135 and done

Staff editorial

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Some time ago at a collegiate press convention, a woman critiquing the Crusader advised the staff that they should devote less newspaper space to sports and focus more effort on a police report or various other campus happenings.

To us, that seemed an odd statement for her to make, but it is also an understandable one because she doesn't live here and hasn't experienced the thrill of a Saints or Lady Saints victory.

Our campus is not filled with crime. Rather it is filled with award-winning coaches, Jayhawk West Most Valuable Players, All-Americans, and one national championship.

Our community is full of sports fans whether they're watching middle school basketball, high school football, or college baseball. Athletics are important to people at Seward County Community College. They're important to administrators, faculty and students alike.

In our small town, athletic achievements are a source of pride and sense of accomplishment. We live and die with our teams, and last Saturday, a little bit of all of us died when the Lady Saints'135-game home-court winning streak came to an end.

The streak was more than nine years in the making and included countless All-Americans, seven Jayhawk West MVPs, one national player of the year, one national coach of the year, and of course, the 2002 NJCAA national championship.

The streak was the most recognizable symbol of a college known for its athletic prowess. And what do we do now that the streak is gone? We go on. Despite the streak's demise, it remains alive as part of our proud sports history at this small campus.

It is an accomplishment we can, and should, stand up and be proud of. Consider the facts:

The 135-game streak is the second longest of its kind in college basketball history. That includes all divisions, all conferences, all teams, both men and women. Prior to the streak, the Lady Saints put together a string of 38 consecutive victories at home.

Figure with that Seward's most recent home victory, a 96-44 shellacking of Neosho last Tuesday, and the Lady Saints have won 174 of their last 176 home games. Only two opponents in the last 12 years have left the Green House with a win over a Jim Littell-coached team.

So, in a sense, the streak hasn't died at all. It now has an aura that surpasses that of when it was active and the Lady Saints were adding to it on a weekly basis. Besides, who's to say where we'll be in nine years? We just might be approaching a milestone. A milestone of our own.