When all of the players stopped playing and turned to the left side of the field during a high school soccer game, the parents weren’t sure what was going on. They had no idea what was going on at first, but then they heard a sound that couldn’t be mistaken, and then saw what all the teens were looking at.

The Siebel Soccer Park in Great Falls, Montana, is where Great Falls High and CM Russell play the majority of their home games.

Because of its location, the park has become a part of a tradition. When a video of an uncommon thing that people do at the park every now and then became viral, it drew a lot of attention.
On a Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., the Bison girls were playing Butte in a Class AA playoff game when a sound that was familiar to them was heard in the distance. Both sides stopped moving immediately in the middle of a 1-0 game, and the head referee halted the play clock for a minute. One of those there recorded the simple but profound act.

Malmstrom Air Force Base (MAFB), which is directly across the street from the park, played the national anthem over the loudspeakers. This brought the game to a halt. According to Montana Sports, the national anthem is played every day at 4:30 p.m. as the American flag is lowered from its perch above the base and the city.

The most of the time, the teams are merely practicing until the national anthem begins, at which point they halt to respect the flag. But, on this particular Tuesday, the girls were in the midst of a 1-0 game when the national anthem began to play at 4:30 p.m., as it does every day. The clock was halted by the head referee, which astonished the audience, but the girls knew what to do. Both teams faced the flag, and some players covered their hearts with their hands. The audience then followed suit.

However, the teams did not always halt what they were doing to listen to the anthem. Willie Pyette, the coach of the CMR girls’ team, said that this has been a tradition since he took over the Rustler program and moved the practice to the Siebel Soccer Park. When he became the girls’ soccer coach at CM Russell High School and moved the team’s practices to the park, he noticed a daily tradition at MAFB and decided to make it part of his team’s practice.

The Bison and Rustlers halt whatever they are doing, which is typically simply practice, face east with their hands over their hearts, stand at attention, and show respect for the flag. Things may return to normal after the anthem.
According to Pyette, the custom is not intended to make a political message, but rather to express respect for the service members in Malmstrom and abroad. Pyette explained, “I have our team stop, stand at attention, and listen to the anthem.” “Then we practice some more.”

Everyone stands to express their respect.” He also stated that the unique custom will continue as long as soccer games at Siebel Soccer Park are played in the afternoon.
The National Anthem represents the liberties that many Americans take for granted, but it has been mistreated, causing controversy throughout the years.

Many people have protested the anthem rather than standing up for these liberties and principles when they believe the country has failed to live up to them. However, not everywhere, as soccer fans at this game discovered.
Even in the midst of a game, these girls recognized what was most important: respecting our national anthem and flag respects those who fought for our liberty.

Kids, especially teenagers, may do the most bizarre things, even when they make the correct decision. Those aren’t usually the youngsters who make headlines. Even while naughty adolescents always get the most attention, there are many teens who know how to behave responsibly.

Too frequently, these children do not receive the recognition they deserve because they do not stand out.
But every now and then, when they do something truly amazing, the light shines brilliantly on them. In a world when most news stories about youngsters do awful things, it’s refreshing to hear about teens who do the right thing, such as these two. They could teach some adults how to respect the flag and those who keep us secure. Congratulations, ladies!