Letter: All students deserve recognition

EDITOR,
While I enjoy the Press Banner’s particularly local feel and content, I wish that one regular feature could be improved upon. I am talking about the Cougar of the Week.
Firstly, I think all students of San Lorenzo Valley High School are Cougars, whether they participate in sports or not, since the mascot belongs to the school, not any individual sports team. However, all Cougars of the Week are athletes, and very very heavily weighted on football athletes. Football is not the only sport at school.
What about water polo, swimming, tennis, golf, volleyball and so on? These athletes are almost never profiled in any way. Football seems to be the only sport that gets any press whatsoever.
And what about all the students who don’t play sports? There are plenty of good kids who deserve a Cougar of the Week for drama, music, speech and debate, and other extracurricular activities.
Also, there are plenty of deserving kids who excel academically, in the form of high grade-point averages, test scores, science fair finalists and so on. These kids are left out entirely.
How about a Cougar of the Week for someone other than a jock-football player?
Liz Fisher, Ben Lomond
Editor’s note: The Cougar of the Week and Falcon of the Week advertisements that run weekly in the Press-Banner sports section highlight athletes who excel on the field, in the classroom or both. Selections are based on nominations from the community or coaches or are chosen by the Press-Banner staff based on athletic performance.