Comment from a fired-up Fondy fan

I wanted to share with you a comment that a reader left moments after the Fondy boys game tonight. It brings up some good points, especially the lack of fan support at the game on Tuesday night. This is one thing that I find hard to believe. How can a town with such a rich basketball tradition have such a poor following for the basketball team? I know the girls were playing in Oshkosh and the hockey team was in Beaver Dam, but I bet there were more people stuck home in front of a TV last night than were out supporting their school...

I just want to say how proud I am of the Fond du Lac Boys and also the Fond du Lac Girls Basketball Programs. This city has a lot to be proud of. This big victory this Tuesday night against 9th ranked Oshkosh North goes to prove that the Boys program is far from dead.

The Boys have 10 juniors on the team and I look at the FVA web site and look who is sitting on top of the scoring leader board but none other than Eddie Gilgenbach. Fond du Lac has produced numerous scoring leaders since Dick Diener took over the program in the 1980's. Those that are looking at Adam not doing a good job should realize the pressure that is on this 30 year old kid and his staff. Adam has assembled one of the youngest staffs in the conference and I'm proud of Adam as a coach for the future as I was of him as a player and hopefully long time confidant and friend. If you attended the game against Kenosha Bradford on December 28th, you would have seen the past as well as the future.

One thing that has me pondering what is going on at Fond du Lac High School. When we were in the old Goodrich Gym, there would be sell outs after sell outs. Who can forget all the Oshkosh West/North/Kimberly battles. Even further back, I remember the battles that Fond du Lac had in the Fox River Valley Conference against foes such as Green Bay Preble, Manitowoc and Sheboygan North.

What bothered me at the Oshkosh North Home game on Tuesday, January 23rd is that the High School Student Body was so small. Why? What has the student body done wrong that other student bodies are so saintly for. None of us are perfect and I feel that with the atmospheres at the old Goodrich gyms where a lot of memories are treasured for me to make the program as successful for Adam and the boys and Doug and the girls we have to get the fan support back the way it was. Look at Neenah in their hay day. Fond du Lac I urge you to get behind not only the boys and girls but all sports. The kids look up to us as the kids coming up look up to them. What was surprising was that when the upset was almost assured against Oshkosh North the kids on the south Fond du Lac side bleachers were the first to try and get the fans cheering. So let's get a big crowd for the boys game on Friday. Fond du Lac we cana be a power again. The boys are just learning to play under a new scheme and system as well as a brand new coach who is learning as he goes along. Let's get the Boys and Girls into the tournament. I'm a proud alumni of Fond du Lac and always will be.

God bless Fond du Lac and Wisconsin.

Now that's one proud alum. I know there are more of you out there.