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We need a real homecoming celebration

Dear Editor:As a parent and dedicated fan of the Aspen High School football team, I would like to express my extreme disappointment in this year’s homecoming festivities.We did have a great turnout of fans last Friday, but not a lot of enthusiasm in the crowd. Of course, the parents always cheer louder than anyone. Even the fellow students just stood on the sidelines, talking on their cell phones, roughhousing with each other and generally not paying any attention to the game being played on the field. It was great to actually win our homecoming game this year (24-14 against Hotchkiss), and with the much appreciated beautiful new turf and fantastic new Friday night lights, I feel that the half-time festivities should have been a much more exciting event for our kids and our closely knit community.There was hardly any presentation of the homecoming court nominees for king and queen. The four golf carts drove around the field carrying the nominees as the kids hung around the sidelines, and we could barely hear or see who the nominees were. When they exited the field our dance team, Ruckus, came out for a performance. That was fun, but that was that.Whatever happened to the parents being part of this special time? No escort of the girls by their fathers and no mothers crying tears of joy. Whatever happened to “football mums” and marching band, cheerleaders and pep rallies, the giant banner that the team crashes through on the way to defeat the opponent? I did go to high school a long time ago, but I still have spirit, and I failed to see very much of it at this very special event.The homecoming dance, which was held on Saturday night, was another disappointment, according to my son and several other students who attended. First of all, each student was charged a $15 entry fee (we never had to pay to go to our own homecoming dance). For that amount of money, which is a lot to a kid, there was nothing but water to drink, no snacks and the DJ was a fellow student instead of a professional, who, according to some attendees, repeated the same rap music over and over. I do understand that this was a fundraiser for graduation, but couldn’t they have gotten something for their money?This letter is also being sent to administrators at the high school. If anyone is interested in helping to make next year’s homecoming more exciting and more successful, please contact someone at the school and volunteer to be on the homecoming committee, as I intend to do. My son will be a senior next year and it sure would be fun to see a real homecoming celebration, since we do, finally, have an incredible high school football team back in action!Please Aspen, come to the games and support your hometown team! It’s fun!Shawna MarquezWoody Creek