Here goes my last Shipman’s Strokes story ever. When I contemplated what I wanted to write about this issue, it really took me a lot of time. I thought about so many different topics, and then I landed on Northtown, and the future of the Hornets’ athletics.

I thought about how our sports teams have always been decent, and I figured that’s how we’d probably always be, but then the new football coach came to mind.

Leon Douglas is definitely a man of his word.

I remember the last issue when I wrote the new football coach story, which his name got misspelled in, and I apologize for that, but anyways, I thought of how he said, “not only have we under achieved in football, but also in grades, and classroom behavior. Coaching these guys up and making them accountable in the classroom is definitely a step in the right direction.”

And me, having written a hundred sports stories, how many times do you think I have heard coaches say that? Tons. And how many times do you think I’ve actually seen it been done? Never.

Coach Douglas teaches elementary school physical education, which if I was a seven year old, I think he might freak me out a little, but that is beside the point.

The point is that, almost every morning in the halls, and at breakfast I see him with a piece of paper and a highlighter going around to all the boys, saying, “Are you still planning on playing football?”,”You are failing this class. What are you going to do, to improve this before the end of the year?”,”You need to get a tutor and get this taken care of.”

It’s crazy to me how he doesn’t even teach at Northtown, and it isn’t even football season, but he is still making sure his boys are being accountable.

You know what that says to me? It says that every football team in Missouri better watch out because Northtown is going to do something in these next years to come.

It tells me that Northtown has a bright future to look forward to in academics and athletics. And it makes me feel better to know that McCullough and Agee won’t be the only coaches who don’t let their players play with F’s.

Throughout writing about sports, and participating in sports I have learned a lot about so many things.

One thing I have learned about positive and negative behavior is that it’s like a cancer, and it spreads. Next year it might only be the football team, but with years to come it will soon be a school wide transformation.

Douglas is going to make a huge difference at North Kansas City High School, but it will be awhile until he can impact an entire school. Unless students get involved in summer conditioning and sports in general, they’ll never get the kick in the butt that they need.

If I could give the underclassmen advice, it would be to get involved and do your best, but take care of your school work first.

In the end, it’s the only thing that really matters.