The Way They Were

We went to the basketball game last night. It was the first game of we’ve gone to this year. Quite different than when we were teaching and went to all the home games or when the kids were playing and we went to every game. It was snowing like crazy when we left home and usually we wouldn’t have ventured out. But last night was the big game honoring McKenzie and the 1989 team that won third place in the state that year. They were the first Clark County team to make it to state and it was a big deal then and last night proved it is still a big deal...at least to those of us who remember.

To honor the team, the game was played in the middle school gym. Which was nice for us old folks who remember games there. It’s much smaller than the present high school gym. But it’s also much louder and more exciting. The fans are right there on the court. The players sit on the first row of the bleachers and the fans are right behind them on the second row. They can hear what the fans are saying–both good and bad. I want to talk to some of the players and see what they thought. Whitney played her first three years in that gym and then played her senior year at the present gym. About midway through the season, she said that the fans just don’t care anymore. I told her we still care; the gym is just bigger and they are physically removed and it’s just different.

Anyway. Coach John McKenzie was back. He’s pretty much the same talking a mile a minute and joking one minute and serious the next. The biggest change is his hair, what he has left, is totally white.



He and Betty are divorced-five years ago- and he’s remarried. Betty, Emily, Johnny and Sarah were there too. Betty is in the KC area working an administrator in charge of special programs in a school there. Emily works in Overland Park, KS with a staffing company. Johnny and his wife and little girl live in Liberty, MO. He works in a bank. It was the first basketball game his 2 year old had ever been to! Wonder how many Johnny had been to by the time he was 2? Sarah and her husband and 4 year old daughter were there too. I can’t remember where they are. It was the first time the kids had been back since they left in 1990. Emily said Kahoka was much smaller than she remembered! It was great to see all of them and get caught up. We spent a lot of time together at each other’s houses while they were here.

Between the games they introduced the team, the coaches, Johnny the ball boy, the statistician, Chief Stomp ‘Em, and the administrators. Players there were Jason Church, Jason Harper, Todd Saxton, Travis Riney, Matt Nimmo, Roger Daniels, Bill Bryant, Daniel Boatman. Emmett St. Clair has died and was represented by his sister and mother. Megan Church Karr and Harper stood in for her dad. The team had a lot less hair over all. Todd Saxton looked just like he did 20 years ago. For some reason the cheerleaders weren’t represented.

In the commons were photos and newspaper articles and a video tape of the games and the medal ceremony. One of the comments heard was how short the uniforms were! This was back in the day when basketball uniforms were form fitting and short instead of baggy and knee length.

The game was in Springfield, MO. A major trip for us at the time. David and Jackie kept our kids and we stayed on Laura Derrick’s floor for the weekend. And that’s about all I remember from the event.

I had several former students come up and introduce their spouses and children during the evening. I had just told a new teacher, who is having a hard time this year, that she’s reaching more students than she thinks is this year. And that she may not find out about it this year or even next year. And last night proved that when I had a former student come up and tell me I had been her favorite teacher. And I’d had no idea then or any time since.

Clark County has had three teams go to state. The 1989 boys team, the 1995 girls team and the 2008 football team. And since high school sports and band are big deals at Clark County, I’m sure the girls will be honored in a few years too. So get ready Whitney.