The young do not know enough to be prudent, and therefore they attempt the impossible - and achieve it, generation after generation. Pearl Sydenstricker Buck
"I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.
"This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.
"Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.
"This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT"
p.s. Thomas watched last night's 5-3 Bruin loss to the Washington Capitals from the bench...
You will never be happy if you continue to search for what happiness consists of. You will never live if you are looking for the meaning of life. Albert Camus
Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like shoveling the sidewalk before it stops snowing. Phyllis Ada Driver, a.k.a. Phyllis Diller
A few of you original readers may recall I don't like running up scores on others - or having them run up against us!
Sometimes it's unavoidable. If you're in a tri- or quad-meet, your line-up may help you stay in a meet with one opponent, while running it up on a weaker one. You may also have coaches that won't agree to let you to swim your kids "exhibition" if the meet's getting out of hand.
The rule calls for a running clock in the second half of TAPPS games if a team reaches a 40-point lead. If the lead gets under 40, the timing goes back to regular rules.
"It's to keep teams from losing games 80-2 or something like that," Burleson said. "It doesn't do anybody any good - not the winning team and not the losing team."
We need not worry so much about what man descends from; it's what he descends to that shames the human race. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain
Pervs have no place in youth sports. We all agree on that. What we can't seem to figure out, though, is what to do about it.
We continue to see reports about a few coaches, parents, and teammates being weird. The Penn State mess put the sexual abuse issue on the front page.
Folks are outraged! They demand to know what's being done about it, right?
If we want to get serious about getting nutcases out - and keeping them out - of youth sports, we may want to check out the progress made by the Boy Scouts of America.
Read more on youth groups and what they're doing to combat sexual abuse here.
The scouts have had serious problems in the past and are making a strong effort to improve.
"The Boy Scouts have the most advanced policies and training," said Victor Vieth, a former prosecutor who heads the National Child Protection Training Center in Minnesota. "With even slight violations, there's no debate. Someone who transgresses one of these rules is moved out -- you don't need to give them a second chance."
After comparing the BSA improvements and the changes we're seeing at USA Swimming, I have to think that we're headed in the right direction.
Still, we all want things to move more quickly though, don't we? Dragging feet led to additional victims in Pennsylvania, right?
Finally, pay close attention to this quote from the article:
"Pedophiles are slick," said Judy Spangler, chief program officer of Big Brothers Big Sisters Southeastern Pennsylvania. "They groom everyone — the agency, the parents, the child ... If someone seems too good to be true, that's a red flag."
Show me somebody who is always smiling, always cheerful, always optimistic, and I will show you somebody who hasn't the faintest idea what the heck is really going on. Michael "Mike" Royko
If you want that good feeling that comes from doing things for other folks then you have to pay for it in abuse and misunderstanding. Zora Neale Hurston
Remember SMU's professional football team? The NCAA's sanctions were historic, right?
There's a proposal to update the NCAA penalty structure that could destroy an athletic program that goes rogue. Read more here and here.
In addition to following the principles of fairness, accountability and process integrity, flexibility is one of the key things the new model is designed to address as there are currently only two categories of violations: major and secondary. The new model would have four levels (most egregious, serious, secondary, minor) with the Committee on Infractions taking into account various mitigating or aggravating factors that would then help determine penalties. While many believe the enforcement side just makes it up as they go along (and they can because they don't follow past precedent), the model should help move cases along in the system quicker and result in more consistency among penalties given out to schools.
For example:
In other examples provided by the NCAA, Baylor's basketball program would have seen the number of scholarships available slashed in half following the school's 2005 infractions case. Instead of fewer practice hours for Rich Rodriguez and Michigan in their case, the Wolverines could have lost up to four scholarships per year. Florida State's 2009 case could have seen football scholarship losses of 10-21 per year for three years instead of the six they received.
It's got to be one or the other. Either Education Secretary Arne Duncan is clueless on Title IX or he's lying.
Sabrina Schaeffer calls out Duncan on Huff Post here. That's right, the Huffington Post.
Four decades after the law passed, Secretary Duncan seems to remain largely ignorant of the serious ramifications of this legislation, which, in effect, has helped institutionalize gender inequality, quotas and preferences. During the Tweet-up Duncan wrote, "Contrary to conventional wisdom, since 1972 access to men's sports has not been diminished." He added, "T9 requires schools to offer equal athletic opps for men & women. It doesn't require schools to eliminate any teams."
Well, not exactly, Mr. Secretary.
In actuality, between 1981-2005 men's teams per school dropped 17 percent while women's teams rose by 34 percent. The reason is this: the proportional participation clause in Title IX, upheld by Duncan's own department, states that if the number of female athletes is not "proportional" to the number of women enrolled at an institution then the school is technically "discriminating."
Ignorant or dishonest?
Duncan's ignorance -- or dishonesty -- about Title IX were additionally concerning because the AAUW and other feminist outlets would like to see Title IX-like legislation used to tackle disparities in academics, namely the "crisis" of women in math and science. In short, they want Congress to legislate parity in these disciplines, once again ignoring the real and important differences that exist between the genders. (Of course, this is always one-sided. I have yet to see the AAUW argue for more male English or Psychology majors. Nor have I seen any outrage about the shortage of male nurses.)
At some point, I hope feminists will begin to accept that men and women -- no matter how balanced the circumstances -- maintain different strengths and preferences. Because what is very clear is that legislation in the name of "gender equality" does not actually make men and women the same.
Mark is a former TISCA president who coached at Cy-Fair HS. He's also served at NISCA president and coaches New Trier HS in Illinois.
Rumor has it he occasionally visits this site. He'd probably want to know that Warren "Bull" Trahan (Dickinson HS Football) is retiring. Trahan headed up top-notch football programs at Cy-Fair and Bay City.
Plenty of good has come out of Title IX, right? Making sure there are equal opportunities and equitable budgeting were the intent.
What about the unintended consequences? We've seen plenty, haven't we?
Mike Drago of the Reading Eagle reminds us what it's done to Pennsylvania high school basketball here.
Oh, and before you send Gloria Allred after me, you should know: I don't dislike girls. I've raised two of them and have driven all over creation watching them play soccer, softball, field hockey and lacrosse.
I'm all for girls playing sports, and getting an equal shake at everything. I insist on it, in fact.
It's just sad that we've out-thought ourselves on this one and now suffer the unintended consequences.
The latest issue of NCAA's Champion features Wayne State diver Paige Kortman. Check out the February issue here.
A message from our president - that's our TISCA president - is here.
Remember the "good old days" when we'd try to figure out call-ups by calling buddies from around the state, buying newspapers from Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, etc.?
Good Bad news! Those days are back!! TISCA has agreed not to post call-ups. You'll have to wait for the official UIL call-ups list this time around.
Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you. Nathaniel Hawthorne
What might they be up to at this year's NCAA Convention? Inside Higher Ed gives a little preview here.
Division I
The big item on the docket here will be the override votes for two pieces of legislation that the Division I Board of Directors hastily approved after the ideas emerged from Emmert’s retreat for university presidents in August. The board and Emmert touted the measures, which deal with athletics scholarship duration and amount, when they were adopted in October. But in the following weeks, dozens upon dozens of colleges registered their formal opposition to the legislation, ultimately putting them up for reconsideration -- and possible reversal -- this week.
Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
They're dropping the football program in Grand Rapids. Read more here.
Scheduling difficulties, Title IX compliance problems and budget concerns were cited as reasons. The recent departure of head coach Tony Annese for NCAA Division II Ferris State was also said to be a factor, along with “significant personal obstacles faced by GRCC student-athletes.”
In early December, dozens of Grand Rapids players were evicted from off-campus housing because a landlord stated he failed to receive rent after claiming to reach a deal with the college’s football coaches. The school is not allowed to pay for student-athlete housing.
GRCC has been conducting an internal investigation into the issue. The landlord claimed that he was owed tens of thousands of dollars in back rent dating to September. Roughly 30-40 of the 70 players still living at those properties were left homeless overnight in early December.
Sounds like a real mess. Don't worry about the swimmers, though - GRCC no longer has a swim program.
Here's the latest on the James Madison University case:
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a lower court’s 2009 dismissal of a lawsuit by a men’s sports advocacy group that fought James Madison University’s 2006 decision to eliminate seven men’s teams and three women’s teams. Equity in Athletics, the advocacy group, had argued that James Madison “overdid its elimination of male athletes," violating Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. Lawrence J. Joseph, one of the group’s attorneys, wrote in a statement, “EIA is disappointed that the panel did not agree with its positions, but we intend to appeal, either in the form of requesting reconsideration in the Fourth Circuit or asking the Supreme Court to hear the case.”
An assistant age group/water polo coach is needed at NTN. Job is posted on USA Swimming site.
Application process will remain open until position filled with right candidate.Interested candidates should apply on-line at www.southlakecarroll.edu (go careers, job listings and auxiliary jobs). Attach a cover letter and resume with your on-line application. If you have questions, contact Bill Christensen, Head Coach North Texas Nadadores, at 817-949-8200 or Kevin Murphy, Southlake Carroll HS Head Coach. at 817-949-8205.
For more information on our NTN team, visit our club web-site at www.ntnadadores.com or the Carroll Aquatic Center web-site at www.cisdaquatics.com
Y'all love vacationing in the Big Bend, right? Never been? Hurry up and go!
Since Obumma's using it as collateral to secure bailout funding for MF Global, signage will probably end up being in Mandarin Chinese soon...
View pics from a New Yorker making the journey way out thatta way here. Other posts from the trip on her blog (scroll down past that California stuff) here.
Speaking of New York, if you're in "The City" on February 11, you can catch GWG at a USA Swimming Foundation fundraiser. Info is here and here.
Looking to save the men's running programs at UD? Take this job and get that athletic department's money situation squared away.
If you're planning to officiate at this year's UIL state meet, application is here. Pay this year is $75 daily. Should more than cover gas money if you live within a ten mile radius of Austin, right?
No, I have never suggested using that extra cash at TSO. Also, to those complaining that last year's officials were being paid by the relay DQ - shame on you!! Why y'all tryin' to start somethin'?
Into titles? The Houston Texans YMCA has just the position for you! They're looking for someone to fill "the position of Youth Development Director-Swim, Sports/Play and School-Age Enrichment". Info is here. Good luck fitting all that on your business card...
Need a nifty job title? It's as easy as 1-2-3! Naughty word warning!Job Title Generator
USA Swimming is in BIG trouble with Ben Franklin fans! In their 2012 Volume 1 email to members, the Quote of the week (That's right, they only work 1/7 as hard as yours truly!) was:
Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each New Year find you a better (wo)man. -- Benjamin Franklin
Really? Most think Ben's quote went more like this. Should it be up to me to keep an eye on those folks up in Colorado Springs? Where the heck was Splash-O-Truth when we needed them? Don't tell me they were nosing around in Knoxville...
ASCA is returning to Las Vegas. Everything you need to know to plan your trip to the 2012 World Clinic is here.
Don't expect any action from the MIAA on the issue of guys swimming in the Massachusetts girls' state meet. Read more here. That's right, they're forming another committee...
The Swim Committee embraced half of the debate by forming a subcommittee to study the mixed-gender issue. Said committee chairman Ray Grant of Seekonk, “It’s certainly not a new issue for this committee.’’
How do I think they'll fix the problem? How the heck should I know?!?! What do I look like, the danged Shell Answer Man?
Meet information changes for the Austin Grand Prix have been posted. View them here.
