Signs of the times.

I can't believe that it is basketball season already.I am still shooting high school football playoffs which, for me, is the best time of year for shooting high school football. I am very fond of day games as opposed to the Friday night lights games.

But before the football ends, the college basketball season begins. Last night I was at the first games for both the CSU-Pueblo men's and women's basketball teams. The teams are playing at the Colorado State Fair Events Center while their home arena is being renovated. This is a good thing as the paper has strobes mounted in each arena allowing for well-lit images.

There wasn't much out of the ordinary in either game. But something else caught my attention. In the seats during the game I saw three signs being held up as a fourth person stepped out of the stands to take a picture.The fans were there to see CSU-Pueblo forward Sarah Staggs from Glendale, Arizona and they weren't shy about it.

Each time she got into the game or did something positive while on the floor, a cheer would come from the section of sign-holders. I shot the photo without really reading what was written on the signs. I went back and looked at them when I had a free moment during a timeout. The sentiments were such that it brought a smile to my face and made me think.

The game on the court was the job-at-hand for the team, but in the bigger scheme of things, the outcome of the game didn't really matter nearly as much as the people who would come a great distance to see it because of their attachment to just one player.

And while an athletic scholarship may get you through college, it is your friends and family that help get you through life.

I'd say that no matter what the final score is, Sarah Staggs is a winning a much more important game...Life. (And not the Milton Bradley version...LOL)