Rollins was a class act

After reading the front of the sports page today (Thursday, Jan. 22), a sense of sadness overcame me. I had the honor of working on the South Rowan High School Booster club for several years. It gave me the opportunity to work with Coach Rollins a little more closely than some in the area. He was always a class act. He will be missed.

As a community we all are guilty of measuring success by wins and losses. I have been guilty of looking around on Friday nights and wondering how many more people would be in attendance if we were more competitive. The truth is the head coaching position at SRHS is no easy spot to be in. SRHS pulls its students from the smallest middle school and a handful from another. We are the smallest 3A school in the state. Losing records also make it difficult to recruit the best athletes in the school to play football.

I tip my cap to the coach. My son played for him for four years (2006-09) and still loves the man. Jacob would run through a brick wall if coach asked him to. Rollins has always been about growing boys into men and teaching life skills that go beyond football. For that, this parent will always be grateful. He was and is class. I hope whomever is chosen as his replacement will be as concerned about the growth of our young men as he was. Thanks coach for your service.

— Ronnie James

China Grove

Clean up roadside

Having lived in the South Rowan community for many years, it would be nice if the owners and/or operators of the Mooresville Drag Strip would coordinate with all the race shops and businesses on Wilkinson Road (or Drag Strip Road), along with people who attend the drag strip, would get a crew together to pick up all the litter that accumulates on Wilkinson Road from N.C. 152 down to Linwood Road in Iredell County. Everyone sure helps leave litter behind, but no one picks it up — even at this time of year, when it is easiest without poison ivy and/or snakes and bees.

— Bill Moore

Mooresville