Hosting a Griffon player for the summer is an educational experience

Dear Editor:

Having been involved as a host family for Nevada Griffons since 2002, 1 want to express some thoughts regarding this experience. Each year it seems to be difficult for the host family coordinator to place all the players who need host homes, and Dan Keller, the Griffons host family coordinator, says this year seems to be no exception.

If your home has a spare bedroom and you can feed one more person, I would encourage you to consider hosting a player. I've found these young men to be devoted to the game, hoping to play after college, and almost every one has been polite and grateful for a place to stay and food to eat. That first year I was a host, my player from Florida State asked if he could get good sushi in Nevada. Of course, that would be a challenge, but finding some in a large grocery in the city was easy, and he told me it was just as good as at home.

Parents who have visited have exposed us to interesting careers. One dad worked on offshore drilling in the Gulf, and told about being transported by helicopter for a few weeks on and then a week or two off. A player's dad in 2012 worked in North Dakota, being flown there from Idaho for three weeks on and a couple weeks off. After questioning how close one Louisianan lived to alligators, he replied, "Gators? About 20 yards." Another wanted to gain some weight, and would sit a bit after dinner and say maybe he could eat some more if he waited a while.

The things I've learned about successfully hosting a Griffon player include establishing at the outset your expectations, and these guys will typically meet those expectations. Should there ever be difficulties, host families are not on their own, but will be assisted by the members of the Griffons board.

Again, if your household can meet the two criteria previously mentioned, I'd encourage becoming a host family.

Sandie Strawn

Nevada