In general, I don’t believe sending a text at 11:57 p.m. is the right thing to do.
And yet Monday night, at 11:57 p.m., a close friend of mine sent a text to group of high school buddies.
His timing was off, but the message was good. He wanted to congratulate Norwell head coach Eric Thornton, a classmate of ours, on the Norwell Knights’ upcoming state championship game.
Eric’s response – at a civil hour the next morning – ended with “Fun week. Special group. One more!”
It’s all about team success for Norwell’s coach.
In 2022 I wrote an introduction for our Who We Are edition, which included a piece on Thornton after winning his 400th game.
There is one nugget that hit me in that story. ‘We’ over ‘me’.
Our society is filled with people screaming for attention, asking everyone to ‘look at me’. It’s exhausting. To see someone as successful as coach Thornton, differentiating from his more important work as an educator, who is also humble and deflects praise is a refreshing diversion from the norm.
Coach Thornton has been a ‘we’ over ‘me’ person for the 40+ years that I’ve known him.
When my News-Banner career started, the Chicago Cubs had just won their first World Series since 1908. Eric dropped by the office with replica World Series trophy as a welcome gift. We had both been long-suffering Cub fans from way back. The gesture wasn’t necessary, but it was thoughtful and meant a lot. It’s still in my office today.
Kindness. Going the extra mile. A recipe for success in life.
There is a unique bond that most of us have with the people you went to school with. We’ve been shaped and molded by those early relationships, for better or worse. I might not be a fan of midnight texts, but there’s something special about celebrating a long-time friend’s accomplishment, even if he won’t take any credit for it.
I’m not much of a social media connoisseur but recently, thanks to the Norwell Lady Knights, my social media feeds have exploded.
My Wells County friends have been great with praising the team. Meanwhile, my high school friends have singled Eric out. Neither is wrong, depending on your perspective.
For me, it has been a pleasure to watch the progression of these players through the years. These last few weeks, plus this coming weekend have felt like the inevitable next step for the program.
The players are extremely talented. They have put in the work. Twice they have beaten #1 team in 3A, Columbia City earlier this season and Hamilton Heights last weekend. They are now one step away from the highest team achievement.
Whatever happens Saturday, we are proud of what they have accomplished.
I’m looking at this weekend from two perspectives.
On one hand, I’m happy for my old friend Eric and the magnitude of this achievement.
On the other hand, I’m taking a cue from Norwell’s head coach and am thrilled for the team over any individual.
We over me.
Fun week. Special group. One more!
dougb@news-banner.com
