A Winning Attitude

I originally wrote this to celebrate the 2009 State Semi-finalists. It is still applicable today. Once again the Vikings made us proud. I saw signs all over the county wishing them well. From Schlarman High School's message board to the Westville Public Library, Vermilion County was showing it's pride in what the Vikings had accomplished. THANKS, VIKINGS!

I want to go off topic with this note. Instead of focusing on stats, or tips, or tax credits, I want to examine a that has concerned me for much of my tenure are a Realtor in Danville and Vermilion County. It is a defeatist attitude, as a new acquaintance called it. It permeates the county in general, and the city in particular. It is such a sad state that even those in the county will look down on the city. A major component of the attitude is a desire to live in glory days of the past. Unfortunately I was not in Danville during those times.

We moved to Danville in Sept, 1996, after GM closed. All I heard was how terrible things would be now that GM was gone coupled with a longing for the good old days of the 1970's when Danville was at it's peak. I have had agents tell me and prospective buyers: "You don't want to see that property" or "You don't want to buy in that neighborhood." I remember one instance when the listing agent had to show us through several apartment buildings. At each stop he lamented the decline of Danville. He would try to steer my buyers away from certain neighborhoods as not being worthy of their time or investment. That attitude persists.

I want to revisit some local news and contrast a trend in the city we should all learn from. I would like to congratulate the Danville High School football team on a tremendous season. This group of young men has given us something in which we can take pride. The Danville Vikings have won a school record tying 12 games in two consecutive seasons!. That is no small feat for a program many thought should be dismantled a little more than 5 years ago. The football team last won a share of the conference championship in 1996. Their last undefeated season and state semifinal appearance before last year were in 1976 during those famous golden years of Danville. "Only one other time in Danville school history have the Vikings had four straight playoff appearances and that was from 1975-78 under legendary coach Paul Shebby. " (Posted in SPORTS by Robert Hirschfeld & Matt Campbell on Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 1:00). This year they extended that streak to 5 years.

"Conference nobodies since the mid-1990s" I believe the DHS football program fell victim of that attitude. Football games were played in the afternoon before nearly empty bleachers. When night football returned, the program had fallen into a string on winless seasons. The sins of the parents were being visited upon the children. But then something happened. Things became so bad opponents recognized all they had to do was play hard for a half and Danville would fold. "We were pretty sure we were going to win the game (at halftime)," said BHS quarterback Kyle Eash. "We knew Danville is a team that can get down on itself. (Published August 30, 1997, in The Pantagraph - Bloomington, Illinois)

The attitude prevalent in Danville reminds me of the story of the Israelites wanderings in the desert. Exodus recounts a scouting mission when 12 men went to gather information about the promised land. Two young men said "we can do this"; while 10 older, experienced men said, we will surely die. Repeatedly the Israelites (people of Danville) said things were so much better back then. "Why can't we go back," they ask? Their doubts and desire for the old days kept them wandering for forty years until that generation died out. The young people restored the nation and took over the promised land. Does our community have to wait on us to die and the young people to take control to reverse the trend? A group of young men were introduced to a positive influence who convinced them it was possible to create new glory days. He didn't just say, "back when Danville was great"; but, "Let's make DHS football great again."

Here is a brief clip from an Article in the Commercial News the morning after the Vikings won the conference title in 2009. It shows the character these young men have developed. "Luke said that’s because this group of Vikings are just good ol’ fashion football players. 'The kids played football. It was bad night, crummy weather, bad things happen against us, but the kids kept playing football until they won the game... the kids didn’t care. They just went out and played football,’ ... Our kids stood up to adversity and they did a heck of a job. 'Our kids got punched in the mouth by Normal, a great program, and they responded by standing up to it and getting it done.'’’

I spoke with a local amateur historian who told me of previous periods in our community's history in which there was major upheaval. In the previous episodes, the community rallied to restore Danville to it's best. When the brick industry died, mining replaced it. When mining died, heavy industry was introduced. Now those days are gone. It is time we look for the new source of jobs. I look forward to the city learning the same lessons that DHS football has learned.

It's time to get back to the business of making our city what it can be. It is time we quit being conformed to the thinking that says Danville is dying. It is time our minds are transformed, much as the young football players were, into believing we can make a difference and that we can usher in a new era, a new set of glory days. I hope we learn what these young men have. We can make the future brighter by standing up to adversity and getting on with business. Thanks Vikings for a lesson well taught. I hope we're up to it!