OUR VIEW: Area is brimming with young talent

To some outside our community, the Lafourche-Terrebonne area is a place that somewhat lags behind the times.

Some folks think that we ride to school in pirogues and that we aren’t in tune with technology and other cutting edge things that are popular throughout the United States.

To a certain degree, these folks are correct, as we live a slower paced life than those in the big cities.

But don’t mistake our ways as a sign of inferiority – that we are not.

Our community is filled with talented people, some of the most gifted young men and women in the world, both athletically and academically.

Just look at the world of sports to see shining examples of our area’s prominence.

Just six days ago, Thibodaux native Greg Robinson was the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft. That is an honor that our entire area should be proud of. Big Greg is one of us. He’s a local through and through. And he’s now a world-famous NFL athlete, a kid with promise of being one of the best in the entire world at his position.

But he’s not alone.

In racing, we have Hal Martin, a Galliano native who is about to get back behind the wheel and tackle the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

In baseball, there’s Houma native Justin Williams, the whiz-kid drafted in the Second Round of the 2013 MLB Draft and given a seven-figure salary to take his game to the pro ranks.

At the youth levels, our young men and women always compete favorably against competition throughout the world. We own several Biddy World Championships and other titles throughout youth football, baseball, soccer and other sports.

In the classroom, our area annually produces scholars that garner national recognition for their studies.

These people will go on and become our future lawyers, doctors, teachers, moms and dads.

So for those who talk about our way of life and tout that we sag behind the big cities of the world, the message is clear.

Look around. The talent is oozing out of our schools and into the playing fields and places of employment.

We seem to be in good hands for years to come.