West Ridge Academy Basketball Team Shows True Sportsmanship

By now, many of you know that our girls' basketball team recently lost to Christian Heritage by a score of 108-3. This game continues to receive national attention from ESPN, USA Today, Fox News, CNN, Yahoo, and the front page of the Deseret News etc. There have been hundreds of articles written, thousands of blog posts and plenty of discussion surrounding teams, sportsmanship, and fair play. Our students particularly enjoyed receiving many letters of support from our community.

At the rematch, Inside Edition and several local news stations covered the event. Nike Factory Outlet West Jordan, who has been a supporter of our athletic mission provided a halftime program giving out a gift certificate to a lucky free-throw winner and tossed tee shirts into the crowd. They also gave each of the girls a new pair of Nike shoes and gift bag. Nike's Head Coach encouraged the girls to be courageous and give an extra effort they all possess but untapped when they get tired. The final score of the second game was 62-7 this time.

The real story isn't about the score or the opponent rather the personal progress and lessons learned by each of our players. Each year we start with a brand new team. None of our girls have ever played organized basketball before, so already they are at an extreme disadvantage against teams having grown up together playing in summer camps and tournaments. Our athletic program places focus on developing and discovering talents, participating at full potential - doing their best in spite of their circumstances, overcoming challenges and coming together in a common cause. We'd like to be a competitive team but it's not always about the wins and losses. If they can learn not to give up in a game even when down by a hundred points, to keep giving their best; therein lies a true lesson to carry over into their personal lives.

We all can learn something from any given situation, whether it be good or bad. Through all of this, our girls have held their heads high and maintained a great attitude. One player commented, "I have nothing to be embarrassed about because I did my best. This is my claim to fame. I'm part of a team that set a new high school record." At least she hasn't lost her sense of humor.

West Ridge Academy has been offering hope and healing to young men, young women and their families by providing quality services, education and experiences which promote personal accountability, spiritual awareness and change of heart. For more information, please visit: www.westridgeacademy.com.