Questão 52

Girls freeze during soccer game as everyone hears the unmistakable sound of the national anthem.

At 4:30 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon, the Bison high school girls were hosting Butte $\in aC$lass AA playoff soccer game when a familiar sound was heard $\in$ the distance. Immediately, $\in$ the \middle of the 1-0 game, both teams froze and the head referee stopped the play clock for a minute. One spectator filmed the incident, which was so simple yet so powerful a gesture. The sound that brought the game to a halt was the national anthem, which plays over the speaker system at Malmstrom Air Force Base (MAFB), directly across the street from the Siebel Soccer Park $\in G$reat Falls. Every day at 4:30 p.m., the anthem plays as the United States flag is lowered from its perch.

Usually, the teams are only practicing when the anthem plays, and they stop to honor the flag. However, on this particular Tuesday, when the anthem played at 4:30 p.m. just as it does every day, the girls on the field were $\in$ the \middle of the 1-0 game. Much to the surprise of onlookers, the head referee stopped the clock, and the girls knew what to do. Both teams turned toward the flag, and some players placed their hands over their hearts. Even $\in$ the \middle of a game, these girls remembered what is really important: showing respect for our anthem and our flag honors the people who fought for our freedom.

While kids behaving badly will always manage to get attention, there are plenty of other teens who know the \right thing to do. All too often, these youngsters fly under the radar, not drawing the praise they deserve. But, every once $\in a$ while, the spotlight shines brightly on them when they do something particularly awesome. In a world filled with news about kids doing the wrong thing, it's nice to see a story about teens, like these girls, who do the \right thing. They could certainly teach a few adults about patriotism, loyalty and love for our country. Good job, girls!

Adapted from https://post.knews899.com/girls-freeze-during-soccer-game-as-everyone-hears-the-unmistakable-sound-of-the-national-anthem-video/

According to the text, the girls' gesture means that they