The Athletes of Tomorrow

The combination of the 250th birthday of the United States of America and the possible final games in the World Cup for stalwarts like Ronaldo of Portugal and Neymar of Brazil brought one thought to mind: the passing of the torch in any aspect of life is inevitable, and our youth is the future.

You see it most often in sports. I mean, where else is a 39-year-old person considered over the hill? Even the person who is arguably the greatest female tennis player of all time doesn’t get the benefit of the doubt – and Venus Williams is only 46 years old.

But that is considered ancient history.

That’s where our youth come in… The leaders of tomorrow.

Whether they know it, whether they accept it, the mantle of leadership now falls to them.

And that is true for almost anything – business, politics, family dynamics… even sports. That’s why we should embrace and support our youth. They truly are our future.

Call it the changing of the guard.

In the meantime, we honor and appreciate those who have set the path for us. It really is the circle of life.

The children are our future… The circle of life… Hey, somebody should make a song about those concepts.

Oh, wait …

Rich Thomaselli is a longtime sports reporter in the Hudson Valley, and currently covers Putnam County. He can be reached at rich.thomaselli@gmail.com.