Superdome's Blog
Hello Urbana, the city that starts with yoU! Thank you to again to all the listeners, we appreciate your support. It's that time again for another installment of "The Rant". I again have 2 items I need to get off my chest. The first is based off the recent show and interview with the very dedicated Parent's Club Presidents. First, let me say "thank you!" to those who have sacrificed your time and funds to see that the athletes at UHS still have a program and are able to experience participating in their respective sports.
To those of you who view this as "someone else's job" or don't feel it is vital to the continuation of the programs at UHS, take a moment to consider when you were this age. Did you participate in a sport or other activity? Did you even consider how all the equipment, travel, food, etc. was proivided? Thank goodness for those dedicated parents who chose to make sure their programs continued on their watch.
Now, let me make my first point by turning the focus to the fathers of the UHS athletes. Where have all the fathers gone? You know, when the forefathers founded our great nation I don't believe they meant it only takes 4 fathers to continue (sarcasm emphasized). It is a FACT that niether Tanglefoot nor myself would have enjoyed the experiences or successes we had during our youth and HS years without the dedication and involvement of our father as well as the other fathers who were involved then. If he wasn't outside teaching us how to throw a football, pitching us batting practice or taking us to a wrestling clinic or tournament, he ALWAYS encouraged our involvement and I cannot recall him missing a single event. Now, I realize times have changed and the economy requires that we pay the bills somehow which demands more of our time. I can tell you as a teacher and a coach, dad worked 12 months out of the year teaching driver's ed, motorcycle safety, etc. so his time was cramped as well. The key is he CHOSE to be involved. He saw the desire we had and wanted to to do all he could to give us the best opportunity we could to succeed. Like it or not, it's just like our bank account, we spend our money on what is most important to us. Assuming your child IS important to you, whether you know much about the sport or not, they need our time, they need our encouragement and most of all, need our approval. So, Urbana, please get of the sidelines and get involved. Your time is FAR more valuable than your money. It is absoultely VITAL the parents step up and establish an example for our players to follow if we are ever to return to the days of old. It's up to you, DON'T allow your child to finish their HS career saying "if only I spent more time with them and being involved".
Secondly, let's shift to the youth. Is it me or have most (not ALL) young athletes these days become mentally weak? While introducing kids to sports should first be fun, they must still be taught how to win and what it takes to do so. If it were easy to consistantly win, then EVERYONE would do it. What happened to pushing yourself farther than you thought you could go? PLEASE don't kid yourself into thinking they can do this on their own. Today's approach seems to be to simply quit when the going gets tough. THAT'S when they should stay at it, as that is when they mature the most and learn the most about themselves. Unfortunately, the days are gone when a coach could get in someone's face and challenge their mental strength. Seconldy, the internet and video games have only fostered the dumbing down of our youth. No longer is effort required to do much of anything because technology allows everything to be instant. The attitude then becomes, "if I can't win now, then I'm moving on". I challenge you to recall the last thing you have done that you truly value as a great accomplishment. Did it not require effort? Did you consider quitting before accomplishing it? If you didn't have to concert effort and find something in you that you didn't know you had to achieve it, then that is truly a tragedy.
I'll get off my soap box for this week. Listeners, please tune in this week for the first Rhyme Time of the new decade. Also, we will be previewing the upcoming Rhyme Time theater as we continue to raise the bar. Also, be looking for our first installment of "The Perfect Storm" as we begin to introduce the concept. Finally, I welcome your comments and questions to "Roam the Dome" as we will air those on the show.