My first grade daughter, Kaitlyn, had a sparkle in her eye when I asked her if she’d like to go to a Grantsburg volleyball game with me. Just me. No annoying brothers tagging along. No having to be quiet in the car because her mom and dad were trying to have a conversation. It was just her and her daddy going to watch some girls play volleyball.

She was excited during the car ride, taking full advantage of the temporary lift of the “be quiet” ban to which she had grown accustomed. At the height of her excitement came an expected question, “Can I could say ‘hi’ to Sarah after the game?”

You see, Sarah [Wald] is Kaitlyn’s favorite player. Not because Sarah is the tallest (she’s not), or because she hits the ball hard (not really). It’s not because Sarah’s uniform is different than the others or because Sarah works so hard when she’s in the game. Though Sarah is a very good volleyball player, Kaitlyn is oblivious to that.

No. Sarah is Kaitlyn’s favorite player because of their friendship off the court.

Two summers ago, Sarah volunteered in my little girl’s classroom. They would work together on projects, ride the same bus sometimes, and formed a bond that Kaitlyn has not forgotten.

Before the match started, Kaitlyn had some trouble finding Sarah so I pointed her out. “She’s the one in the white shirt.” Then she scoured my program and finally found Sarah’s name. During the match she stood next to me munching on popcorn and stealing sips of my soda. She’d occasionally look up at me and smile, especially when Sarah would jump into the game.

When Sarah would touch the ball, my daughter would cheer “Go Sarah! Go Pirates!” She’d clap when everyone else clapped and yell when everyone else yelled.

Eventually the match was over and Grantsburg claimed another victory. Kaitlyn didn’t care about that, though. Once she saw people out on the court, she knew the time had come to go down and look for Sarah.

As we made our way down the stairs towards the gym floor Kaitlyn pulled me along with her. We entered the gym and saw a mass of humanity mingling together to celebrate another victory. I glanced down at Kaitlyn who was starting to get a concerned look on her face because she was afraid Sarah had left the gym.

We walked around a little longer and suddenly Kaitlyn announced she had spotted Sarah and the daddy dragging started up again.

Sarah saw Kaitlyn approaching, “Hey, buddy!” Sarah exclaimed as Kaitlyn made her way towards her. The two embraced as though they were long lost friends. The two of them talked for a minute or two. A senior in high school and a first grader. Two friends sharing a moment.

Eventually, we moved along and headed home. Noises from a silly, giggling, energized first-grade girl filled the air on the ride home.

This interaction reminded me how much of an impact these high school athletes can have on the younger kids. Not just a wide-eyed six-year-old, but most kids have a sense of awe for those older than them.

Maybe you’re one of those high school students reading this. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t matter if you’re the superstar or not, it doesn’t matter if you’re a starter or a scrub, it doesn’t matter where you bat in the lineup or when you come off the bench.

What matters is you are wearing that jersey, playing in that band, acting in that musical, working at that grocery store, going to that youth group or volunteering in that summer school classroom. Impressionable and expectant little eyes are always on you. That is a great responsibility, please don’t take it lightly.