Millions of sports fans have their televisions tuned in to coverage of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia this month, as over 2800 athletes from 88 countries compete in 98 winter events. Some TV watchers have their favorite event or athlete, while others tune in just for the joy of watching the competition. Maine can boast its share of Olympians over the years, including our own Ellie Logan.

The amount of time and training it has taken most of these athletes to qualify for the Olympics is mind-boggling. Some have been at it their entire lives, day in and day out, sacrificing everything to be the best that they can be. They’ve forgone a social life, so to speak, and spent endless days away from their families. Their parents, too, have paid the price.

It takes commitment to be good at any sport. That is true even on the local level. It means hours on the field, the basketball court, the ski slope, the ice rink, the track, in the pool or wherever, to excel. Even those who seem to be natural athletes have to work at perfecting their skills.

We have more than our share of good athletes in our small community, thanks to our YMCA, schools and various youth programs, which introduce boys and girls to sports competition at an early age. All of us can’t afford to attend professional sports events on a regular basis nor do we have easy access, but that doesn’t stop us from being a sports fan, cheering from the sidelines at a youth or school game of football, field hockey, soccer, baseball or basketball, watching a track, cross country, hockey, tennis or skiing event, etc.

The excitement of watching a close match can be the same, even if the participants are high school age or third or fourth graders. During every sports season, we have hundreds of young people putting their best foot forward to improve on a personal level or as part of a team, and it’s fun to watch their progress.

We can’t be in Sochi to watch world-class athletes, but we can get just as much of a thrill cheering on our own young athletes as they hone their skills and improve every year. Many of them move on to the college level after high school and continue in a sport they love, taking with them the training they received right here in our community. Who knows, we may have future Olympians on some of our young sports teams as we speak.