Signing day means a lot for prep athletes

A couple weeks ago, area schools hosted yet another slate of college signing ceremonies.

I get it.

The pomp and circumstance around these events can feel like a bit much, and every time I’m asked to cover one, I can’t help but think, “Here we go again.”

But then, I get to the school, take my seat among the signees’ families, friends and teammates, look around and remember why we pull out all the stops for our high school athletes who are lucky enough to compete in college — something most of us have never or will never get to do.

Take Elyria’s Jamaris Cook, for example.

The Pioneers hosted a spring signing day as most area schools did on April 12. I pulled Cook aside after he finished signing his letter to play baseball at Lake Erie College and asked him about being able to use baseball as a means to a college degree.

Cook revealed that not only is he the first person in his family to go to college, but will be the first to graduate high school.

“I’m practically going to go for free, which is a big stress off my family for me to go to college for free,” Cook said. “It’s really good because I’m the first one in my family to go to college and to graduate high

school so it’s pretty big for my family.”

It’s the same with each signing ceremony.

“It feels like a blessing (to have) all the stress, all the weight off my shoulders and my family’s shoulders,” Lorain’s Carlos Chavis said after signing a letter to play football at Ashland University on Feb. 1.

According to the most recent data put out by the NCAA, of the nearly 8 million students participating in high school athletics, only 5 to 6 percent of

them will compete at the collegiate level. The numbers are even smaller as the focus shifts from Division III to Division I.

That accomplishment alone should at the very least be recognized, if not celebrated.

I remember Feb. 1 as Lorain football coach Dave McFarland spoke about Chavis and his teammate, Daesean Brooks, who signed a letter to play football at Tiffin University. He stressed how important it is for him to see his players receive

a college education. Chavis’ parents and Brooks’ mother sat on stage with their sons and beamed with pride knowing all the opportunities that will await their children after receiving their degree.

After this past presidential election night, I had to get up the next morning and head to Amherst for yet another signing ceremony, and to be honest, it was the perfect distraction from an otherwise chaotic and divisive 24 hours.

For a lot of our student athletes, signing that letter of intent is their only means to a higher education, and I, for one, am happy to continue sitting in those auditoriums celebrating along with the families and teammates and seeing the biggest smiles come over the faces of the athletes as I ask, “What does this mean to you?”

McNees can be reached at MMcNees@ MorningJournal.com; @ MarissaNM on Twitter

ERIC BONZAR — THE MORNING JOURNAL Lorain running back Carlos Chavis, shown during the 2016 season, is headed to Ashland to further his education and football career.