George Bernard Shaw once said, "Everything happens to everybody sooner or later if there is enough time." Being a teenager comes with many challenges. With each challenge, comes a different question you have to answer. Add into that being a high school football player for a perennial powerhouse and you have even more questions. What does the community think of us being ranked and undefeated? What does the community think now that we have lost? Are we going to be 'that' team? Are my socks OK with the rest of the uniform? Should I wear Under Armour or not? Do I block with George, Curt, Bob? OK...Flex-I 660 Double Seam. Which guy is going to be open? Who has the ball, who needs to be tackled? When you really get down to it, there are only two true questions that a kid needs to ask. 1) Who am I? Living in a small community like West Branch, can have its challenges and its advantages. You never have to worry about a neighbor willing to help out. No matter what the situation, I have learned there is always someone selflessly open to lending you a hand in a time of need. Be it for a flat tire. Or for building a shed. Or for shoveling/blowing snow off the driveway or porch. Or for neighborhood watch. Or for housesitting if you go out of town for an extended period of time. Or for offering a ride to your son, daughter, brother, sister after practice or school. Or to support, lend a hand, if a loved one is injured in a sporting event. In the end, you are a member of a very loving and vibrant community. In fact, as a West Branch Bear football player, you are a treasure to behold for nine Friday nights a year. How many other people can say they have one night devoted to honoring their hard work and devotion to the cause? Very few. Let alone nine evenings...and, in West Branch, usually a couple more. You are part of a tradition that has excelled above and beyond the wildest dreams of many. But, for some, it just reaches the level of acceptance - hoping that the gold will someday glitter prominently again. The challenges are upholding that tradition in the best way you can. Offering the fullest of efforts and great decision making will be accepted by most. When a you are West Branch Bear football player, you are held in the highest regard. You are seen as the living legacy of all those before you. So, again, when you live in West Branch, and play football as a Bear, you have advantages and challenges. 2) Who do I represent? This is the part that is very clear, but very detailed. Playing for West Branch, you represent so many wonderful things. Passion. Pride. Success. Tradition, Community Support. Athletic Boosters. But, the one thing you should remember is that you represent 'The Family'. That is a two-fold representation level. First, you represent the Band of Brothers inside the Bear program. You play for all the Chief Thomas', Don/Jake/Wayne Rummells', Floyd Christiansen's, Warren Pierce's, Mark Worrell's, Beast's, Brad Bartelt's, Rick Honeycutt's, Timmy Donovan's, John Oxley's, Jason Grimm's, Jason Pedersen's, Aisha Jones', Brad Behle's, Curtis Uthe's, Chad Gates', Gabe Waters', Keith Koosman's, Derrick Robertson's, JJ Wombacher's, and many more. They paved a way for your being able to be part of something special. Secondly, and more importantly, you represent your family and friends. Those people that do so much for you in order that you can just put on the pads. Your guardians that support you, love you, and buy you cleats and socks and Under Armour/Nike/etc. The people that wake you up so you make it to the school on time for two-a-days in the summer. The neighbor that may give you a ride to practice when you need it. So, what does this all mean? When you lose a game early in the season, a team comes to a crossroads. The bad news: WB lost the second game of the regular season. When was the last time WB lost a regular season game? September 5, 2008: Wilton 39, West Branch 20. The good news: The Bears finished the season with seven consecutive wins to clinch its 20th conference or district title. West Branch would then defeat Iowa Valley, Maquoketa Valley, and Clayton Ridge to advance to the IAHSAA Class 1A state semifinals, before falling to Emmetsburg in the UNI-Dome. District play begins this Friday in Alburnett. West Branch enters the game with a 1-1 record, the Pirates are 2-0. The Bears have never lost to Alburnett on the Pirates' home field (3-0). The IAHSAA does not recognize out of district games when they are setting the playoff brackets. Now.... breathe... The season gets a fresh start. Today. You can make or break your expectations. Today. You get to wear a West Branch Bear uniform. Today. You can get rid of that bad taste in your mouth from last Friday's loss. Today. You are a student-athlete - living out the remaining dreams of your fathers, uncles, friends. Today. All of this leads to one final question: Has there ever been a bad day to be a West Branch Bear? Not in this lifetime.