We Need Facilities That Support Young People

To the editor: What makes us not give up? Sometimes it’s a good parent. I was the only girl on the field when my Dad pushed me to join the soccer team in the fourth grade. I was terrified to go to practice that first day, but it ended up being fun. No one told me to settle down, or be quiet. I had to push the limits of what I thought I could do, and get up if I fell down. Being out of breath was ok, and speaking up was expected. Why does this matter? It matters because there were problems ahead for me, having nothing to do with sports. I had done hard things before though, and I could do them again.

This is why I am supporting the Nantucket Athletic Improvement Plan. Kids give up easily, and they don’t see the point. They need something to reach for. Our schools provide that challenge. There is a fourth grader in our schools now who might want to join the track team one day. How is she supposed to get excited about joining the team when the high school does not have a track to compete on? Some of this process has felt like a hard game, but the best people have lifted me up, like good teammates do.

To those who claim the multi-sport turf field in this plan is an environmental hazard, your concerns are misguided. The proposed surface has been tested, and will be tested again. We are all beneficiaries of this project, but young people are the future. Later on, when they need to do the right thing, they will show up too.

This is paying it forward. Please vote Yeson Article 12.

Hadley Dutra