Change tennis at Manual, Central and Woodruff to intramural instead of intra school. As a former coach, I am appalled that the "coaches" are paid (and pad their pensions) to run programs that have infrequent team practice, allow kids to play even though they don't show up for practice and are apparently dis-interested to get kids to come out and compete.
Last week the Manual girls team competed against Washington at Washington. Washington won 108 games and Manual won 6. What do you think the girls from Manual talked about on the way over and the way home? And what do you think the girls from Washington said about their "competition" after the match? I suspect the Washington coach had his players compete against one another so they would get some exercise and some real competition.
When Manual went to Bartonville to play Limestone, Manual won 12 games and Limestone won 108.
When Central went to Richwoods, Richwoods won 108 games and Central won 1.
Woodruff did beat Manual 8-1 and Springfield Lanphier 8-1 at Springfield.
By establishing intramural after-school sports programs including tennis the district would save thousands of dollars in bus travel, keep the kids in the classroom longer while at the same time involving more kids into a healthy lifestyle and give them something to do after school hours rather than hang out with their friends and others.
I suspect Springfield and East Peoria should do the same.
What character building are you doing to these 3 school tennis participants who can only beat each other an an occassional out-of area school and what does it do for the other schools who take competitive tennis more seriously who play these schools only to find out their competition is no competition at all? And often have defaults because not enough kids show up to play the nine matches scheduled?
No worry about racial discrimination. In the many years I have followed high school tennis, you could count on the fingers of one hand the number of blacks participating in competitive tennis.
If this were just one year, I would not be writing this blog. But the disinterest and somewhat unqualified coaching situation has been going on for years. Five years ago one school board member told me she was going to "look into this". About 15 years ago, I was successful in getting new courts at Manual only to find these courts, the only ones on the Southwest side other than 2 courts at John Gwynn Park, are locked up after school and in the summer. Years ago, I was successful in getting Mrs. Williamson to unlock the gates at Richwoods and thousands of kids and adults have played there since especially on weekends.
Will the system ever change? No, because of politically correct equal opportunity and few in this community have the guts to change any "politically correct" system.
Over the years, I have never seen a principal or board member attend a Manual, Central or Woodruff tennis match.
Yes, at basketball and football, those I guess are "real sports".
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