Loyalties of athletes lie inside the lines, not outside the fence
Roar of the crowd - A Division One college field hockey or soccer game generally draws about 200 to 300 spectators, most of them relatives. Division Three is about the same, and there is a moral to the story. An athlete who plays for a good high school program in field hockey and soccer plays in front of more people in the course of the season than Division One athletes, especially if they go deep into the postseason.
“Play for each other” is a coaches' cliche, but it is so true. Sports are about what happens inside the lines, not outside the fence. The Johns Hopkins women's lacrosse team beat the No. 1 team in the nation, Northwestern, 12-11 in Baltimore April 16 in front of 350 fans. By contrast, the Hopkins men defeated visiting Virginia March 26, 12-11, in front of 3,200 spectators.
College roundup - The top-ranked college women's field hockey team in the country, the University of Maryland, defeated Boston University Aug. 26, 3-1, at College Park in front of 325 spectators. Maxine Fluharty, a freshman from Sussex Tech, started in the game and was credited with a shot on goal. Lydia Hastings, a former Cape player, now a senior co captain on the University of Maryland women's soccer team, was moved to left back this season because of her up-and-down-the-field athleticism. Lydia has been a starter since her freshman year.
On Aug. 26, the Terps, ranked No. 4 in the nation, went to double overtime and tied top-ranked Stanford 0-0. The Northeastern Huskies field hockey team defeated Maine Aug. 26, 3 to 2. Cape's Caroline Judge and Kaci Coveleski both saw action in the game. The University of Delaware defeated Bryant Aug. 26 in Newark 7-1. Former Cape players Rebecca Pepper scored a goal and Hannah Pepper added an assist.
Unsafe at any Speedo - A 61-year-old Jones Beach lifeguard, Roy Lester, was fired for refusing to wear a Speedo during the required summer swim test. Lester, a bit of a jester, does triathlons and is a fit guy, but said there should be a law prohibiting anyone over 50 from wearing a Speedo. He was quoted in the Huffington Post Aug. 18 as saying 80 percent of Jones Beach lifeguards are over 40 (age and waist) and this is the town's initiative to get rid of them. Lifeguarding in Florida is a year-round life vocation like teaching and coaching. Guards can retire at age 62 after 30 years of service. Really? Can't any of the nation's unemployed and underemployed under age 30 be trained as ocean lifeguards?
Pointless babble - School for students is starting, and yes, that is a smartphone in my pocket, and I'm happy to be anywhere but here. Never before have the real world and the universe inside schools been so out of alignment. Professional athletes mostly represent the stars of educational dead ends, and big-time college programs, in particular football and basketball, not only cheat but employ their own admissions directors and tutors, some of whom have become so frustrated at facilitating learning for those not interested that they simply write the papers for them.
Twitter language is lame-brained for certain, which is why millions of disconnected-from-reality personality types use it as the primary mode of communication. Teachers may want to follow the advice of Irish poet William Butler Yeats, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.” Mark Twain wrote, “A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read.”
Snippets - Parents interested in keeping perfect attendance at practice should check the amended schedule as teachers are back in school. There is a website at playhealthy.drugfree.org with packaged materials and presentations that helps empower any member of the community to help kids 13 to 18 avoid substance abuse. Coaches and the athletes themselves are in a great position to serve as role models, and why not; look at who you're playing against, people who want kids to take drugs.
I honestly think members of sports teams should show a teammate love and a way to stay clear of substance abuse, and if that doesn't work kick them off, because it is contagious.
Go on now, git!
