What do your prep sports New Year’s resolutions look like?

I’ve never concerned myself with New Year’s resolutions.

Those bad habits? I’ll ditch them when I’m ready. And let’s be honest … at the ripe old age of 56, some might be here to stay.

Self-maintenance? As long as I’m still able to get up and down the stairs from the basement to the kitchen fridge, I’ll be fine.

At least that’s what I tell myself as I sit on the couch trying to rid the house of holiday cookies.

When it comes to prep sports, though, I take New Year’s resolutions pretty seriously. And as we embark upon 2026, I’m hoping you can join me in committing to these goals.

Appreciate our seniors

Too often we take our top student athletes for granted. They enter our sporting lives as freshmen and soon they’re off to college.

We need to appreciate the in-between time.

I look at athletes like Fremd senior quarterback Johnny O’Brien, who’s about to (hopefully) lead Northwestern University into an era of excellence. It’s hard to believe we won’t be seeing him in green and gold next fall.

He deserved to play in front of a statewide audience in the Class 8A title game, but fans were denied the opportunity when Fremd fell in the semifinals to eventual state champion Mt. Carmel.

So let’s get out and support seniors like Waubonsie Valley girls basketball player Danyella Mporokoso, who will play at Illinois State University after weighing more than a dozen scholarship offers.

After leading her team to a fourth-place state finish as a sophomore, as a senior she’s sailed past the 2,000-point mark for her high school career and was just named the MVP of the 41st Annual Bill Neibch Holiday Classic at Wheaton North.

Thank an official

I’ve harped on this before. We need to appreciate officials in all sports.

Next time you’re at a game, make a point of sincerely thanking the officials for their effort while understanding the goal isn’t perfection. It’s fairness and maintaining the safety and integrity of the event.

Watch any MLB, NFL, NHL or NBA game and you’ll see officials making mistakes. And because of replay review, many of those mistakes turn into reversed calls.

If perfection isn’t expected of the professionals, why do we expect it at the high school level?

Without officials, IHSA athletics would be lost. Let’s make sure to thank them.

Try something new

I’m betting most of the people reading this column have attended a high school football or basketball game.

But what about a girls wrestling meet? Or a boys tennis dual?

Make a resolution to attend an IHSA sport you’ve never seen before. While I’ve covered just about everything in my 30-plus years, there’s a tinge of guilt about the sports remaining on my to-do list.

I understand we’re already spread thin in the IHSA landscape, and we’re getting thinner still with the rise of sports like girls flag football. But maybe head out to watch girls gymnastics or boys swimming this winter.

Twelve IHSA sports await in the spring. From lacrosse to water polo, there’s something out there for every fan.

There’s no time like the present to try something different.