October means darker nights, Halloween frights and Friday night lights on Vashon, including last Friday’s homecoming game against the Kingston Buccaneers.

Homecoming is a bundle of high school traditions — including not just the game but also the parade of sharply-dressed students through town on Saturday, on their way to enjoy dinner during a night of dancing and frivolity.

Such traditions pass the test of time because they’re simple and fun. We love to watch our peers compete. We love to eat. And we love to dance. Simple as that.

Those simple truths are evident as well in our front page story about Oscar Lopez, the voice (for many) of Vashon’s soccer programs. After years of broadcasting the highs and lows of our high school futbol teams, Lopez too demonstrates a simple truth: It’s fun to do what you love, and to do it really, really well.

Whether for football or futbol, Vashon doesn’t lack for enthusiasm for its teams. That includes even our island Brazilian jiu-jitsu team, which took home sterling results at their competition last week.

We support these activities because, of course, they’re fun. Athleticism brings out the best and the strongest in people. Sports are also a ticket to see the world, to perform for an audience and to make a name for oneself.

But on Vashon — a rural, isolating place that gets real dark in the winter — they’re also a lifeline. Everyone needs something to keep them active, especially the young people here who are so outnumbered by our wonderful elders.

Football, soccer, cross country, cheer, tennis, volleyball — these are more than just “things to do.” They are raucous, positive social events, channels for youthful exuberance to be transmuted into sportsmanship, physical skill and self-confidence.

These programs don’t run on chants and spirit, though. Uniforms, bus travel, balls and nets and spikes and helmets — these things all cost cold, hard cash, and many student athletes have to put their own salesperson hat on to make those ends meet.

If we enjoy living in a safe, positive community, we ought to help them. You can do so by attending games, supporting booster programs or lending your own skills as a volunteer coach. There are so many ways to get involved.

In the meantime, we’ll keep cheering for the Pirates as we look forward to the winter season around the corner — when our basketball and wrestling teams take to the courts.