To Plum, Speech

Excellent Speech

by Mark Rauterkus

Head Swim Coach &

Publisher, Sports Support Syndicate, Inc.

Presented November 23, 1992

Regarding the Expansion of the Aquatic Programs at Plum High School, Pittsburgh, PA, 15239 USA

This is the last time I am going to write a proposal to this board regarding the expansion of the aquatics program.

I’m not going to do any more business plan writing about swimming. This is it. I hope we can settle something now, with appropriate approval, and have a good-old fashioned motion and eventual vote in this meeting. I’m most willing to make adjustments, and plug something into place.

Just so everyone understands me, I might however come back to the board with proposals about other issues of interest. In a couple years, I might have applied reading and writing, or libraries, or joint book authoring projects in mind.

Furthermore, there is no telling me when I might get back here again with my major complaints that need to be ironed out. As I’m still quite certain that there are people around here that will not want to return my phone calls. When I get turned off and when I’m not even given the satisfaction of a returned phone call, then I can be a pesky rebel rouser. When and if I ever come back o the board, you can bet, I’ve already tried to go through channels, and you can bet that I’m fighting for the sake of the students.

So, this is my last aquatic expansion proposal.

This process began for me in March. I went through the proper channels. Mr. Terlinski, Mr. Neff, etc. I suggested Plum get and Aquatics Director position created and they said, “No, an Aquatics Director just wouldn’t work at this time.”

Then I witnessed the cancelation of the summer lesson program. I didn’t like seeing that happen. Plus, I had made plans to work with the students at the wave pool just when they needed instructors at the Plum pool. Obviously to me, more coordination was needed.

I offered to help. I went out of my way and I wrote an original 4-page pitch that went to summer athletic committee meeting and to the board in July.

My proposal got squeezed in among a pay-phone for the football office and the nervousness of a new teacher’s contract. People were busy, but I took your suggestions to heart and molded the plan as a result of our meeting here at this table.

Then I was told in a letter the one-issue of concern was that the board did not want to give up total control of the existing programs. The plan went back to the drawing board with the athletic committee.

Since September, Mr. Neff and I got together and I began working more at the pool. I took over as manager for the evening swim program for two-nights per week. I also got the instructors scheduled for the free-Saturday-Swim lessons.

To me, this period was a maintenance period and an in-between time where I would get to see what goes on at the pool first hand, observe, get into the flow so to speak. I knew that if my grand plans did not take hold here in the district, I didn’t want to be a lifeguard in the evenings and that I’d back away and from those “recreational” hours. And, I knew that I wanted to keep in touch with the kids a bit before their season began in earnest on Nov. 23.

This fall I wasn’t out to make a lot of changes. I believe I made some improvements, with lessons as proven with the parents evaluations, with Thursday night water polo, with a market testing of private lessons, with an expanded staff list, with ADA facility suggestions, with an increase in lap swimming to meet the demand of fitness swimmers, and with general solid coordination and responsibility.

Meanwhile, the teacher strike was averted and my plan for expanded aquatics programing got put on the next athletic committee meeting agenda.

So, I made the suggested changes regarding the issue of control for the board.

I went back to the athletic committee with a revised plan that really changes the scope of the original plan.

As the plan was rewritten, I sent it on to Mr. Becker, but my biggest wish was that I would have been able to meet with each of you individually, in depth, to comfort your concerns, address your specific questions in a one-on-one setting. This goes for board members as well as administrators.

You see my track record is not that long with each of you and you don’t really understand what makes me tick. I’m not like anyone you have ever met and I needed time to share and I asked, and I didn’t get it.

I wish I had someone to champion this concept and take some ownership with me.

Maybe you thought that I wasn’t worth the time or maybe my ideas weren't good enough, but that is neither here nor there. I don’t need to second guess the past. I’m not interested in shooting you down, nor am I interested in shooting down the existing aquatics program.

But with regard to this plan, I’ve done what you have asked me to do. Everything is here in black and white. This 3-ring binder includes deep dark secrets. This should paints a brilliant picture for you. Plum can create a bright, shinning star.

These ideas are good for the kids, good to the educational mission of the district, good for America, and you know, they are more healthy than Apple Pie.

I’ve cooked up this plan, maybe I should be more seasonal and say it is a pumpkin pie. But the ingredients I’ve used are what is here before me. The existing lesson program has great merits. The evening swim is wonderful in and of itself. The PAYS swim team is doing a wonderful service and we got them to increase their numbers by 80% over last year.

There are lots of additional numbers pointed out in this plan. As you read it, you don’t need to read between the lines. That is for sure as everything is there in black and white.

I hate when, for example a letter is sent and it says one thing, and it really meant another thing. I value words and I value clear communication, and I could say honesty. I also am not opposed to negotiations, but it takes two to have a dialog.

But, I say I’ve got something to offer that is much better than good old American apple pie. But what I feel like I’ve had to deliver a pumpkin pie. I felt I’ve had to have the role of a mean spirited Jack-o-lantern to get this far. I’ve been pushy. I’ve sent faxes to unanswered corners of the district. I’m sorry I’ve been putting an edge on this, but I’ve found that very few people want to do anything extra for the kids these days.

These days are not like the good old times. You say it yourself at these meetings.

In a mid-sized city, towards the edge of a town called Jacksonville, as we speak, public officials are having to spending $10,000 a day for the national guard to patrol the beltway to catch adolescents. The high school aged kids have been shooting guns at passing cars and pitching rocks from bridges.

Meanwhile, tonight in Plum, I’ve got 16-20 guys over at the pool with Fred Luffy, our diving coach. Fred is an engineer, a father of 2 little boys, and his wife is expecting a third child this winter. Do you get the picture. Well they are to be playing water polo. On Thursday nights, I’ve been staying at the pool extra, a little bit after hours to teach them a new sport and new skills.

Water polo has a different teamwork component to the game which makes it quite different from swimming.

Getting into water polo is my way of showing them I care. I’m glad they are staying off drugs, avoiding alcohol, not shooting at passing motorist on the turnpike.

But do you know what rots my socks? Someone, years ago went ahead and built that lovely pool, and even went so far as to buy professional, stainless steel water polo goals, the good kind that set right into the deck. At one time, someone was on the ball.

But now, those water polo goals are in storage, behind two doors in the back of the team room on a dirt floor under the gym floor. The goals with the nets and all are mixed in with a lot of desks, chairs, and a ladder is sitting on one of the goals.

I don’t have a key to that room. I’ve been asking for months for a little bit of assistance so that I can take those water polo goals out of storage and put them to good use. It would take someone no more than 5 minutes to help me. And no body has so much as lifted a finger.

Tonight, those guys are playing water polo again without any goals. That is the type of thing that rots my socks, and that is the type of thing that is wrong with America and Education today.

How can we be competitive globally when the kids are not given a goal to shoot for?

By and large, your kids, Plum kids, not kids from Franklin or Penn Hills, are swimming in circles. They are waiting for a little scrap of nourishment to fall from this table. And they are hungry and they are going to eat it up.

This is where I come in. I’ve been an entrepreneur. An outsider who is a citizen an frustrated by the status quo. I’ve had some excellent experiences. I publish books.

Barbara Bush, Swimming World, Skip Bird, Disney Educator of the Year, many many Olympic coaches,

My books are being exported to Europe.

There is somewhat a global demand for what I do. As we speak, my wife is presenting at a national conference with 20,000 people in attendance in San Antonio. We have a joint software company, and she went to Texas for 6 days without me with a box full of catalogs and handouts. I could be with her, yet alone growing the business, yet along being on the River Walk, but no. I’m seeking a balance lifestyle, and I’ve made a commitment to carry this through. Plus, I’ve got a birthday party on Friday night from 7:00-9:00 pm.

Earlier this year, the first week of January, I was a guest speaker at a coaches conference in Napa, California. I spoke to 225 coaches in Northern California. When you think of swimming, you think of places like Matt Biondi’s home town, right? Well, those coaches, the leaders in the sport in the hot-bed of the sport wanted to hear my ideas.

I took a red-eye out of San Francisco at 11:30 on a Sunday night, arrived in Pittsburgh at 9 am had 3 hours of sleep and went to a Plum H.S. swim meet that night, dead tired, but proud to be able to share with the kids.

I’m not just some type of crack-pot, pushy guy. I’m an expert. I’ve forgotten more about swimming than most of the coaches in Pennsylvania will ever know.

I’ve been working extremely hard throughout my life and have been dedicated to my causes of education and excellence.

I proved myself last year. In one short year we were awesome. State records, 2nd in WPIAL, 5 All-Americans. Swimming is the number one sport in that school. Furthermore, I can guide the Plum Swim Team with a comprehensive program to become the #1 sports team in any school in any sport.

Take this all into account, and remember I have-been and will-continue-to work here on a very-part-time basis.

But finally, I’m not an outsider at all. I’m a local boy. I graduated from Penn Hills. My mother and my wife chaperoned the 8 or 9 kids I took up to Penn State for three days for the PIAA Championships. We’ve had the team over to our house and my offices on the South Side on a number of occasions.

And for these political informational lectures, I’m not interested in spin doctor BS. I’ve worked at school districts in the past. I’ve negotiated with park directors and superintendents before. I know what an executive director or a chairperson is to do. I know what purchasing is all about. I’ve managed a summer staff of 80 employees in 6 pools. I know how the game should be played. I know some will think I’m out of bounds now, but this is the end of the line for me. I shouldn’t need to be saying these things to the whole board at this time. And, I also understand accountability.

However, it is better to hear straight from me rather than a parking lot full of others going every which way. I’ve been given no other options, and I’m done presenting proposals, but sparks could still fly.

Everyone I’ve talked to is in favor of expanding the programing. Nobody likes an idle facility. We have some agreements. Frank Jones wrote to me in his letter. And I’m confident the board is going to see the big picture and vote.

You see, my battle has been that you don’t know me. And now that I’ve got the floor I’ve got a little more dancing to do.

I’ve coached swimmers who have set state records 4 states. I’ve been a NCAA Div. I coach for 6 seasons employed by 3 different universities. I’ve taken 10 year olds to meets held at a school district in Gillette, Wyoming and I’ve hitch-hiked across Wisconsin and Florida to see swim meets while I was in college.

Just last week, the greatest mind in the sport, Dr. Ernie Maglischo, sent me copies of his swimming software for review. I think I can improve upon it and possibly publish it and distribute it for him.

Our kids are going to be exposed to that software. I think he sent it to me because I reminded him of the time when I visited his pool at Cal State Bakersfield for a 5:00 am practice and he eventually left and locked me in the pool. I was ready for more talking, more questions. He thought I was gone and out to breakfast with his assistant coaches. He left, and I was locked inside.

But with all of these experiences, I don’t need to prove myself to the kids. I don’t want to stand up here and boast or beg with you. I just want to jump out of my car at 2:15, put on a ball hat, and get it on with the kids. I get them doing weird things on the track, and get them confidence in their own abilities, and I push them to get a great education in college. Eventually, I’ll be making new friends for life.

I want to do all these activities here in Plum. Don’t worry about me leaving. Instead, you should worry about me moving in next door. But don’t worry to much, because my wife more than makes up for any boldness that I might cause you to contend with.

I promised you that I would write you an updated plan. But these binders are sealed. I would prefer to not even open this plan tonight.

A copy of this talk is in there. Some outlines, budgets, letters, evaluations and such is in there. But those things are not important.

Each and everyone of you can shoot holes through this plan. There is detail after detail that we can trip up on. Even if you don’t have a backyard pool, you’ll be able to tear this to bits. Plus, we can trip and stumble tonight, even if there aren’t any pot holes in the parking.

You can shoot holes into this just like those other high school kids have been shooting holes in speeding cars on Interstate 295. And do you know what?

Keith W, a Plum junior, our Monday night lifeguard and WPIAL swimmer is going to miss practice all next week. This is our first official week of practice. But that is OK with me. Keith is going to take a trip with his family, to Florida, for Thanksgiving vacation and all. I’m not worried about Keith missing practice, but I am a bit concerned about him and his family getting shot at as they drive to Florida.

Remember those National Guardsmen? M-16? At $10,000 a day? And local kids with nothing better to do?

When Keith comes back into town, I hope he is in one piece. And we will probably want to play water polo. I hope we can work it out so that we can install the goals right there on the spot and give him and his classmates something better to shoot at.

So tonight, I’m not interested in you shooting holes at me. I’m interested in working together, as a board, as a coach, as a parents booster group, as community leaders and as a superintendent should.

During this proposal process I’ve been out here alone, going fishing, using my ideas, but I’m probably not using the right bait on my hook. I love the water, but I never was much for fishing.

But I am the hook. I don’t use bait. I don’t carry around a lot of false pretenses. I don’t want to go fishing with this board any longer. Because I’m wasting time here in the board room going fishing with all of you. You see, I’ve got a net and it is over there at the high school back at the pool.

You see I can work my magic, and use this huge net and it can gather a lot of kids. My net is more efficient than fishing with a hook without any bait. This net of mine is built with my spirit.

But I need somebody else to lend a hand, and possibly get their feet wet too.

Mr. Chairperson, I thank you for listening and I would like to yield the floor to Board Member Tom McGough as it is my belief and hope that he is going to read the motion that he intends put to a vote at the next meeting.