Love of game flourishes among younger athletes

It was hard for me to find reasons to celebrate on the Fourth of July this year.

Tainted tomatoes, increasingly expensive food, a floundering economy, petty politicians, outrageous gas prices (that make me want to ride my bike to assignments 30 miles away), and what seems like a never-ending stream of tragic stories detailing the deaths of people far too young to die.

Maybe it was news-overload mixed with a little heatstroke, but I found Friday's blue skies clouded with sadness and pessimism.

And while lighting sparklers with my children might be optional, working, especially in these tough economic times, is not.

Which is why I am fortunate in what I do for a living. Instead of spending my days covering professional athletes who want more money, more awards and more respect, I get to highlight the accomplishments of teenage kids just trying to do their best.

I watched a lot of boys volleyball this week as well as a little women's college basketball. Any time I needed a lift, I turned to one of these athletes who didn't show up for a big paycheck or to collect another award. They came to play.

In fact, the women's league I watched was especially uplifting because the players were volunteering to stay and play for other teams just to spend a few more minutes on the court.

I spent most of my time at the 2008 Boys Junior Olympic Volleyball Championships in Sandy talking to local volleyball players, as well as many from out-of-state, about the distances they travel just to play. One young man couldn't afford club volleyball fees so he went to business owners, neighbors and friends asking them to sponsor him just so he could play.

"If you want it, you've got to work for it," said his coach Ed Wrather of Chicago's Adversity Club. His players practice in a gym so small, it's not even a regulation size court.

"If it hits the bricks (on the wall) then it's out," he said. "You work with what you have."

One of the Utah teams has trouble finding court time anywhere but at a local ward house. Still they show up; they practice; they play and, most importantly, they are full of joy.

Some will discount their accomplishments saying they should dedicate themselves to their studies like they do to sports. To those critics I offer two counter arguments. First, many of them do spend as much time worrying about whether their grades are good enough to get into college or how they did on that math test, as they do about earning a starting spot on the football team.