Fans who pack gymnasiums, football fields and other high school venues watch as athletes hustle and try to find success.

Often, things that go unnoticed are what athletes do away from a sporting event.

Recently, the Morse girls basketball team, led by head coach Becky Roak and assistant coach Melissa Sawyer, made it a point to take time away from the court to make a special visit to Midcoast Hospital, where longtime Shipbuilder fan Norm Furrow, 68, was recovering from pneumonia.

“As much as Norm is a fan of our basketball team, the girls are a huge fan of him,” said Sawyer. “When he isn’t at the games, the girls notice and need to know where he is. He’s always eager to give a few ‘coaching’ tips to them, along with some pretty amusing stories. He has a lot of heart for our team.”

Furrow has returned home and is recovering. With emotion, he thanked the players for taking time away from their busy schedules to pay him a visit.

“I was very touched,” said Furrow. “Kids today don’t get enough credit for the things they do away from the court, and to take the time and visit me in the hospital is something I will never forget.”

“During the basketball season, the team is like a family, but building that feeling is more than a coach saying ‘you must become close,’” said Sawyer. “It’s events like visiting Norm in the hospital that build these feelings. When a fan like Norm gets sick, we feel like one of our family members are sick.

“It’s important for athletes to recognize that being a part of team is so much more than just playing the game. It’s a lot of learning about life and learning how to become a productive citizen to society and in their community.”

Furrow remembers his days of playing basketball fondly, though he admits that he was not much of a scorer.

“I never scored in basketball, other than when a player from another team accidentally put the ball into our basket and I was the closest one to the basket, so I got credit,” said Furrow with a laugh. “I graduated from Morse in 1964, my daughter Lynn (1988 Morse graduate) played basketball and was a threetime All-State player in soccer. Going to games for me is something I look forward to.”

Furrow said that he hopes to be able to watch a girls basketball game at Bath Middle School “very soon.”