Sports Town Pittsburgh

The Final Post - Sports Town will cease operations in October, 2017

Written by Ken Wunderley on Saturday, 26 August 2017 5:05 am.

Below is a message from Sports Town Editor Ken Wunderley.

In 2010, Tri-State Sports & News Service and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette teamed up to form the Sports Town web site. Sports Town provided excellent coverage of all high school sports for 6 1/2 years.

We were fortunate to have McDonald's as our sponsor during a six-year run, but the corporation has decided to end its sponsorship.

After an unsuccessful three-month search for a new sponsor, the Sports Town web site will cease operations in the near future.

The web site will be shut down at the end of October, so feel free to go back and find any posts or photos that you would like to save.

I would like to thank all the writers and photographers who contributed to Sports Town, especially writer Brad Everett (my right-hand man) and photographer Marilyn Schwilm. The full list of writers and photographers who have contributed over the years are listed below.

I also would like to thank McDonald's, for its six years of sponsorship, along with the many high school coaches, athletes, and fans who visited our site. Your support is greatly appreciated.

And lastly, I would like to thank Post-Gazette Executive Editor David Shribman, for giving me the opportunity to head up Sports Town, and Post-Gazette Assistant Managing Editor Matt Kennedy, for all his help with creating the web site and overseeing its operations.

I am currently working on a WPIAL and PIAA history site. My hope is to find a sponsor and unveil the site on Oct. 1. I will keep everybody updated on my progress.

Sports Town Alumni:

Writers

Chris Adamski 

William P. Allmann Sr.

Keith Barnes 

Stephen Catanese 

Justin Criado 

John D'Abruzzo 

Brad Everett 

Brittany Goncar 

Joe Greiner 

Drew Karpen 

Joseph M. Koch 

John Perrotto 

Ryan Riordan 

Nicholas Tolomeo 

Ken Wunderley

Photographers 

Marc Billett 

Cara De Carlo 

Marsha Green 

J.J. LaBella 

Jim Nagle 

Matt Kruth 

Dean Longwell 

Lynda Scahill 

Marilyn Schwilm 

Susan Wentzel

Fwd: Theater of the absurd

---------- Forwarded message ----------

From: John H

Here's another example of just how nefarious and persistent neoliberalism is in attempting to distort reality in order to usher in policies intended to support corporate as opposed to individual or worker interests.  But, as the second article implies, neoliberal policies almost always lead to outcomes in which economies collapse and corporate malfeasance is rewarded while individuals are harmed and left unprotected by government.  The second article should also serve as a warning to anyone expecting their personal retirement accounts to continue to grow.  In these situations debt is a killer.

John

Links

• Neoliberalism Booster New York Time Egregious...
• Worst Restaurant Recession Since 2009 Dings ... 

Fwd: Big Data and Big Surveillance

---------- Forwarded message 

From: John H

On Monday I sent out an article on Robert Mercer and Cambridge Analytica.  Today there is a follow-up of sort discussing Big Data and the Democratic Party establishment (the New Democrats and the DNC).  It takes some issue with the first article but is really worth reading.  The second attachment discusses enhanced surveillance techniques being employed by corporations on their employees.  This is an extremely frightening turn down the road toward complete totalitarian control of all workers and, perhaps, all of us whether working or not.  Do read this!

John

Links:

• Do Democratic Operatives Dream of Big Data, PDF 
• Big Brother Capitalism Strikes Back, PDF

NLA Contract

I did this work and never put in an invoice to get paid. I make it as my volunteer efforts at Westinghouse. NLA is Neighborhood Learning Alliance. Mt. A Church and Wesly ran the program.

EO = executive orders

Fwd: Defanged by Privilege

---------- Forwarded message
From: John Hemington

I have held off sending these pieces for a bit in order to rethink my own prejudices.  I held off because I believe that some of the comments contained therein will likely offend some of you reading them.  However, on reflection, I believe that they are correct and must be considered if we are to be honest with ourselves.  It particularly concerns the Women's March in Washington as a demonstration organized by and focused on privileged whites frightened by Donald Trump but not terribly concerned with those not similarly privileged.

I have to say at the outset that I was personally thrilled and impressed by the turnout of millions of people in hundreds of sister marches throughout the country and the world.  It was an impressive show of unity and strength when really needed.  But I was also concerned that it might end up being nothing more than a "feel-good" event out of which little or nothing comes.  Behind this concern lies my fear that it was really orchestrated and controlled by operatives of the elitist side of the Democratic Party – the New Democrats – in order to galvanize support for their continued domination of the Party.  Given the list of official speakers this certainly appears to be the case.  Each one I saw was a long-term Clintonista New Democrat.

If this is correct it is highly likely that most of the energy will be diverted from change into focusing on further demonizing Donald Trump and, down the road, re-electing the same old crowd of New Democrats that brought us Donald Trump in the first place by failing to fight for policies to end the economic starvation of poor, middle and working class Americans while serving up trillions for international corporatists, Wall Street financial gangs and the military-intelligence elite and their corporate suppliers ensuring that endless illegal and self-defeating wars of choice will continue without pause.

Yes, the Trump administration will be awful and millions will suffer as a result.  Things worldwide will certainly get worse, but the solution is not simply to return the Democrats who created the conditions which led to Trump's victory back to power.  If the recent marches cannot be used as a springboard to overthrow the power structure now controlling the Democratic Party – that is, if we allow those same people to control and direct the outrage – we will see Trump succeed into a second term.  Or should the Republican oligarchy tire of as they may well do, a second term of Mike Pence and company.

As one of the articles suggests, the New Democrats despise and fear the progressive left and will do just about anything to prevent them from making inroads into control of the Party.  We cannot, we must not allow this to happen by aligning with the New Democrats to shift the focus away from the failure of their neoliberal/neocon fantasies which have brought us to this terrible time in history.  We cannot allow them to divert our attention to whether Russia might have hacked the election and inciting anger at those who supported Trump instead of to those New Democrats who created the conditions which encouraged former Democrats in the "flyover" regions of the country to vote for Trump.

In short, we must do everything within our power to retake control of the Democratic Party from those who serve only the financial and corporate elite while pretending to work for all Americans by pushing "identity politics" while ignoring the very real and serious needs of most of us.  Be assured that the New Democrats and their privileged spokes people will speak words which sound as if they care – as did Barak Obama – but most will be lies and distortions.  Their policies over the past forty years are what define them and they have almost uniformly awful for most Americans who were not among the privileged.

And I speak as one who is privileged.  I do not have to worry about where my next meal will come from.  I do not worry about whether I can afford to pay the rent to keep myself housed.  I am not struggling with unpayable student debt.  I don't have to worry about being shot and killed while "driving as black."  I don't have to be particularly concerned that any illness will bankrupt me or my family.  I don't have to worry that my job will be eliminated and my family will lose everything.  I don't have to worry about living in desperation in a slum where the laws are enforced only against those who live there and not against the slum lords who fail to maintain their properties.  I do not have to worry about being deported because I lack citizenship papers.

But I am not without cares and concerns.  I care that our government has chosen to ignore the plight of those who do find themselves in these plights.  I am concerned that our government has for forty or so years continually cut back on the social safety-net programs instituted in the New Deal to protect those who, through no fault of their own, fall through the cracks of an increasingly neoliberalized market economy which glamorizes success and demonizes failure.  I am concerned that we have bought into the myth that the government doesn't have enough money to provide the necessary social and medical services which every other advanced economy provides its citizens; but always has a magic pot from which to pull dollars to bail out billionaire financial titans and fight endless costly wars as well as provide arms to the rest of the world.  And I care that we remain, as a society, as racist today as almost at any time in the past – we simply disguise it from ourselves more effectively.

Please read the attached articles and give some thought to your own privilege.  Think about what might have been had the New Democrats not commandeered the Democratic Party during the Clinton presidency; and consider how we might work to take the Party back.  Otherwise, there may not be much hope for the future.  There is a class war being waged and it is being waged against all Americans who are not among the privileged elite.  The goal of this class war is to insure that we, its victims, continue to blame one another and never look to the real source of our problems.

I'm sorry for the length of this but not for the content.

John

 Links

• On Hatred in our Divided Nation - PDF article
• Western Press Incorrectly Deplicts Putin - PDF article
• Game Over for Dems - PDF article

Really?

Women at a big march are holding signs saying they hoped for the day when they'd have as many rights as a gun? You mean, they wish they could be banned from schools and other public places, closely monitored by the government, and scapegoated for the problems of society?

From Tom Woods.

Fwd: . . . and on it goes

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: John Hemington

We remain deeply embroiled in a serious class war in which young adults have become the most recent victims.  It's not just college graduates broken down with almost unpayable debts, it's also those without an opportunity to go to college who can't find jobs paying a living wage or any job at all.  It's minority youth of all stripes who are denied essential opportunities in a not-so-colorblind society as we would like to think.  Check out the attached article for additional information.

And lest we forget, young adults are not the only Americans suffering from this long-standing class war which resulted in the election of Donald Trump.  As this excerpt from Greg Maybury's article in Consortium News,  Fall and Rise of the Forgotten 'Deplorables' (see second attachment for full article), points our two major political have long ago abandoned and declared war on the rest of us also:

"In what must serve as the quintessential master class of prolonged, consistent, truly bi-partisan cooperation American politics has on offer, both parties have contributed enormously over the past three-plus decades to the dismantling if not effective destruction of the American Dream in its hitherto real and imagined dimensions.

Whether on broad economic, social, national security, or foreign policy issues, both parties have demonstrated a recidivistic, palpable indifference to the concerns and needs of average working- and middle-class Americans, with both repeatedly showing themselves prone to elitism, corruption, cronyism, manipulation, greed, deception, bribery, hypocrisy, opportunism, self-interest, contempt, cynicism and arrogance.

In the process democracy's once "proprietary" domains — equal justice, freedom, human rights, equality of opportunity, civil rights, liberty, and most everything from habeas corpus to the pursuit of happiness — have effectively been declared "no-fly-zones" for ordinary people, accessible only to those increasingly privileged, mostly unelected, and thoroughly unaccountable few.

Most significantly, both parties have undermined, possibly irreparably, the sense of pride and place folks had in their once beloved — but now maybe not so — United States of America.  Along with that, they have all but conspired to "deep-six" that once famously enduring, optimistic mindset that by some accounts enabled the country to thrive and prosper as a "paradise of opportunity" (or even a reasonable facsimile thereof).

Let's term that period The Era of Future Promise, or that time in history — from 1945 to say 1975 — where a whole generation or more of the majority of folks could not only envision a progressively better future for their kids and grandchildren, but anticipated it, and all things equal, if one was willing to strive for such, rightfully expected it.

That is no longer the case for an increasing number of people, and it is this sentiment — one whose seismic impact we have just witnessed — that's been neglected by both party majors.  That this envisioned future is no longer realistic for many comes as a direct result of neoliberalism — the roll-out of which was overseen by both parties — and with it the globalization of economic and financial activity itself culminating from there via "casino capitalism" in the inexorable transfer and consolidation of historically unprecedented wealth, power, and income into the hands of fewer and fewer people — is inarguable.

Now the end of this earlier era might have been heralded by Reagan's ascension in 1981 and the advent of neoliberalism.  But its sustained demise was enthusiastically presided over by Bill Clinton, in cahoots of course with this year's DNC candidate for president, his wife Hillary, and the then Party establishment.  Some folks clearly haven't forgotten that.  In short, there was no clear sign from Clinton that things would be substantially different under her regime than under that of her husband's administration.

…

And for those who understood there being such a thing as a "class war" and viewed globalization and neoliberalism through such a prism — if we recognize that the upper class won that war a long time ago — we might posit the following:  Why when after the vanquished have long since surrendered to distraction, disillusion or outright despondency are the victors still fighting the war?  Before this election, the short answer we might have suggested is that it's because they can!

The ascension of Sanders and Trump in this election demonstrated that vast masses of Americans have finally given up on the two elitist Parties and are ready to fight back; but unfortunately most of us still don't understand what's behind the system which oppresses so many while promising so much.  It is now imperative that we somehow figure out a way to redirect this anger and frustration into meaningful action.

Fight on!

John

Links from John's collection

• Economic Hardships with Young People - PDF article
• Fall and Rise of the Forgotten Deplorables - PDF article 

Told Ya..... Now we morn.

"We watched Dennis Flanagan's death play out in slow motion. For 5 years the
community has voiced its need for a safe W. Carson St. Corridor for all.
These needs were thrown by the wayside, and 9 days after the project's
completion, a person biking the corridor was killed. 
 
Traffic deaths are avoidable tragedies. They happen because decision makers
create designs that prioritize automobile "speed" and "congestion" over
human life. This is the same tragic story that played out on West Carson
Street. 
 
We will meet one week from Dennis Flanagan's death. Tuesday, 9/6/16, 7pm at
27th St & Tunnel Blvd Healthy Ride Station (Southside Works). We will be
riding from 27th St. to McKees Rocks and back.
 
Join us Tuesday night to change the narrative to include the safety of all
people - young, old, abled, disabled, on foot, bike, transit, car:
everyone."
 
From: Jim Logan

Great news on ballot access in PA

The ballot access struggles have become something that is able to be managed in Pennsylvania.

http://www.post-gazette.com/early-returns/erstate/2016/07/01/Federal-judge-gives-third-parties-a-helping-hand-on-PA-ballot/stories/201607010174

Welcome changes. Thank goodness. 

I had first hand experiences with the crazy requirements that have been part of the landscape in PA. Let's hope for sanity in the future.

----

By Chris Potter / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A federal judge has made it easier for third-party candidates to appear on the state ballot this November, possibly adding a new variable into an already dizzying presidential election.

On Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lawrence F. Stengel of the Eastern District of Pennsylvania issued an order asserting that presidential candidates in three minor parties — the Libertarian Party, the Green Party, and the Constitution Party — will need only 5,000 voters to sign their nominating petitions. That's roughly a quarter of the 21,775 signatures they would have needed under the old rules.

The order "restores voter choice to Pennsylvania elections, which has been absent other than the major parties," said Oliver Hall, an attorney who represented the minor parties. "Now people can decide if they want to vote for someone else entirely, and that's how our elections should work."

Major-party candidates need only 2,000 signatures to get on the primary ballot — where a win ensures a space in November. But previously, minor-party statewide candidates were obliged to meet a threshold equal to 2 percent of the previous statewide vote-count. In past years, that has required candidates to obtain up to 67,000 signatures.

Mr. Hall said that even under the old rules, it was “close to a certainty” that the third-party contenders would have won spots on the 2016 ballot. But Thursday’s ruling also makes it harder to remove them.

Previously, if the legitimacy of a candidate’s signatures was successfully challenged in court, the winner could recoup the legal costs of doing so. In 2004, for example, Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader was billed over $80,000 -- a crippling sum for smaller political parties.

Judge Stengel's ruling restricts the ability to assess such costs. That was "absolutely a load off our minds," said Shawn Patrick House, who chairs the state Libertarian Party.

Signature requirements for other races are also lower. Candidates for auditor general, treasurer, and attorney general — all of which are on this year’s ballot — must procure 2,500 signatures. Senate candidates must also produce 5,000 signatures. But the ruling may have the greatest impact on the race for president.

Pennsylvania is a potentially key battleground, and polling shows many voters discontented with both Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.

“Usually I discount third-party candidates,” said Muhlenberg College pollster Christopher Borick. “But the polls in Pennsylvania show the race as fairly close. Put that together with the high unfavorable ratings of both candidates, and a third-party candidate or two could be pivotal.”

A recent Quinnipiac University poll showed Ms. Clinton leading Mr. Trump by 39 percent to 36 percent, with Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson garnering 9 percent and the Green Party’s Jill Stein with 4 percent. Mr. Borick said that while Ms. Stein would likely appeal to “disenchanted progressives” who might otherwise back Ms. Clinton, Mr. Johnson’s impact was harder to gauge: “Nationally, it seems like he draws marginally from both candidates.”

The legal dispute over the requirements dates back years. In 2015, Judge Stengel ruled that the high signature requirements, combined with the threat of financial penalties, meant "the ability of the minor parties to ... voice their views has been decimated.” Gov. Tom Wolf's administration appealed, saying it had no power to change election rules set by the courts and the legislature.

Judge Stengel’s order bridged that impasse, and in fact incorporated the administration’s own proposed signature requirements. “Governor Wolf ... wants to ensure greater ballot access for minor parties,” said Mr. Wolf’s office in a statement, “and he is pleased with Judge Stengel’s ruling.”

The state Republican Party sounded less pleased. "These are decisions that we believe are best left to the General Assembly,” it said in a statement.

In fact, Judge Stengel’s order applies “until ... the Pennsylvania Legislature enacts a permanent measure amending or modifying the process to place [minor parties] on the general election ballot.” A measure to do so, House Bill 342, was passed by the House, amended by the Senate last month, and is pending in the House again. The bill sets out petition requirements consistent with those in Judge Stengel’s order.

But for the time being, as Mr. House put it, "We have more than Coke and Pepsi candidates.”

Hiring the new PPS Superintendent

Hi PPS Board Members.

I have been following this noise about the hiring of Dr. Anthony Hamlet as close as possible and have some suggestions. STICK TO YOUR prior DECISION.

Sure, a storm has come. Blame goes here and there in bits, but golly. Plug ahead.

I feel that saboteurs are trying to derail elected school boards and are trying to damage Pittsburgh Public Schools.

The board voted 9-0 to hire the guy. To change your views now would spoil the desire for others to seek the job. None would want to deal with the mess in this wake, plus deal with a fickle board, nor confront the wire-pulling and outside influence from beyond the school board.

IMHO, two of those claims are bogus fabrications. An open source approach of wikipedia on a definition of terms is desired and should not be original.

There should be some repercussions and remedies. I have made some solution suggestions. Follow my Facebook page and http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com.

Triple his probation period.

Seek a partial refund from the consultant.

Allow for a super MINORITY to terminate his contract within the probation period.

Work harder.

+ +

Final two points:

#1: I volunteer to stand with you or stand alone and talk to the media, the citizens. other politicians, union leaders or anyone else on this topic.

#2: Furthermore, Let's begin again with sports reform, something that did NOT resonate with Dr. Linda Lane, sadly. Teaching our kids how to play well with others isn't an expensive proposition, and it is a great investment if done well. I volunteer to help to re-think the issues with PPS. System-wide athletics, sports, after-school recreation, swimming, student leadership with jobs and after-school technology have pressing issues. The city can't wait to get started on the heavy lifting on those fronts.

Good luck.

TMC article on Cleaner Rivers

Federal Rules of Cleaner Rivers Posted: 20 May 2016 11:40 AM PDT By: Kathleen Mannard April 13, 2016 The three rivers of Pittsburgh act as a symbol of Pittsburgh’s history, transformation, and future. During the steel boom, Pittsburgh’s rivers were heavily polluted with toxic discharge such as benzene, arsenic, and mercury. Forty-four years ago, the EPA implemented the federal Clean Water Act with the goal of cleaning American rivers, lakes, and streams as “fishable and swimmable” by 1983. However, the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny rivers did not reach that goal and in the 21st century we are still transforming the polluted waters. The Monongahela River stretches 130 miles until it flows into the mouth of the Ohio River at Pittsburgh’s Point. As recent as 2010, the Monongahela River failed the water quality assessment report of the Department of Environmental Protection and became listed as “impaired by sulfates”. Even though Monongahela was reported as cleaner in 2014 and no longer determined “degraded”, the 2014 Allegheny River assessment reported that the Allegheny was also “impaired”. Although these reports are not always positive results of river refurbishment, the Clean Water Act requires these biennial reports to restore impaired bodies of water. But what other means are taken to restore our rivers’ condition? Because the rivers are so vital to our city’s ecosystem, businesses, and identity, organizations such as the Clean Water Action and other federal legislation are crucial for their survival. In 2015, the EPA finalized the Clean Water Rule which places protections on wetlands and high-water streams that form the foundation of America’s water sources, such as the Ohio River. Specifically Pennsylvania wetlands, streams, and millions of people who receive drinking water connected to these sources are protected under these new federal clean water regulations. The Clean Water Action of Pittsburgh supports the Clean Water Rule because it speaks to their campaign of restoring and protecting Pennsylvania water sources to prevent life harming and life threatening pollution. Not only does this ruling protect water sources and people’s health, it protects our future with water sources affected by climate change and builds a stronger economy. By ensuring that water regulation has federal consequences, smaller stream flows are protected for local drinking supplies. Protecting Pittsburgh’s rivers means protecting all waters of Pennsylvania and beyond.

Mothers Day Weekend Radio Show -- Catherine Palmer tells of her mom moments

My wife's photo is on the front page of The Moth, http://www.TheMoth.org.

Listen to her story. It blends parenting, school music concerts and swim meet cheering into her story when the theme was blundering.

Link to the entire NPR show. Catherine's story is second, in at a 6:05 mark.

There is fit. Then there is "Speedo fit." New ads show some of what we do.

Bravo to Speedo. Those superstars are looking good too! Article in Ad Week, http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/speedo-make-a-splash-aqua-fitness-push/303558/

For the ages! The water does not know how old you are.

Swimming, What a Wonderful Sport to Learn - SwimEasy Ltd. UK

Tosd@s, tod@s amamos nadar... Discover more here: www.swimeasy.co.uk

Posted by Natación on Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership BetaBurgh proposals

Three proposals were made to the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnerships for its BetaBurgh RFP (request for proposals). The grants are for up to $10,000 each. See the text of those links by surfing around the site, Swim.CLOH.org.


Directory: http://swim.cloh.org/betaburgh/

1. Open water swimming, Swim.CLOH.org  http://swim.cloh.org/betaburgh/Swim_CLOH_org_text.html
2. River lagoons, 4RS.org  http://swim.cloh.org/betaburgh/4RS_org_text.html
3. Floating pools feasibility, Rauterkus.com http://swim.cloh.org/betaburgh/Rauterkus_com_text.html

Hillary and Bernie

I do not agree with the root message in the article about Hillary finding her HOME RUN MESSAGE against Bernie. But, there is a difference in there between the 2 D candidates. Hillary is far reaching, broad, doing UNIONS in one breath and working for INDIVIDUALS in the next. She wants to help kids in Flint. Rush to help the person who got fired on Monday after that Saturday wedding. She is bouncing around all over the place fighting nose to nose. The problem for Hillary, is that there is only ONE of her. She can't be everywhere. She can't be a 1,000 points of Hillary and help all the ones that need the help.

Meanwhile, I think Sanders is going to wage an attack on a system level. He wasn't on the dang bridge in Selma. Perhaps the Clinton's were able to show their faces in the South. But, when Sanders is President, his JUSTICE REFORM is going to be in the minds of all in the POLICE DEPARTMENT when those marchers cross the next bridge.
Sanders is not going to rush to help a bunch of folks with new pink slips at the factory, and I expect Hillary would be there. But, Sanders trade policies is going to be attacking so that those factories are re-opening and jobs are not going to evaporate as many have done.

In the harbor of life, Hillary is an over-reaching couple of strokes with a paddle as she bounces from deck to deck on many boats. Bernie is a mega tide that lifts all boats. Or, if you want that "protective feeling" -- Bernie Sanders is the break-wall that protects the whole harbor from the storms.

Recap: Final Public Hearing for Pittsburgh Public Schools in its Hiring Quest for a New Superintendent.

Replacing the retiring Linda Lane can be an opportunity to recreate Pittsburgh recreation. We're a sports and river town and should use our swim pools.

From Mark Rauterkus, Mark@Rauterkus.com, varsity swim coach at Obama Academy and leader of the PPS Summer Dreamers Swim & Water Polo Camp with the Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation


On Thursday night, January 28, 2016, right after our home swim meet at Pittsburgh Obama against South Fayette, I dashed over to U-Prep for the public hearing concerning the search for the new PPS superintendent of schools. We lost the swim meets, but game them a good scare. One new school record was set by Obama sophomore, Sead N, leading off the 400 free relay in a 49.

I was speaker 13 and took some notes as the others before me gave the school board their thoughts. It was wild to hear what the others would say as nearly everyone else had statements that resonated with my message too. What they want, and what I want, are identical in terms of values and vision.

Pittsburgh Public Schools needs to make an overhaul to its sports and after-school programs.

Two years ago, the wake of Doctor Linda Lane's state of the district speech when she said she wanted to cut a number of sports from the budget, I released a position paper. Thankfully, those cuts never occurred. Now that there are some new board members, it is prudent to re-introduce this document again to get them aware of these situations.

http://aforathlete.wikia.com/wiki/Fewer_Sports_Alternatives

When Mark Roosevelt became superintendent of Pittsburgh Public Schools, a few of us shared concerns with him. Mr. Roosevelt, a former tennis player, understood the value of sports. To his credit, he was in agreement but said sports reform and athletics were not a priority – yet. He had bigger problems: principal accountability, teacher evaluations and contracts, merit pay, and of course, right-sizing. Nothing changed for years. Then, finally, Mark Roosevelt sent me an email around New Years Day and he promised me that sports reform was coming off the back burner. Wow!

A study was done on Title IX, a consultant was hired with grant money. A committee was established and meetings were held. Real issues were talked about. Mark Roosevelt came to a meeting with about 35 people, VIPs in PPS in terms of coaching, sports, security, transportation, administration, principals, and said, “I'm sorry.” Roosevelt apologized for the terrible treatment and lack of support his administration had given throughout the years to sports and athletics. He had seen the light and now understood what was happening with PPS and how many of the pitfalls could be rectified through a more robust attention to these areas. Improvements in school spirit, attendance, grades, student health, graduation rates, discipline and scholarships are evident. I was so excited to hear of the new change in direction and within the month, Mark Roosevelt resigned and took a new job at a college in Ohio.

Linda Lane was hired by the board without interviewing anyone else so as to sustain the changes Mark Roosevelt was championing in PPS. But sadly, she failed and fumbled the whole sports reform movement. She was clueless. She pulled the plug and wouldn't do anything else in this regard except cut and starve.

When Dr. Lane gave her State of the District speech at CAPA in the fall of 2013, she talked about saving $600,000 from a budget by cutting some sports and all intramural programs and upgrading computers less frequently. That's some line item: Sports and technology upgrades for $600,000 savings. That move seemed to be a surprise to everyone, even within PPS, who had worked on sports reform. I pushed back with a position paper, “Fewer sports alternatives,” and the cuts to the budget never materialized, thankfully, due in great part by board members who knew better. Two years later in the fall of 2015, the PA auditor general and city controller told the newspapers of a PPS surplus of more than $120-million. Go figure.

The first suggestion in the position paper reads: PPS Superintendent, Doctor Linda Lane, should re-establish our Athletic Reform Task Force. Suggestion #1b: This position paper can fill the early agenda for task force meetings. Suggestion #1c: The next task force should include a research component. Examine student data along with Pittsburgh Promise data.

Some other of my favorite suggestions to PPS administrators include the establishment of PPS H2O for city-wide aquatics, an All-City Sports Camp from May to September and the formation of a private-public partnership, an Olympic Sports Division, to manage the scholastic sports of Swimming, X-Country, Track-and-Field, Tennis and intramural programs. After a three month wait, I finally did have one 30-minute meeting with Dara Ware Allen, PPS Administrator in charge of all student services (including athletics). She hadn't even read the position paper. No follow up since.

Linda Lane's Administration lacks leadership in terms of sports, after-school and community building – that's my top concern with PPS.

With the superintendent search, and new board members, it is time to double down. I want to re-visit the 2014 position paper and to insure the new PPS Board Members see it. But I am releasing a new document, a new vision. We can build upon our Summer Dreamers experiences with Swim & Water Polo and turn them into Year-Round Achievers. Let's train 250 new lifeguards in the next five years. You know, PPS has 14 indoor swim pools and there was a time a few years ago when every pool was closed all summer long. We ran the numbers, we have the opportunity to train 6,000 students a year in a five-week Swim & Water Polo Camp. We can teach every kid in PPS how to swim. And, we already have these facilities. They are too often closed. And, these plans are affordable. The pools are there. The water awaits. The plans call for no extra time for custodians. Done well, I expect sensational health benefits and community school interactions.

In the final public hearing concerning input for the new superintendent search, I was the 13th speaker. Every other speaker that came to the microphone to share insights had common ground with my central message as well.

Speaker #1 said: Services and support are not in place in PPS.

Speaker #2, a young woman, remembered that the only thing she was jazzed about at Allderdice through 9th, 10th, and 11th grade was her involvement in marching band. That experience kept her going through high school.

Speaker #3 works as a professional in out-of-school time activities as a community-based provider. She wants PPS to embrace partnerships and have that as a skill-set. The new superintendent needs to have a “track record” (pun to me) and display “small wins” in after-school programming. Well, I want big wins.

Speaker #4, an 8th grade student in Higher Achievement, spoke of the need for a fresh environment. In past years I coached water polo with students in Higher Achievement. Of course, that's fresh!

Speaker #5, a 7th grade student, wants communication skills and respect in communities.

Speaker #6, Hill District Economic Council spoke of being healthy. Wishing for transforming students, leadership, innovation. Athletic do that.

Speaker #7, a Pitt Education Professor and a parent spoke about deep and sustaining partnerships. Pittsburgh has an incredibly rich network. Civic and community engagement are needed and golly, she said that PPS often seems as if it does not want input. Spot on!

Speaker #8, Sala Udin, wants to see someone articulate a strategy. That's exactly what the position paper did. That's exactly what the Sports Reform Task Force did. That's what was ignored by PPS. Sala wants a “turn around” and I do too. We'll even teach flip turns! Yes, Sala, Pittsburgh is a segregated city with a large number of poor people. That's why we are excited to do water polo in the Hill District's Ammon Swim Pool again in the summer of 2016 and champion swimming and water polo, activities that don't cost much beyond having swim suits.

Speaker #9 wants community schools and job training for parents. I've been working with the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center, but that's not the social skills job training that is really desired. But the new document speaks of community fitness for the parents and guardians of the students we coach. I want adults to start to train when their kids are youngsters so that a few years later as the kids are in high school we can kayak together in our rivers.

Speaker #10, the President of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers hit a home run and made mention of the word “athletics.” She wants none of this as an “after-thought. Rather, authentic working together is desired. Bravo.

Speaker #11, a U-Prep teacher, Chris, made mention that Pittsburgh has been a sports town with some graduates in the NFL and NBA. Who is going to stand up and take the heat, he asks? I think we teach that in athletics too.

Speaker #12, Fred Logan of Homewood, wants the PSCC (Parent School Community Councils) to return with gusto. And our sports boosters, sports leagues and sports advocate efforts should be a part of those PSCC gatherings, perhaps bringing purpose for some to show up and get more involved.

I spoke at #13.

Speaker #14 ranted about knowledge being power. Learn everything and many things. “We should do better than that so our kids can survive in the world.” Learning to swim is a survival skill.

Speaker #15, a Linden teacher and advocate with gifted referrals wants a universal screening so that all the kids who qualify as gifted get an invite to the Pittsburgh Gifted Center. Of course, all the kids should have some of the same opportunities. We could tie a universal gifted screening approach to a mission to have universal swimming lessons.

Speaker #16, Obama Academy senior, spoke of Teen Block and speaking up with student voices. The most popular messages among the kids have been about school starting too early and PPS teaching the whole person. I just released a new video about the AM Swim Practices we have at 6 am. And, I'm a big fan of holistic coaching.

Speaker #17, a U-Prep junior, a young Mr. Sanders, wants to be an entrepreneur. His personal finance class doesn't have a stable teacher and there are many faculty who seem to change often. The lunches do not seem to be nutritional and he and his classmates do not seem to be energized after eating. With athletes, great nutrition is vital. With growing kids, nutrition matters. I also expect that with more athletes, we'll diminish violence. Learning to play well with others is a central theme we should embrace often.

Speaker #18, a parent wants to develop amazing adults and wants inclusion with the disability community. Unemployment is at 70% in that sector, and teaching needs to be visual, auditory and kinetic.

Speaker #19, Ron Lawrence, 100-Black Men and an A+ Schools board member is one I want to get to meet. Closing the achievement gap is important. That achievement gap happens at the swim pool too.

Speaker #20, Education Rights Network advocate wants to end that pipeline to prison. I agree, the PPS administrative cabinet should have a commitment to include an administrator to work full time on efforts to better support those with disabilities. Another after-thought it seems.

Speaker #21, Kenneth, a long-time community activist and friend wants student government and school newspapers to be a first contact with visitors to the school. The newspapers teach ethics and are a place to get focus in a crisis. What's going on should be written about and he feels Mark Roosevelt was a terrible person, especially as he sold off the printing presses in all the schools.

Speaker #22, Tim Stevens, spoke and sang of his days in the U-Prep school, site of the meeting, as it was then called Herron Hill. He spoke at a past meeting and he highlighted the slogan above the stage, “We are all learning.” Enough said.

Speaker #23, Chris Moore, the new U-Prep principal, a former teacher at Schenley, is back in PPS and he feels the new superintendent should be one who is “called” to the job. That is a great trait. He also says that the new superintendent should have the discipline to put students first as he or she makes decisions. I got to chat for a minute after the meeting with the new principal. He'll help to get the word out to the students about the opportunities to play water polo in the neighborhood on Fridays at the Thelma Lovette YMCA.

Safe Sport

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