Chief's threat draws suspects after Homewood shooting

Chief's threat draws suspects after Homewood shooting: "'Chief Harper was seriously contemplating canceling the midget league football season throughout the city because of the violence taking place in these recreational areas,' Ms. Richard said."

Triple ugh.

Stephanie wrote grom Harrisburg with an update to the ballot challenges

Jim Roddey approves of these Jackass ploys.

... Her email reads:

was very interesting. I left with a very hot head, not due to the weather either. I was only signed up for three hours, which was a good thing. I was flanked by two individuals who wanted to dispute nuances in signatures such as subtle loops and whirls allegedly not matching the voter's registration signature. These FLANKEES were very annoying and when I offered commentary I was summarily chastised by some youngster who fancied himself a mini Obama. It's good I wasn't there too long. The good news is that the FLANKEES didn't get to strike more than one or two signatures during that entire time, even though they fought to strike most of them. The other good news is that the two men who sat in the corner glaring at me with their arms crossed started moving around the room after I mentioned what an interesting article this might make....
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Ds and Rs make Mountains out of Mole Hills

Our crew of volunteers with the Libertarian Party of PA begins work in Harrisburg today on the review of the signatures challenged by the GOP to keep our statewide candidates on the ballot. We need to defend against not only the disenfranchisement of the citizens who signed our nomination papers in a show of support, but against the erosion of the electoral process in Pennsylvania.

We know that many of the issues raised in the challenge are not substantial. Disqualifying people from signing the nomination papers because they used a short version of their name, like Joe instead of Joseph, or because their signature is not exactly the same as when they signed the voter registration card forty years ago, or because the database has not been updated with their new address, or because they could not fit some specific piece of information in the block on the form, is not what the challenge process was put in the election code to do.
It is not too late to support our efforts!

We must be prepared to carry out our defense until this abuse of the system is stopped. This effort is not without cost, and you can help by making your contribution today. Please mail your offer of financial support to:

LPPA Treasurer Kat Valleley
22 Farber Dr.
Chalfont, PA 18914

or you may donate using PayPal on our website here:
http://www.lppa.org/actions/contribute-to-the-lppa.html
Your support is needed now more than ever, and is always appreciated.

Thank you,
Michael J. "Mik" Robertson, Chair, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania

Update:

Two Pa. third-party candidates pull out
By Peter Jackson

Associated Press

HARRISBURG - Two third-party candidates for statewide office said Monday they were withdrawing in the face of all-but-certain rejection of their nomination papers in state Commonwealth Court.
John Krupa, whose claim to be the tea-party candidate for governor was questioned by other leaders of the movement, filed papers withdrawing from the race midway through a review of his petition signatures.

"He didn't have the requisite number," Krupa's lawyer, David Montgomery of Pittsburgh, acknowledged Monday after lawyers for the Lock Haven tavern owner and his challengers spent the weekend sifting through his petitions.

Mel Packer, the Green Party nominee for the Senate, said he decided to withdraw because he lacked enough surplus signatures to defend his petitions against a concerted challenge by Democratic nominee Joe Sestak, a member of the House who beat incumbent Arlen Specter in the May primary. Packer said he did not have a lawyer or the money or time to represent himself.

"I can't afford that," Packer, a physician's assistant in the emergency room of a Pittsburgh hospital, said in a telephone interview. "I'm 65 years old. I'm still working. I've got kids in college."

Pennsylvania law requires third-party and independent candidates for governor and Senate to collect 19,082 voter signatures to qualify for the November ballot. Major party candidates need only 2,000 signatures, but they must win often-contested statewide primaries to be nominated for the general election.

The major-party candidates for governor are Republican Tom Corbett, the state attorney general, and Democrat Dan Onorato, the elected Allegheny County executive.

Sestak faces Republican Pat Toomey, a former member of the House from the Allentown area, in the Senate race.

Meanwhile on Monday, representatives of the Libertarian Party candidates for governor and Senate - York lawyer Marakay Rogers and engineer Douglas Jamison - and their challengers began reviewing their petitions in a process that was expected to take days.

The challenges to the Libertarian candidates, who also include the party's candidates for lieutenant governor, Bucks County homemaker Kat Valleley, were all filed by three Republican voters with help from the state GOP.

Rogers, who monitored the review Monday, is a perennial candidate whose most recent efforts included unsuccessful bids as a Libertarian candidate for state Superior Court in 2009 and for attorney general in 2008.

She complained that political outsiders' signatures get a more rigorous review than those of major-party candidates and that many voters' signatures are rejected for technicalities, such as addresses that do not match their voter registration.

"That knocks a lot of legitimate voters out of the process," she said.

Krupa, 59, a former Republican, was nominated for governor by the Constitution Party in March, but he said that party joined forces with a tea-party group, so he used its label.

The tea-party movement is a collection of conservative grass-roots groups, but Pennsylvania does not recognize any of them as a political party.

Among the people who challenged Krupa's candidacy was Diane Reimer, the state coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, who said she did not know him and called him an impostor.

Several Republicans also joined the Krupa challenge, and GOP officials complained that Onorato's campaign helped Krupa gather signatures, an allegation the Onorato campaign did not deny.


Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/pa/20100817_Two_Pa__third-party_candidates_pull_out.html#ixzz0wttTC4rP
Watch sports videos you won't find anywhere else

3 wounded in Homewood when shooting erupts near football game

Ugh.

3 wounded in Homewood when shooting erupts near football game: "Hundreds of people were gathered around Stargell Field when the shooting occurred, watching a football game between teenagers from Homewood and the Hill District. Game organizers stressed that the shooting had nothing to do with the game, and said no players were hurt.
'This is a positive place for people to come,' said Monté Robinson, president of Homewood Community Sports. Mr. Robinson said hundreds of people gather to watch the weekend games.
'What it is, this little league is so popular in the neighborhood that everyone comes out,' he said. 'We do well for the most part, considering the balance of stuff going on in the neighborhood.
'It was an unfortunate incident. It was isolated,' he said."

Pgh Obama Middle School Cross Country -- get off on the right foot

Mr. Pitch, Frick X-Country Coach, -- or Pgh Obama is the real name -- is holding optional cross country meetings this week at 9 am on Tuesday and Thursday. This is for those in grades 6, 7 and 8 at Schenley Park's Track, up next to the Schenley Park tennis courts. They will go over the cross country course used in the middle school meets. And they'll start to do some running.

This is perfect for those who want to play water polo too. We'll swim with water polo on Monday and Wednesday at 10 am to noon at Kingsley. Then you can run on Tuesday and Thursday at 9 am at Schenley Park.

[412-public-news] Water polo anyone? And Run, Challengers, Run!

My email blast:

[412-public-news] Water polo anyone? And Run, Challengers, Run!: "[412-public-news] Water polo anyone? And Run, Challengers, Run!"

Hi All,

Hope your summer is ending in a splash, as ours is. With the help of
Kingsley Center and Wireless Neighborhoods, we are looking for new
water polo players: Boys, girls, men, women. Join us this week:

Monday, August 16, 10 am to noon at Kingsley Association.
Cost $0. http://www.kingsleyassociation.org/ , 6435 Frankstown Ave, 15206

Monday, August 16, 5 pm to 7 pm at North Park Swim Pool
Youth Admission, $3: Junior Admission ages 13 - 17 = $4: Adult, $5

Wednesday, August 18, 10 am to noon at Kingsley Association.
Cost $0. www.KingsleyAssociation.org, 6435 Frankstown Ave, 15206

Wednesday, August 18, 5 pm to 7 pm at North Park Swim Pool
Youth Admission 6 - 12, $3: Junior Admission 13 - 17, $4: Adult, $5

Saturday, August 21, 5 pm to 7 pm at North Park Swim Pool
Youth Admission 6 - 12, $3: Junior Admission 13 - 17, $4: Adult, $5

Starting August 23, we hope to have a schedule at Pittsburgh Schenley
/ PPS Obama at Reizenstein.

Call Coach, Mark at Rauterkus.com, 412 298 3432. Join the Facebook Group:
Pittsburgh Schenley Waterpolo

Next game is early on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at I.U.P. Games for
boys and girls, varsity and junior-varsity.

+ + +

I had a great time teaching swimming and water polo the past 5 weeks
with the Pgh Public Schools Summer Dreamers. Plus, we've been holding
open water polo play at Peabody HS. It has been great to have kids
from Shaler, NA and even a college player from CT join with our city
kids. (photos online). But we do need to recruiting additional players
for next week and beyond.

+ + +

In political news, it is a crying shame that the lawyers from the old
parties are mounting campaigns in the courts to challenge the
challengers and knock them off the ballot. Libertarians, Greens,
Indies and even some Tea Party candidates trying to flex some power
with the people at the ballot box in the General Election come
November in PA. But, those with power don't want voters to have a
choice on election days. Ugh. Ballot access presents one of the
greatest hurdles we face in PA in terms of building a healthy, shared
political life.

+ + +

Safe travels to everyone, everywhere. (Erik is in South Korea one more
week. Catherine and Grant go to Boston this weekend.)

Be safe with the start of the scholastic sports season too!


--
Thanks for listening!


Mark Rauterkus Mark.Rauterkus at gmail.com
Swimming and Water Polo Coach, Pittsburgh, PA
http://Rauterkus.blogspot.com http://CLOH.wikia.com
412 298 3432 = cell

It's Un-American

News Release
For Immediate Release—August 16, 2010
http://www.nepalibertarians.org
Lou Jasikoff at atiofny@aol.com or 570-945-5420

Wilkes-Barre, PA— The two behemoths of corruption known as the Democrat and Republican
Parties have, once again, challenged the petitions of all statewide third party candidates in
Pennsylvania. What has now become normal modis operandi by these parties of chicanery and
deception to insure only they can compete in the arena of ideas must not be tolerated any
longer and will not be without a fight. “Keeping candidates off the ballot is as bad, if not worse,
than denying one the right to vote,” said Lou Jasikoff, Chair for the Northeast Pennsylvania
Libertarian Party.

Jasikoff added “currently we have men and women dying in Iraq and Afghanistan to ensure free
and open elections there and yet both the Democrat and Republican parties found it necessary
– even in light of ‘bonusgate’ – to choke off access to the ballot and to give citizens less choice.”
“Joe Sestak himself filed to keep the Green Party off the ballot as its petitions were most
susceptible to challenge. Is the new game plan of the Democrat Party to attack those it views
as most vulnerable? And let’s not forget the Republican operatives in this endeavor challenging
the Tea Party and Libertarian candidates.”

Jasikoff concluded “the wretched place that both the Republican and Democrat parties -- and
only the Republican and Democrat parties -- have brought this nation must be addressed now.
The endless wars, a broken economy, a failing education system and never ending corruption
plus cronyism are the direct results of their policies. The system can only be fixed when new
ideas and competition are allowed into the political arena. It will never get fixed by limiting
voter choice, squashing voices and keeping qualified candidates off the ballot. It is
unacceptable and it is Un-American.”

For more information: Please visit us at http://www.nepalibertarians.org/, http://www.votemullen.com/,
http://www.vote4betsy.com/, or http://www.votebergman.com/ .

Update to the Title IX post

From a reporter. In part.

Thanks for the link and your earlier message. I just wanted to clarify one point in your blog -- we used data from 2003-2009. When we reported that the 2003-04 academic year was the last data available, that meant we could not go beyond that (in the past). The most recent data is from 2008-09 -- the 09-10 school year will not be available until October.

Fw: Practices Mon, Wed, Saturday at North Park

The email below comes from the NA's Tiger Water Polo. They played with us on Friday at Peabody. We'll go there and play with them this week at North Park on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday from 5 to 7 pm.

Hi Everyone,

We plan to hold practices this coming week at North Park on Mon, Wed and Saturday – all from 5pm to 7pm. Hoping that vacations are wrapping up for everyone so that we can get a full complement of players back in the water. I miss seeing everyone and look forward to having the kids together again this week. A few other things:

September 1^st marks the start of our Fall Season. The highlight of the fall is the Pennsylvania Middle School League. We plan to host one of the tournaments, just like last year, and we will plan to travel out east to play in one or two events (definitely the championship though! Last year Tiger Water Polo won the State Middle School Championships. We’ll see if we can repeat. It will take lots of hard work and commitment this fall. In addition to the state league, we are working on a local middle school schedule of games. We have kids from Shaler and the City of Pgh interested. Hope that it will work out – the more we can do locally the better. Also this fall, we’ll plan to compete in a couple of Northeast Zone events, most likely at Navy.

Our fall practice and game schedule is not yet finalized as pool time commitments always come to us last minute. Once the schedule is assembled – we’ll plan a parents meeting and send a flyer so that you can do your planning

The 14 and Under group wants to wish a fond farewell and good luck to Gabe Gaspar, Dominic Moore, Kiean Ashtari and Nate Horan who are moving up to the high school program this fall as 9^th graders. These guys have all been with us since the very beginning. We are happy for them, but are going to miss having them with us until their return later in the year.

We also want to wish a good luck and farewell to Mia Siclari, Laura Fox, Chloe Baierl, Abi Rubio and Caroline Bojarski who will also be moving up to the high school ranks. We are so proud of all of them and can’t wait to get them back after the high school season

Look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. Thanks.

Jim

Despite Title IX, female athletes trail in aid

Title IX, China style.

Update below:

Get on the bus, Gus.

Despite Title IX, female athletes trail in aid: "Thirty-eight years after Congress passed Title IX, women fill fewer roster spots and earn fewer athletic scholarship dollars than men both locally and nationwide.
At the five Division I schools in the area -- the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris universities -- 46.9 percent of all undergraduate students in 2008-09 were women, but just 41.2 percent of all athletes were women, according to Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act filings. At each school, women accounted for a smaller percentage of athletes than they do undergraduate students."

This answer from E.J. Borghetti sucks. Pitt can't get away with that type of blow-off answer. They're talking to 'watchdogs' -- right?

'That information is complicated,' Pitt athletic spokesman E.J. Borghetti wrote in an e-mail, 'and because of the press of other business, we simply are not in a position to continue to compile and explain data.'

Let me hold your hand and help you with the big words. Let me get to the real work here. By the way, let's get your help so we can put the big P-G sign up at the next athletic event and give you a bigger sponsorship presence too.

I'm reading between the lines a bit. But, the P-G didn't bat an eye when Pitt Stadium came down, despite the big green P-G sign in the endzone.

Furthermore, the next part of the article reveals more suckage. The last available data came from 2003-2004! This is 2010! The folks in the last available data are long gone. That's not good enough.

Pitt was the only one of the five schools, according to Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act figures, where women earned a smaller portion of athletic financial aid than they accounted for total athletes in every year dating to the 2003-04 academic year -- the last available data."

Let's do the math. If it would take Pitt about 23 more female athletes to bridge the gap, according to Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act figures, then it would make GREAT SENSE to begin a women's water polo team and be even. That would fix everything. Get 23 women on the team and Pitt would be made in the shade.

Furthermore, Pitt has the water polo facilities. It has the capital cost covered. And, the expense of a few balls and swim caps are peanuts. Plus, there might be a way to double count some of the women on the swim team as also on the water polo team. But, as the program grows and develops, the team would have water polo players who are NOT the same as the swimmers.

At the University of Michigan, the women's water polo team has four goalies. Not a single water polo player at Michigan is also on the swim team. So, there are dozens of students walking around Ann Arbor because of the water polo team. These kids would not be there if water polo wasn't offered.

Western PA has a ton of high school swimmers. Many of those could jump to water polo to play a sport in college.

Furthermore, the men's water polo team can still stay as a club sport. And, today, there is a women's water polo team at Pitt -- but it is not a VARSITY sport. So, the overhead at Pitt would be easy to cover.

Pitt could also play some varsity games with Chatham University, a local VARSITY water polo program. Perhaps the teams could even travel together to some tournaments and host other tournaments in partnerships. Chatham has been playing varsity water polo, with its great facility in use, for a few years now. And, Chatham Cougars grew the sport from the ranks of a club team. And, Chatham does not need to worry about Title IX issues, as it is women's university.

Varsity Women's Water Polo team at Indiana University, Bloomington. The IU rivals are the U of M.

This is funny: Mr. Pederson used Pitt's women's basketball team as an example of the school's commitment to equality. When the university sought a new radio partner for its football and men's basketball teams, Mr. Pederson said any deal had to include a broadcast deal for Pitt's women's basketball games. Pitt football and men's basketball games will air live on 93.7 The Fan while Pitt women's basketball games will air live on 1320 WJAS-AM.

Let's do the math.

Radio partner for MEN's FOOTBALL + MEN's BASKETBALL = 2. Hence balance = 1 = Women's basketball. Mr. Pederson, 2 > 1. That's NOT equal.

Finally, I want to know more about the local universities. There is more to college than just the scholarships. What about CMU, W&J, Slippery Rock, IUP and PSU-Allegheny? What about CCAC too? If the P-G really cares about college sports in the region and women's participation, cover all the institutions at all the levels.

Update:

I just wanted to clarify one point in your blog -- we used data from 2003-2009. When we reported that the 2003-04 academic year was the last data available, that meant we could not go beyond that (in the past). The most recent data is from 2008-09 -- the 09-10 school year will not be available until October.

Thanks for the insights and clarity. Makes sense. Not much need to look back past 2003 in my humble opinion.

Football head injuries

Of course there are parents who won't let their kids play football. I won't let my two boys play.

I got to play at Catholic school in grades 5, 6, 7 and 8. I had neck injuries. Nothing too bad where I ever missed school. But my neck wasn't right and it would go in spurts. There were classmates of mine who were NOT allowed to play football too. I'm 51 and live in Pittsburgh.

My other big worry is soccer. I think that the use of the head in soccer is just as bad if not worse for one's health, long term. My kids won't play soccer either. We should outlaw the use of headers in soccer for all under the age of 14.

Sports should be a way to make for better fitness, wellness and humanity. Not worse. A September without football would be fine. We'd play water polo. We'd bike race. We'd play touch rugby. We'd do cross
country running and cyclocross (bike). We'd kayak.

Podcast of Edge of Sports show with Dave Zirin, http://www.edgeofsports.com/radio/rss.xml

North Allegheny visits PPS Peabody for water polo play on Friday the 13th

We don't know the real score, but it is safe to say we all were winners. Jim, the guy in the photo below, said it well. "It is a great day when we play water polo." And it was.

The guy on the bench was the ref. Jim coached the visitors. The Shaler crew was split between both of our teams. And Peabody's pool, and our kids, got a nice workout.

Warm-up swims.

Sheradan, our full-time goalie, and Grant, my son. Grant said he had four goals today. We were not counting -- yeah right. Our other goalies, Donald and Christopher, didn't show up. Boys, a sleep over is not an excuse. The game didn't start until 10:30 am.

Other notes of interest: Thanks to Marshall Melnyk for bringing your pal. Hope he comes back. He jumped in for his first time ever to play waterpolo into a game. And he held his own very well. Impressive.

Devon is on the wall with both hands. He swims at Allderdice and with the Kingsley Stingrays. He has been attending practice in the swim pool at Highland Park, 50-meter. Then he joins us right after that for waterpolo. He got a goal today!

In the water, everyone isn't equal -- but they are more equal than if on land.

Waterpolo is for girls and boys of all ages. Even former Penn State polo players / present day coaches get into the action. I'd love to get more adults playing with us. Then as we advance in participation, we'll be better able to break the groups into more similar settings.

Gay umpire's ordeal shows sad state of sports - MLB News - FOX Sports on MSN

Gay umpire's ordeal shows sad state of sports - MLB News - FOX Sports on MSN: "Ump's ordeal shows sad state of sports"

Urgent Rally

Earlier this week – and at the last possible moment – the Democrats and Republicans filed legal challenges regarding the ballot access petitions of EVERY third-party statewide candidate, regardless of party, plus a number of local candidates as well. Read the Inquirer story at www.tinyurl.com/2be88hu. A joint press release issued by Pennsylvania’s third parties is copied below.

Should the challenges succeed, not only will the candidates be summarily booted off the ballot, they could also be fined over $80,000. That’s what happened to the challenged statewide candidates in 2004 and 2006, and both the Pennsylvania and U.S. Supreme Courts have already upheld the legality of such draconian fines.

This sort of suppression of democracy is unconscionable. It’s time we take action.

This coming Sunday, August 15th, four separate rallies in support of voters’ choice will be held in Southeastern Pennsylvania at the homes of four of the politicos who are using legal shenanigans to crush their competition. We’ll be calling on them to renounce their unjust political games and let the voters of Pennsylvania have a true choice on the ballot this November.

The rallies will be held in South Philadelphia and near Media in Delaware County beginning at 12:30 and ending at 4:30. A map showing the exact locations and times can be found at http://www.tinyurl.com/RallyForVotersChoice . The rallies are intended to be peaceful, and since there are sidewalks at each rally location, feel free to bring the kids along for a valuable civics lesson. If you’re the artistic type, you may want to take a few moments beforehand to create some colorful signs and banners. I’ll be bringing along my picture of “Uncle Joe”, below. He seems to be the perfect logo for the event.

Please pardon the short notice. We only received word of the challenge on Tuesday, and the court proceedings start this coming Monday. Time is short. The time to act is right now!

See you there,

- Ken
--------------------------------------------
Ken Krawchuk
Libertarian for Pennsylvania Governor (1998, 2002)
Past Chair, Libertarian Party of Pennsylvania (2002-04)

Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player

Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player: "Duquesne men's basketball signs Jamaican-born player"

The interesting facts: Two of the five are prep school kids.


Wright, nicknamed "Air Jamaica" was born in Jamaica, lives in Brooklyn, N.Y. and attended Brittain Academy in North Carolina.

The forward/center, Derrick Martin, is from Montgomery, Ala. and George Washington Carver High School and then the prep school is Flora MacDonald Academy in North Carolina.

A high percentage of the kids going to Duquesne next year are not straight out of high school. They went to a prep school for 13th grade. They got to mature and develop as players and students. They got to find the right match for them at the college ranks. They still have all their NCAA eligibility.

If these students went to CCAC, then they would not be able to transfer into Duquesne University and play right away. They would have also lost a year, if not two, of eligibility.

Pittsburgh Public Schools should get a 13th grade option for its students. Then our kids would not need to go to North Carolina to find a prep school.

Free food. But, there is more to the story than just the food.

Celebrate the Commitment &
Hard Work of 180 Urban Youth
Dear Stakeholders of the Youth Career Development System:

Let’s celebrate! The Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation and its workforce development partner, the Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center, are pleased to invite you to a celebration of the success of our summer youth interns.

Your presence at the event will reinforce to the 180 youth the importance of their commitment to training and career development. Far too often, the negatives of the urban communities are highlighted. Media stories and images place the spotlight on youth that are involved in crimes and deviance. This is an opportunity for us to recognize urban youth and families that have displayed a commitment and strong work ethic throughout the summer. It is a vital step in the maturation process for these youth to see that their proper behaviors and accomplishments are recognized and valued by employers and community leadership.

Plans for the event include lots of food and entertainment. Some youth, worksite supervisors, and local and state leaders will briefly address the crowd to talk about their experiences and the importance of youth workforce development. The schedule for the event is:

Date: Monday, August 16th
Schedule: 3-4:30 PM - Food/Entertainment
4:30-5 PM - Success Stories
Location: BGC Youth Development Center
5321 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

Attached, please find a flyer with all of the event details. We really hope that you are able to attend this important day that puts a spotlight on the amazing summer that we all experienced. Anyone is welcome to join us, so please feel free to spread the word about the celebration.

Yours Truly,

Richard Flanagan
Youth Development Director, Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation
Director, Eastside Neighborhood Employment Center

On Monday at 5 pm, we'll be jumping in the pool to play water polo at North Park.

'Reuse The Igloo' Tries To Stave Off Civic Arena Demolition - Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh

'Reuse The Igloo' Tries To Stave Off Civic Arena Demolition - Pittsburgh News Story - WTAE Pittsburgh: "'Reuse The Igloo' Tries To Stave Off Civic Arena Demolition"

Save the Civic Arena.

Start of school: 9:10 for middle school and 7:45 for high school.

The start time for Pittsburgh Obama grades 6-8 are 9:10 AM and the end time is 4:03 pm.
The start time for Pittsburgh Obama grades 9-10 are 7:45 am and the end time is 3:00 PM.

Woops. I was wrong. I had heard (bad rumor I guess) that the start and end of the school days for the middle and high school students would be much closer together this year. Perhaps I was wishing that they were more together.

It is weird to have two students in the same building be not be able to have them in the same realm of travel. But, I guess that is what they want.

Moreover, I was hoping that the school day would end for the middle school students so that the high school kids could start their afterschool at 3 pm and not need to deal with avoiding the physical education classes of the middle school students.

For instance, when the high school is done and ready to start swim practices, there is a one hour delay before they can get into the swim pool because there are middle school physical education classes until 4. Same too with the gym.

I'll be talking with the principals about this again within a week when I get to visit with them.

Last year they made a GREAT ACCOMIDATION for the swim team and nixed the last period middle school physical education swimming period when the bulk of the swim season arrived. The kids did other activities so that the 40 or more high school kids could swim and get home at a decent hour.

Perhaps something is in the works with getting the final period to be for health or for outdoors activity?

Open Letter to Students and Families of PPS Summer Dreamers, Health Smart at Peabody

From: Mark Rauterkus, swim coach

Date: August 13, 2010

With Summer Dreamers, we got to do some swimming. But there is a whole lifetime of fitness and learning that needs to continue. This letter is an invitation to join us for additional, ongoing fun at the swim pool with water polo.

Many of the students in Summer Dreamers made great progress in the three lessons at the Kingsley swim pool. Almost all who came got to the point of being able to swim across the pool in the deep end. Messages of closing your lips, body position, floating, head under, rolling, big strokes and kicking were blended with some high energy games and teamwork play.

We played a modified game of WATER POLO -- and I'm not sure about the kid's reactions -- but I had a great time. The lifeguards and camp leaders all played hard with the kids. The effort level was high and new rules were followed.

Everyone needs to know how to swim. Swimming can save your life. Use our city pools with Citiparks, our school pools with PPS, and the Kingsley Center opportunities. Visit the Allegheny County Pools, such as North Park. Be confident to swim at Sandcastle, the beach, and then one day, swim around off your boat while on vacation. I'd love for all the kids to be strong in the water. Now is the time to dedicate yourself to getting those skills and growing up fit.

Learn how to master flip turns, butterfly, breastroke, backstroke. Learn how to race and compete on a swim team. Train with a coach and team mates. Strive to be on a high school squad and do relays and participate in the City Campionships. Score goals in a real water polo game against out of town players.

When swimming is offered at school in gym class, get in the water. Ask the teachers to show you something new. Try new skills. Consider getting a job as a lifeguard too. Always respect the water and the environment.

Some of the students have splendid swimming talents. Most can become aquatic athletes with practice. If you want to continue with some structured instruction, see these details.

Join us for WATER POLO on:

Monday, August 16, 10 am to noon at Kingsley Association.

Wednesday, August 18, 10 am to noon at Kingsley Association.

Cost $0. www.KingsleyAssociation.org, 6435 Frankstown Ave, 15206

Plus, the Kingsley Stingrays are another option for year-round competitive swimming.

We had a great time. Let's keep going to the pool. There is much more to do, learn and explore. Develop into scholar athletes and responsible adults that value community fitness.

Hope to see you soon!

Today Show, Navy Seals, Water Polo

This is from months ago, but I'm just seeing it.

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