Little Leaguers Are a Team of Winners

* Dana Parsons’ Aug. 23 column, “Championship Spells M-e-m-o-r-i-e-s for Little Leaguers,” is right on. Congratulations to the Yorba Hills team for their outstanding accomplishment and doing their very best.

Parsons identifies with this experience by sharing his own spelling competition experience and what he went through and every child goes through in preparing for and participating in a competition, whether athletic or academic--and, for that matter, life.

It’s interesting to note that Orange County is the home of academic competitions--the high school Academic Decathlon and the middle school Academic Pentathlon. These academic competitions, much like athletics, provide encouragement, challenge and recognition opportunities for students--opportunities to extend themselves intellectually, to collaborate and to work together as a team--lifelong coping skills. However, unlike many athletic programs, the Academic Decathlon and Academic Pentathlon are open to all students, regardless of ability or achievement.

Although our Yorba Hills Little Leaguers may be disappointed for not having won the Little League World Series, they should be proud. We should continually remind all students who compete athletically and/or academically that they are winners for “being the best they can be.”

NATHANIEL LAMM

Retired administrator, academic programs

Orange County Department of Education

Santa Ana