Tag: #sports

Posted in #politics, current events, perspective

School Terrorists and Hostage takers

Posted on by Tony Fernandez

I am no fan of the government local, state or federal.  There are some things they are supposed to do, but more often than not they do things they aren’t supposed to do.  My beef now is with the school district, or as I refer to them, the ultimate terrorists in hostage taking.  There is little you can do to stop them, because they will tell you it is for the kids.  They need more money and if you don’t give it to them your kids will suffer.  Never mind the fact that your kids will suffer no matter what because they will pump your kids with their political views (usually the left side), and even if you take your kids out they still get your money.  Remember the government is the greatest thief you either give them your money or they take your house or your freedom.

My school district has decided they need more money, almost $800 million, never mind that they got almost $600 million 4 years ago.  This is being voted on as bond proposal, and the district is pushing hard to get it passed.  Most of the parents I have seen don’t want their kids to fall behind the curve, and think the bond is a going to be good for the kids.  Currently they are planning on replacing existing schools that are around 50 years old and were poorly maintained and now are falling apart.  Somehow other school districts have older buildings in worse environments that are magically in relatively good condition.  Apparently $600 million dollars wasn’t enough to fix things, they really needed $1.3 billion and they didn’t know that in 2018.  Besides replacing schools, we also get (wait for it)…………..new facilities for extracurricular activities and fancy playgrounds.

Schools now a days are all about sports, because so many of our students end up in the professional sports arena.  Forget if they can read, write or do basic math lets shell out money so that the kids know what to fucking do with various balls.  Hit it, bounce it, throw it, or kick it that is the way to make a living, don’t worry about balancing your million-dollar bank account or even know what the contract says before you sign it, you can hire people to do that.  Oh wait, no you can’t because we were to busy teaching you what to do with the ball that we didn’t spend any time teaching anyone else how to move society forward, because sports are all that matter.  Recess is so important, because kids can’t just figure out ways to have fun with a stick and some rocks, that’s why we need million-dollar playground.  When I decided to live somewhere based on a school district, I never looked at the academics, only how good they were at football, basketball, and baseball.

They have told us that they will not increase our tax rate, because increases in housing values with help pay for the bond as the payments come due.  I guess housing values have never gone down and only go up.  For those with short memories in 2008 there was a housing collapse, and this district that year asked us to increase the rate otherwise they were going to have to cut all of the extracurricular activities.  I can’t tell you how incomplete my life would be without the honor choir.  Tack onto that the county wants to build a low income housing project in this school district. Because nothing brings up housing values like low income housing projects. Per the current budget they spend about $13k per student, in-state colleges cost less for tuition.

I have a better solution, how about instead of spending the money before you have it, save it as our property values go up, cut the administrative staff and the bullshit salaries of political level positions, and stop buying bullshit for shit that doesn’t matter like sports.  Principals don’t need to make more than every household of the students they serve, and neither does the superintendent.  Pay teachers based on performance and not years worked.  If teachers are skilled professionals, pay them like skilled professionals not laborers.  Engineers, accountants, managers etc. get paid by performance not time, time is a factor in performance, but not the only one.  Better yet, stop stealing my money and I’ll give it to the schools I choose not the ones that are currently holding my children hostage.  It doesn’t seem to matter, both the left and the right seem to be all in on voting to give the district more money. As far as the bond is concerned, if you haven’t figured it out I am voting FUCK NO.  I am probably in the minority, but at least I can cast my ballot.

Posted in Uncategorized

The Thrill and Agony of Competition

Posted on by Tony Fernandez

Brought my daughter to her volleyball tournament, it started off pretty good. They were scoring points and having fun, but they made a mistake and couldn’t get back on track. They lost the first set and then lost that match. And they lost the next match, and had a break, and soon the last match.
Sports, like in real life, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we did and not what we are going to do. And we focus on people’s past mistakes and not the giving any opportunity to see if things can change. When we spend so much time in the past, we over think and second guess, and end up making worse mistakes than if we would have just seen the new opportunity clearly and not through the lens of past mistakes.
The other thing that happens, is we forget why we are doing what we are doing in the first place. When it comes to sports, they are supposed to be fun. When we lose sight of that, it becomes a stressful job. I see the kids upset when they lose, but unfortunately when you pay a game someone has to lose, otherwise it becomes boring.
We just need to remember, to have fun in life, and if your going to get upset at the thing that is supposed to make you happy, find something else to do.

Posted in Uncategorized

Kids Sports Conundrum

Posted on by Tony Fernandez

Kids love to play games, from the moment they discover a ball to the time they make friends, they find a way to play and compete. Competition is a good thing, and a wonderful thing that makes everyone strive to be better, whether at a game or just life in general. Keeping competition healthy is the key, because too much of a good thing can be bad.

My daughter plays competitive volleyball, and I don’t mind it because she wants to do it, even though it is a massive amount of time. Between leaving work early for practice, having to wake up on the weekend like we’re going to work, along with having to spend a whole weekend away from home in a hotel, there is a lot of commitment to volleyball.  I am not expecting or really wanting my daughter to be volleyball star, so when we go to practice and the tournaments I am just there to have fun and support my daughter.

I think it is good for her, because while she doesn’t like losing, she still has a smile on her face, a laugh in her heart, and has learned that hard work and team work have when the tournament is over. But I see other kids and parents who are sad, crying, or angry after a loss, and I wonder why do something if it is going to ruin your day or more. We always talk about good sportsmanship, but isn’t part of it enjoying the opportunity to play whether you win or lose?

Even though my daughter loves playing the game, she has injured her shoulder, and because the practices are long, we stay up late to finish homework.  She is still a good student, but once you make the commitment for the year, it is difficult to walk away in the middle if grades or their body start to suffer. Since I brought up college in my last post, I think it is important to acknowledge a lot of kids are playing these sports to get into college, and preferably get a scholarship, instead of just for fun.

I have to admit that I think it is difficult (not impossible) to get a degree that will lead to a good paying job (which is reason for college in the first place, right?) if all of your time is spent training for a sport, and that most college players aren’t going into professional sports for their career. So, between injuries, the amount of time that needs to be dedicated, possible education sacrifices, and the money that needs to be spent to play, is it worth it if you’re not just doing it for fun or a hobby (after all it isn’t supposed to be job)? If we remember that hobbies can be a commitment of time and money (whether they are trains sets, model planes, card collecting, video games, sports, etc.) then maybe we can enjoy sports, like the other hobbies, a little bit more.

Posted in advice

The Seating Dilemma

Posted on by Tony Fernandez

Whether you go to a movie, a stadium, church, or a concert there is always the dilemma of where to sit. I am of the opinion that you need to figure out the type of person you are and adjust your seating to the event you are going to along with the people you bring. Do you sit at the end or the middle of the row? My opinion on this trivial matter really has nothing to do with you, but the people you affect based your seating location.

If the event is a two or more hours long and you have a weak bladder or irritable bowels, please sit at the aisle, so you don’t bother everyone as you leave and re-enter the row. If you are bringing small children, sit at the aisle, then you can leave without climbing and tripping over everyone on the way out and back in.

(Side note, don’t bring small children to movies that are rated R, I don’t know why people do this, and I don’t know how these people have friends. This is why steaming and redbox exist, just stay home for your R rated movie watching. No one wants to hear screaming children in the Joker movie, and little kids probably don’t want to see psycho clowns.)

If you do sit at the aisle and are the first people at the event, don’t be mad when people who arrived on time end up climbing over you. Just understand that they don’t want to sit up front, and they aren’t arriving after the event started, and the middle is all that is left.

If the event is less than two hours, and you don’t have any health issues, sit in the middle of the row. This will allow you to not have anyone climbing over you and you don’t have to climb over anyone.

If you arrive late, just be prepared to stand, or go later. No one should be inconvenienced because you couldn’t plan ahead properly.