No harm meant by jacket

As president of the Mission Valley Mariners Board of Directors I am writing in reference to a letter by Fran Walls with the heading “Give him a jacket”. After speaking with Kellen’s mother, we learned that Fran Walls is a relative from back east and not a local resident. I am disappointed that she chose to publicize her conundrum before contacting the board to receive clarification of board decisions.

The 2012 Mariner Team achieved every goal available to them which included winning their conference, the District Tournament, the State Tournament and for the first time in Montana History, the eight states’ Regional Tournament. Those achievements were possible due to an outstanding group of dedicated young men, a committed and hard-working coaching staff, a supportive community, the sponsorship of American Legion Post 112 and years of hard work by past players, coaches and board members. They did it with class, sportsmanship, hard work and sacrifice. Many of the players passed up summer vacations, well-paying jobs and other opportunities to commit to team success. The Board chose to commemorate the successful season with jackets that were ordered for each player and coach who finished the season and whose name appeared on the official roster.

Each year, for reasons of their own, players choose to leave the team. When that happens, their decisions are respected and their future participation is encouraged. In 2012, four players left the organization, including Kellen. These players did not complete the regular season and three of the names did not appear on the official roster. If we were to provide Kellen with a jacket, then the others who started and then left to pursue other opportunities would also be deserving of a jacket. Fiscal responsibility dictated that only those who finished the season and whose name appeared on the official roster would receive jackets while giving the opportunity for others to buy a jacket if they chose to. There was no intent to diminish any players’ efforts or contribution. I wish we could “give them all a jacket”, but we cannot.

Dan Rausch

Polson