebron, everyone of them, in some way, was effected by that killer season that they had!
ReplyDeleteIf I could link these three stories to share one common story, it would be dedication. When schools from small towns unite they could beat any school from a bigger town if they have more dedication. In the end, it comes down to intuition, motivation, and dedication.
ReplyDeleteSports in small towns drive the town. They give the entire town something in common to talk about. It gives the town something to be excited about and they can all get behind. The athletes feel more excited knowing the entire town is behind them. In small towns there isnt that much that happens. These towns live off of sports.
ReplyDeletePride and ambiton is the theme for all three stories. Even though there were from a small town, its amazing how a highschool sport can impact there lives. Doesn't matter where youre from, It shows how united and together people are in small towns, and how divided and separate larger towns are.
ReplyDeletethese three stories were very similar, the honor that the town had for the team stood out throughout the time. because it was a small town the town was very protective of their ways as a team. everyone that lived in that small town was a huge support to the team, they traveled with them. it affected them all.
ReplyDeleteThe 3 stories are similar in the fact that one sports team can unite a town against all other distractions. Whether it be the economy, Job market or the thought of no future. These sports teams, who all had miracle years, provided a get away from the stresses of the everyday life of living in their town. They allowed the people to get behind a movement that was bigger than them and revive the life in the town. One example where this happens is in the movie glory road. Coach Don Haskins, who was forced to live in the dorms, took a small western Texas college to the national championship where he became the first coach to ever start 5 black people in a collegiate basketball game.
ReplyDelete