Traci Morgan and her husband, Kent, believe it’s important to support their community’s high school athletic teams.
“My husband and I are senior high youth leaders at Elk City United Methodist Church. When we were called to work with youth, it wasn’t just at church,” Morgan said.
“There’s so much life that happens with our kids outside of church. Things that shape who they are, what they choose and how they navigate this time of their lives.”
They have two sons. Jack, an ECHS senior, is a star cross country and track runner; Rex, a fourth-grader, is the life of the party. She called her sons “incredible human beings.”
“I could talk about them forever, but the point is, if we are going to have a positive spiritual influence on our kids, we have to be there for them, both in and out of church. I see many of our local youth pastors and leaders and volunteers at sporting events, and I know the kids love having that extra cheering section.”
Through their involvement in the church, the Morgans have several “bonus kids” whom they lend their support to in various sports and activities.
“This town is incredibly supportive of our sports programs, whether flying brown and white flags on game days, participating in fundraisers, filling the stands, business advertising and/or parents joining booster clubs and finding ways to help the coaches and team,” Morgan said.
“When the whole community is involved, it makes our teams more successful.”
Jack Morgan is expected to be one of the best distance runners in the area, if not the state. He has the support of the Elk City community behind him, but especially the support of his parents.
Morgan hopes both of her sons learn, through the examples of their parents, to “treat people well, pursue the things they love and prioritize the important things in life.”
“I hope they learn that attitude is important. I hope they learn how to be coachable, how to work hard and how to be a good teammate. I also want them to know that there’s something to be learned from both success and failure and how they respond to both shows a lot about who they are,” Morgan said. “There’s no greater joy as a parent than to watch your kid doing something they love. At the same time, it’s so hard to parent through the highs and lows of athletics because [Jack] has had both. There’s a lot of life lessons there. . . The most important thing I’ve learned is to just be present and support him through those highs and lows. His dad and I are his biggest fans and always will be.”
