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Dear Editor:
This Homecoming weekend the Dodgeville High School Hall of Fame Committee will be honoring the 1993 Boys Basketball Team, a team of which I had the honor to be a part of. As I reflected on my time as part of this team, I couldn't help but see how truly blessed we were to be a part of this team and this community.
When you look at our team picture you will see a special team. You will see a group of four Seniors, some of my best friends. A group of young men who grew up together, who went undefeated from the 7th through 9th grade. You will see two Juniors, two of the best basketball players I know, two conference MVP's, as well as a two time college national champion. You will see three Freshman, the best Freshman class one could hope for which included another conference MVP. Finally, you will see two of the best coaches one could ask for. Coaches who taught us the game and pushed us beyond our limits, but who also laughed with us.
When you look at this picture you will see a very special team, but you will miss what I see. When I look at this picture I see so much more, I see the blood, sweat, and tears that went into this team. I see my other teammates who helped us go undefeated from 7th through 9th grade. I see my other coaches along the way who believed in us. I see the DHS graduates who came back to play pick-up games against us (and put us in our place... if only for a short while). I see the parents (especially my dad) who helped organize and raise money to build an outdoor basketball court at Wilson Park for us to spend our waking hours. I see the city of Dodgeville who not only packed the gym, but the cafeteria to watch us play; and who camped out in the DHS parking lot to get tickets for our tournament games.
Yes, this was a special team, but it was so much more than nine boys and two coaches. It was a city coming together to support a group of young men from a small town who dared to have big dreams. In that team picture, I see how "It takes a village" to build community. Thank you so much to all of you who have supported the 1993 Dodgers Boys Basketball team and all of the Dodgers teams since.
Karl Clough
Meridian, ID
DHS class of 1993