Letters to the Editor
Parents say team defined sportsmanship

To the Editor,

As the fall 2006 sport season comes to a close, we would like to acknowledge a group of young men whose accomplishments over the past few weeks are to be commended. The Oakmont Boy's Varsity Soccer Team has had a phenomenal season. After finishing out the regular season with a 9-3-3 record, they advanced to the Division 2 semifinal round where they suffered a heartbreaking loss to Leicester (2-1) in the final minutes of the game. These student athletes, and their many devoted soccer fans, have much to be proud of; their hard work, dedication and perseverance, and most of all their sportsmanship throughout the season.

On Nov. 18, prior to the start of the Division 2 championship game in Lowell, the Oakmont Boy's Varsity Soccer Team received the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association's Division 2 Sportsmanship Award. Coach Lincoln Stiles and captains Seth Beauregard, Matt Dubois and Eamon Washburn were presented the award from MIAA representative Jack Stephenson. This was the first time in Oakmont history that an individual team has been the recipient of the award at the state level.

The American Heritage Dictionary describes an athlete who shows sportsmanship as "one who abides by the rules of a contest and accepts victory or defeat graciously." These young men far exceed those criteria for sportsmanship. They have demonstrated to, not only their school community, but also to the district as a whole, what it means to be an Oakmont Spartan Student Athlete.

Congratulations on a great season!

Mark and Patti Washburn Ashburnham Congratulations for a season played with honor

To the Editor:

Life today often seems complex and at times even depressing. There are wars and conflicts around the world, assassinations of individuals for expressing their beliefs, death and starvation at home and abroad, and the constant threat of terrorism. Parents fear what might happen after their children board the bus for school. Even at the local level, we debate what to do about the library, the safety building, the town hall, or the conservation of our natural resources. Groups form to promote their agendas and often divisiveness follows.

Most of these issues, whether international, national, state, or local cannot be resolved by force or selfish bickering over individual agendas. Instead, compromise and careful negotiation are often the only hope for a real lasting solution. Yes, it would be easy to become cynical and apathetic. However, somehow through it all we usually find something that renews our faith in humanity. Frequently, we find these being small local events taking place within our own communities. One of those very special moments took place on a field in Lowell on Saturday, Nov.18, prior to the start of a state championship game. A local Oakmont team received recognition exceeding an All Star, MVP, a League or District Championship, or a Super Bowl Victory. They received the Division II State Sportsmanship Award. It is worth noting that this state honor has never previously been bestowed on any other Oakmont team in the history of the school. No award better demonstrates those special characteristics that we as citizens and parents strive daily to teach our children.

Congratulations to all the teams and clubs at Oakmont for their many awards over the years. School banners and trophies remind us of those special times. We should all take a moment to relax and bask in that rare feeling of accomplishment; that moment when something truly positive has happened within our combined communities. Hard work, generosity, fairness and team spirit can take our boys' soccer team as well as our communities and nation to a more positive result. Let's all remember this lesson and be inspired by our children, their coaches and those scores of volunteers.

Congratulations to the 2006-2007 Boys' Soccer Team, their coaches and the athletic department. They serve as an inspiration to all the parents who work so hard to teach their children the right way to play the biggest game of all; the game of life.

Joel and Eva Sibley Ashburnham