Alva Review-Courier -

We have all heard the saying, “when one door closes, another door opens.” But sometimes when a door opens, we have to unfortunately close another door.

There have been some changes in the world of athletics around the Alva community, changes that I have personally been connected to. A couple of weeks ago, I accepted the position of assistant athletic director for communications at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Due to this personal change, this is my last column as a member of the Alva Review-Courier staff. However, it’s probably not the last time you hear from me.

It honestly was not an easy decision to move on from the paper as I took some time to weigh the possibility of being able to write for our local paper, while serving in this new role at the university. Unfortunately, the time needed for both positions would conflict greatly.

With all that being said: thank you.

Thank you to the student-athletes, coaches, administrators, parents and fans of Goldbug and Ranger athletics who made the past several months enjoyable. While I was a fan of Alva athletics for some time, being able to see the hard work the student-athletes and coaches put in was a great experience.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time before, after and even during games getting to know parents and other community members. Community is about relationships and supporting each other, and I was blessed to have to opportunity to be a part of that through my short time with the paper.

Alva is a blessed community when it comes to athletics. From the programs at the Alva rec center, to AMS and AHS athletics, to the student-athletes who compete at the collegiate level at NWOSU, Alva gets to support programs that compete at a high level statewide and nationwide.

Continue to support the student-athletes in the community. Build up the ARC programs through financial support and help those kids learn skills and what it’s like to compete through the highs and lows of sports.

Be there for the Goldbugs and the Ladybugs. Celebrate them when they turn in the best season in school history, build them up when they may fall short of expectations and most importantly, praise them for their hard work on and off the field and in the classroom. Help them grow into adults who will continue to serve the community, or if they move away, make a good name for what Alva can produce.

Finally, without breaking in NCAA rules, support the student-athletes who come to Alva from all over the world to compete at NWOSU. Some of those athletes who become Rangers come from communities similar to Alva, but others may come from a big city who don’t know the meaning of a community.

Accept them not only for their talents, but also for their flaws. Love on them. It will make everyone better when we aren’t judging each other and show other prospective student-athletes how great being a Ranger really can be.

I look forward to serving in my role in the university athletic department. But I’m also looking forward to being a Goldbug and Ladybug fan for life.

Thank you again Alva. Let’s make our future decisions based on the future of the community and support them to our fullest abilities.