Fall sports season is upon us at Oak Harbor and Coupeville high schools, and it’s a good time for residents to think about supporting their schools through athletics.

Physical fitness and the ability to compete individually and as a team are important parts of a well-rounded education. But with school budgets so tight, athletics need all the help they can get. The kids “pay to play,” with sport fees, but that doesn’t nearly cover the costs.

The best way for citizens to help is to simply attend a game and cheer on the home team. The few dollars it costs for admission is one of the best entertainment values around, and the revenue is needed to keep our sports programs going in tough times.

Football is the number one audience draw, but fans are missing out if they confine their support to a single sport. It’s a great experience to watch the kids compete in any contest. There are few things more entertaining than a close volleyball or soccer match, for example. Attend some games, get to know the kids, and pretty soon you’ll be drawn into the action, cheering along parents and students. At the playoff level later in the season, the competition and fan fervor are as intense as anything you’ll see on an NFL Sunday. You’ll soon find out that there is an exciting, three-dimensional, full color life outside of the living room and HDTV set.

The complete sports schedules for both high schools were printed in the Sept. 2 Whidbey News-Times and of course can be found online with just a quick Google search. The Oak Harbor football teams makes its home debut next Friday, Sept. 11, and there’s a home girls soccer game Thursday. In Coupeville, catch the Wolf volleyball team Wednesday, a soccer game Sept. 14 and a football game Sept. 25.

The kids and coaches put in many hours of intense practice to prepare themselves for competition. Go out and show your support for their efforts, and help the school athletic budgets in the process.