In elementary school, life was pretty easy. Growing up here our worlds revolved around who would be sleeping over friday night, if you got in the same class as your best friend and which color soccer team you were on in the Orcas Island Recreation Program soccer. As a child, the Rec Program provided my friends and me with a multitude of opportunities from pottery classes with Trudy to bowling trips to Friday Harbor. However, above all, and I am sure I speak for many of my friends when I say this, I will remember the many Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and Saturday mornings I spent playing soccer at Buck Park.

The first thought that came to my mind when I heard that there was a possibility that the Parks and Rec would not exist was simply, “I cannot imagine growing up on Orcas without the Rec Program.” Soccer not only gave me an organized time to be active and have fun with my friends, but also taught me valuable lessons of leadership and being part of a team.

After eight years of playing soccer I switched to volleyball in high school to play with my older sister but never have I lost my passion for the sport. This past year I watched my best friends win the high school state championship in girls’ soccer, a feat so incredible for the team, our school, and our community that would have never been possible without the years that they played in the Rec Program’s soccer.

A picture still hanging on my door shows 10 kids, my younger brother and me included, smiling ear to ear. A couple of the girls were on the state championship soccer team. Many of the boys and girls went on to be successful in basketball, football, golf or whatever other sport they played. Soccer and the Orcas Rec program instilled values of dedication and determination that taught us to pursue even the toughest of challenges.

I will be casting my vote to pass the Parks and Rec’s proposal and I hope others will do the same.

Lanie Padbury

Orcas Island