Why is the Blog called That's Why Scotland's For Me we are often asked....
Well, here's a wee personal one from me.
About a decade ago I walked into Powerleague in Kilmarnock with a four year old son and a daughter a year older and asked about signing them up for the Saturday morning club for young supporters of Kilmarnock Football Club. They were already season ticket holders by that time but I'd heard great things about what the group were doing.
For the next five or or six years my son continued to go to the training on Saturdays only stopping when he started playing competitive matches for Kilmaurs then Troon Thistle. If it wasn't for the fun, the support and the professional coaching received on those Saturday mornings, he'd never have played football week in week out. I never foresaw him still playing at under sixteens that was for sure! It was down to the team at Young Killie (now Young Kilmarnock but that's another story) for encouraging him.
Now I say it's a personal tale but it's one that could be repeated verbatim by hundreds of Killie parents and guardians. No maybe thousands. The group and its organisers and coaches have through the years given freely of their time and often have suffered very badly at the hands of some who should have had more respect. But even through the challenging times, they remained focussed on one thing and one thing only - the youngsters lining up in increasing numbers every week.
My main contact has always been Susan Russell and we've tried to help out a little where we can.
So it was with absolute delight that I saw that Susan - above pictured after she had won the League Cup for Killie against Celtic!- was today named as one of the baton carriers for The Commonwealth Games.
I hadn't grasped the enthusiasm yet personally for the Games but what this did succeed in doing was make me realise once again what it should be about. It should be about recognising the people like Susan who just don't know how to stop giving; it should be about looking in the mirror and asking maybe whether there's just a little more we could all do.
So there's the answer to the first paragraph's question.
1 comment:
Susan Russell works her heart out to make sure the kids at Young Kilmarnock enjoy every minute they are at training or on a trip to an away game. She and her team work tirelessly to organise trips and parties and to make sure even the youngest members are kept in the loop. Susan signed my grandson into Young Killie as it was then when he was six hours old. It would have been six minutes but she had work next morning and had to go to bed. Susan, enjoy every minute of your Baton day because you deserve it and more.
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