Inductees Share What They Treasure Most About High School

Prior to the induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame each year, the inductees participate in a press conference attended by members of the media and attendees of the NFHS Summer Meeting.

For a number of years, the press conference has started with the inductees responding to the following question: “What do you treasure most about your involvement in high school sports (or performing arts)”?

This year’s events were held in San Antonio, Texas, and following are responses to the opening question from some of this past year’s inductees:

Susan McLain
Speech and Debate Educator
Portland, Oregon

I really believe that the most important element of high school activities or athletics is creating a family and creating a team and understanding how to work together and I cherish that, but I also cherish that it is transformational. In the performing arts, students develop skills that will last them in any type of career they will have in a lifetime. There is always a place on the performing arts team for different types of individuals that can learn skills and that can be part of a very special group and they can learn that life can be better if you work harder, and so commitment and passion is absolutely worth that.

Becky Oakes
State, National Administrator
Springfield, Missouri

What I treasure most about participation in athletics and activities is that it is fun. All you have to do is look into the eyes of participants, whether they win or lose, working with their teammates is fun. We all learn about how to become good teammates. What is special about high school is that even though we might be track or we might be tennis or we might be golf, we still have the team championship. We promote the whole concept of coming together as a group and representing our team and representing our school. We see the young people drawn together, and they learn to include others with no boundaries. I think that is absolutely wonderful. Our young people learn how to develop goals. As you look in their eyes, whether it is your kids or the kids in your community or school, it is the ability to have fun and appreciate each other.

Jack Roberts
State, National Administrator
East Lansing, Michigan

What I treasure about my work in administration is that I was allowed to go to work every day with my passion. I could take my passions to work every day. I can recall going to social gatherings for years and years with acquaintances and friends who would be complaining about their work. I never did. I treasure almost every single day of work because I was able to take my passion to work every single day. I felt fit for the work and felt it fit and fulfilled me.

Jeff Risk
Contest Official
Minot, North Dakota

I enjoyed the challenge of going out as an official and not knowing what to expect and having to handle situations on the fly. The biggest thing is building relationships and those are with players, coaches, administrators. When you are involved with them in athletics, things that would take years to build in the job world you can do in a very short time in athletics. Whenever I speak to coaches or officials, and I have officiated many different sports at many different levels and in most of our states, I can still count the totally bad apples on one hand and I don’t think you can say that about any other group. It is a testament to high school athletics.

Ron Kordes
Volleyball Coach
Louisville, Kentucky

When I think about the pleasures I’ve gotten out of coaching, it is twofold. First, to watch the growth of the game of volleyball that has happened over the past 20 to 30 years is tremendous – not only statewide, but nationally as well. Second, watching the girls who have played for us, watching them move on and how they negotiate college and move on into adult life and become successful professionals and mothers has been gratifying. And to think that you’ve possibly had some role in that is humbling.

Lamar Rogers
Girls Basketball Coach
Clarkrange, Tennessee

I told my wife when I started coaching girls basketball that I’d probably do this about five years and then we’d do something else. Here we are 46 years later – not sure what happened! I lost my first basketball game, and it was 6-on-6 . . . I was ready to give it up. But I preserved and it’s been an amazing journey. I’ve had a lot of great relationships with coaches. Coaching is about making memories for the students. We try to have a home away from home for the students at Clarkrange High School. We’ve had some outstanding students and parents over the years, and it has made me a better person.

Notah Begay III
Multi-sport Athlete
Albuquerque, New Mexico

The ebbs and flow and ups and down of sports is quite remarkable. High school sports are really something I’ve come to appreciate. It was quite an experience to be able to line up and play against people from different walks of life, different zip codes, different socioeconomic backgrounds, cultural backgrounds and to find the common goal that we could all strive to work for as teammates. I appreciate all the relationships, the friendships and the bonds that you create with your coaches, teammates, trainers. There was a custodian who used to open up the building early in the morning so I could come in and get a few extra reps. People like that who go out of their way to give you an opportunity to do something that gives you pleasure and is something you can rely on every day.

In a day and age when our kids are facing a lot of different challenges across the board in their lives, sports can be that one common thing that gives them a little peace of mind that says “yes I can” or “I’m worth it” and “I certainly have the ability and capacity to achieve” and that is what sports gave me at the high school level.

Eddie Payton
(Speaking on behalf of his brother, Walter Payton)
Jackson, Mississippi

I take it as a great honor to speak on behalf of Walter. We were roommates in high school, and we were roommates in college. The high school experience has got to be the most rewarding experience a young person can have. He knows nothing when he goes out there, but he’s excited about playing. He listens because he wants to learn. And he takes the advice of someone he doesn’t know as gospel. It doesn’t get any better than high school sports. My role models in high school were my father, my preacher and my high school coach. They are all still here. I take my high school coach fishing as often as I can because I will never be able to repay him for the time and love he showed. It doesn’t get any better than high school.

Sanya Richards-Ross
Track and Field Athlete
Fort Lauderdale, Florida

When I reflect on my high school career, there are so many things that I cherish. Obviously, winning four team state titles was huge but I think the thing that probably stays with me the most is that in high school I was able to find community through sports. We had just migrated from Jamaica, so I was new to the United States, so you can imagine what that’s like, going to high school for the first time and not knowing what to expect. I’m so grateful that I had the sport of track and field to be able to find my community. Sports was that safe place to develop confidence and push myself to my limits. In high school sports you find yourself, you’re able to lean on your teammates and, God willing, you are able to do great things. I was really blessed to have a tremendous high school career that I don’t take for granted and I know set the foundation for everything that I went on to do in my career.

Thurman Thomas
Multi-sport Athlete
Houston, Texas

The relationships that I’ve had over the years, they mean so much to me that I still talk to my high school teammates who won that state championship back in 1982. When I was a young freshman back at Willowridge High School (you couldn’t play varsity as a freshman back then), this guy pulled me to the side and said “you’re the one who is going to take us to a state championship and you’re going to go to college and to the NFL and you’re going to do great things,” and that one person today is on Gray’s Anatomy, Isaiah Washington. He was a senior when I got to Willowridge. Those are the relationships that I still have today. My role models though in high school were my teachers because I was not a great student. They helped me throughout my entire high school career to prepare me for college and the rest of my life.