Who Are We? WP!

I want to thank those read- ers who responded to my column two weeks ago about Jubilee's growing athletic participation in the Waitsburg Prescott combine. In it, I hinted that Jubilee's contribution to the combine has become so significant, the group may as well be called Waitsburg Prescott Jubilee.

But the readers suggested otherwise. Keep the name exactly the way it is right now, they said.

"Jubilee is to be commended for doing well at meeting the needs of its students which were not met while at home," one reader wrote. "That said, any sug- gestion of including their name in the name of the Waitsburg Prescott combine definitely seems premature."

Another reader put it this way: "there are only boys who participate from this institution (Jubilee). There- fore, their participation does not encompass our entire athletic association."

The commenters also pointed out that students from Jubilee are technically part of the Prescott school district and are thus already included in the combine under that name.

And, Jubilee does not fall in the category of a school district to meet the technical requirements for sepa- rate recognition under the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, they argued.

All these points are well taken and I wholeheartedly agree that WP should stay the way it is.

My proposal to add Jubilee to the name was not entirely serious, but merely a way to make the point how the youth ranch is now almost like the third leg of a three-legged stool, bringing strength and stability to all the sports programs.

Furthermore, my column was not intended in any way to diminish the leading roles Waitsburg and Prescott school districts play in the creation, organization and management of the combine, not to mention their unquestionable athletic contributions.

For a host of technical, historic and emotional reasons, WP is what it is and should remain what it is. It's the two districts' vision and resources (think of their athletics facilities alone) that even make the combine pos- sible.

"I'm in favor of having the boys who are at Jubilee participate in the WP athletic programs as it gives them the opportunity to learn many valuable life skills," one of the readers went on. Calling them "WP athletes" is the best way to promote unity between the schools, she said. Here again, I agree. It goes back to the exchange of the two schools' mas- cots. Recognizing the pride Prescott and Waitsburg had in the rich history of the Tigers and Cardinals, the districts decided early on a creative solution for their use.

When teams practice and play on one district's turf, they'll be known by that name and vice versa. Thus, the WP football, basketball, volleyball, cross country and track teams are known as the Cardinals, while the baseball, softball, soccer and wrestling teams are known as the Tigers.

Athletes switch names from one sports season to the next and end up identifying with both names, strengthening the bond between them.

At the Times, we try to make it a habit of putting WP in front of the team names at least in first reference, so that there is a unifying reference there too: "WP Tigers" and "WP Cardinals."

In the end, deeds matter more than words when it comes to the sense of cohesion and unity. I recall such heartwarming moments as the Tigers soccer players showing up in the stands at Cardinal football games and vice versa; two sports cul- tures meeting in the middle, supporting each others' ath- letic hopes and dreams.

To be honest, the WPJ acronym wouldn't work anyway. It doesn't rhyme with "Who Are We?"