144 replies to this topic

[oldlefty]

The money to operate most of these small school programs comes from the Athletic Boosters programs and lots of volunteers ...the original facilities were paid for, or are being paid for by ALL the taxpayers in the State Just saying,the facilities are already there now. The majority of the money to operate doesnt come from the taxes. People should have thought about this before ....remember...most of the money to build these new schools will be provided by the State....u know..the State that now has no money....guess what people....We the people are the State...and there sure are alot of stupid ones out there....this consolidation should have been done YEARS ago

[OSH]

oldlefty, on 19 September 2011 - 06:52 PM, said:

The money to operate most of these small school programs comes from the Athletic Boosters programs and lots of volunteers ...the original facilities were paid for, or are being paid for by ALL the taxpayers in the State Just saying,the facilities are already there now. The majority of the money to operate doesnt come from the taxes. People should have thought about this before ....remember...most of the money to build these new schools will be provided by the State....u know..the State that now has no money....guess what people....We the people are the State...and there sure are alot of stupid ones out there....this consolidation should have been done YEARS ago

Agreed! There are many ways the facilities can be used. Consolidation doesn't have to mean that facilities become vacant and obsolete...although that's usually what is done...

[Old Man P]

P-G soccer doesn't need to end. It needs to be given the same support and effort as "GOD's game" in Pandora (Football), if they ever expect to succeed and grow the Soccer program. When boys grow up they aren't given a real opportunity to choose what sport they want to play. When they are growing up they are directed as football is the way to go. Because this is true, as kids get older, if they don't choose to play football they get razed at school. I have heard this from many parents of kids who's children don't play football. Also, when kids get to be 10 and above there is no soccer in Pandora, so when the kids get to H.S. and want to play soccer again it is like starting over. If they had a good support group and the opportunity to play up to H.S. it would help with the effort of competition. They are holding a meeting tomorrow at 5:30 at the H.S. on the future of P-G Soccer that was set up by the Principal and A.D. They feel that it is a safety issue by having a co-ed team playing against boys teams. Only one girl this season has been hurt on the soccer team and that happened at practice due to field conditions. How many football players get hurt every season but that is ok? I don't understand the difference here. Why doesn't the community and school support other sports the same as football? Make the facilities better for soccer, like the football stadium and then additional things can take place, like safety of players and the possibilities of holding tournament games which brings in money to the school just like the beloved football program. Don't take the sport away if players want to play. America talks about how kids are not active enough and America is becoming more and more overweight. How does eliminating a sport that gives tremendous physical activity help in that issue as well. Just my two cents..I will leave it as that...before this becomes a book.

[hunt4em]

P-G is the third smallest school in the state to offer football. They are the smallest in the state to offer both soccer and football!! They have the most qualified coach they have ever had. That says to me the administration has tried to make it work. This program is in the self destruct mode. Don't blaim anyone they just don't have the numbers. As far as safety, do you really think 90-100 pound freshman girls should be playing against 170 plus senior boys??

[Old Man P]

That qualified coach has been there one year. People have to get used to something new. Football in Pandora is no better than soccer. O wait. They beat a TERRIBLE Hardin Northern team and they should beat Vanlue...makes it all worth it, doesn't it? HAHA. The kids will see the effort being made by the qualified coach and inspiration and will come back to the sport. It doesn't happen over night. Separately, would it make you feel more warm and cozy if it were 170 lb girls going against 90-100 lb boys?..Inspiration and determination are weighed in the heart, not in the physical presence.

[dkusma96]

hunt4em, on 28 September 2011 - 03:50 PM, said:

As far as safety, do you really think 90-100 pound freshman girls should be playing against 170 plus senior boys??

Do you think a 120-130lb freshman boy should be playing against 200lb+ senior boys?

Honestly, after watching PG play against a very large and physical team, if anything those hulking young men dialed it back when facing the young ladies.

Sure, they won't win a game and probably won't score a goal, but it still allows the kids to get outside and play the beautiful game instead of playing FIFA on the xbox .

[hunt4em]

P-G has over 100 boys playing football, midgets, Jr High and High school. Yes the varsity is having one of the worst years in history,because of a couple small classes.But things will get better soon. Can we say the same about soccer?

[Old Man P]

hunt4em, on 28 September 2011 - 07:36 PM, said:

P-G has over 100 boys playing football, midgets, Jr High and High school. Yes the varsity is having one of the worst years in history,because of a couple small classes.But things will get better soon. Can we say the same about soccer?

Anybody can say what they want. Just like you can say things will get better soon for your beloved football team. I like how you always have a "reason" soccer won't last but an "excuse" why football is down.

I'm excited to see your reply....makes me laugh honestly..brings laughter to a cloudy day..hahaha

[fanofthegame]

The end is here when there is no coach and/or enough players to field a team.

Currently P-G has both,the beat must go on. Support the kids.

[PirateFan9]

Old Man P, I think you missed a crucial sentence in fanofthegame's post:

fanofthegame, on 28 September 2011 - 10:32 PM, said:

The end is here when there is no coach and/or enough players to field a team.

Currently P-G has both,the beat must go on. Support the kids.

[Old Man P]

PirateFan9, on 29 September 2011 - 07:47 AM, said:

Old Man P, I think you missed a crucial sentence in fanofthegame's post:

If he meant it the opposite of the way I read it than I stand corrected. Depending on how you read the first sentence determines how the second sentence will be interpreted...haha

I have re read both sentences. I stand corrected. My apologies!

[PirateFan9]

I spoke (briefly) with Coach Smucker before the season started -- shortly after he had learned that two or three players from last year had decided to switch to football. He knew he was in for a tough season at that point. He also talked about the need to revitalize the youth soccer program in Pandora. Some of the U12 players (boys) from Pandora have played in Bluffton, with my younger son, so I know that there is some good potential in the pipeline ... but many of those kids are also involved in other sports(baseball, football, ...), so who knows where they might end up.

To be sure, improving PG soccer is a "chicken and egg" problem -- how do you convince good athletes to stick with soccer without demonstrating success? How do you succeed without a critical mass of good players?

[Old Man P]

PirateFan9, on 29 September 2011 - 10:18 AM, said:

I spoke (briefly) with Coach Smucker before the season started -- shortly after he had learned that two or three players from last year had decided to switch to football. He knew he was in for a tough season at that point. He also talked about the need to revitalize the youth soccer program in Pandora. Some of the U12 players (boys) from Pandora have played in Bluffton, with my younger son, so I know that there is some good potential in the pipeline ... but many of those kids are also involved in other sports(baseball, football, ...), so who knows where they might end up.

To be sure, improving PG soccer is a "chicken and egg" problem -- how do you convince good athletes to stick with soccer without demonstrating success? How do you succeed without a critical mass of good players?

I two have had conversations with Coach Smucker. I am coaching two of the younger divisions in Pandora. In the developmental leagues, if you will, is where we need to convince the kids that Soccer can be a way of life too. In turn, you are ruffling the feathers of the PG football gods..haha. Until soccer is supported and grows properly at the younger ages and kids stick with it, it won't form correctly at the H.S. level. When the majority of kids miss out on 2-4 years of youth soccer then try to just "pick it back up" most of the time that isn't going to work out in the end. I know that Coach wants to find out about the possibility of leaving the SAY soccer program and joining the league you talked about in Bluffton. Part of me is for that, and part is not. The powers that be within the Putnam Co. East SAY will be stepping down and hopefully whoever steps in (hopefully me..) will be able to rejuvenate a program that has seen downs in some areas. I have lots of ideas on rebuilding that as well as at the same time building the Soccer program in Pandora. I think the keys that are in place now at the top of PG Soccer are a good building block and taking the youth and building that foundation is what will hold the top together. I could talk about this forever, and I have a passion to see these kids and this program succeed, but I'm starting a small book now so I will stop here..haha

[dkusma96]

PG scored a goal tonight. Congrats.

[Old Man P]

The kids continue to work very hard at improving. I'm sure it isn't a great feeling to get slaughtered every time they take the pitch. As long as they keep the bigger picture in mind and work at it things will get better. People just need to support them and know this change is not an overnight process.

[dkusma96]

Old Man P, on 30 September 2011 - 01:03 PM, said:

The kids continue to work very hard at improving. I'm sure it isn't a great feeling to get slaughtered every time they take the pitch. As long as they keep the bigger picture in mind and work at it things will get better. People just need to support them and know this change is not an overnight process.

Well said. I, for one, didn't think they'd score all year, so it's a moral victory for the Rockets.

[Old Man P]

This was forwarded to me this evening:

Monday, October 17 the Superintendant made a recommendation to the School Board to do away with the Soccer Program at P-G. I will be hosting a meeting for all Soccer Parents (including those that have graduating Seniors - we need you too!) on Tuesday, October 25 at 7:00 PM to put a plan together to prevent this from occuring. People have worked really hard to keep the program alive at P-G and we owe it to them and our kids to do everything we can to keep the program going. Please feel free to invite any "Soccer" Friends. We can use all of the help we can get. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you and hope to see you on Tuesday!



It is a shame that the School has that little of respect for the kids who want to play soccer. If this were football and they had one kid on the sidelines for a game this wouldn't even be a thought. The soccer kids are working their A$$es off and are willing to play indoor and futsal and get involved in soccer through the spring to help change years of doing things wrong to help lay a new path for upcoming players in Pandora-Gilboa but nothing is good enough for a school that supposedly prides itself in being the smallest school to offer both soccer and football. When there are enough kids to field a team, a coach that can't wait to help these kids succeed in not only soccer but life, and parents that live to support those things, that should be a foundation that anyone should be willing to build off of, but NOT P-G Schools....smh...

If you want information on where the meeting will be let me know and I will get it to you.

[Rocketman]

P Diddy,
you are sadly mistaken if you believe that the superintendent or the BOE has any regards for what a bunch of parents think...........(ie: coach Braidic)
they also could care less about a few people showing up at a meeting........you see, it happens a lot here

[Old Man P]

Rocketman, on 18 October 2011 - 10:13 PM, said:

P Diddy,
you are sadly mistaken if you believe that the superintendent or the BOE has any regards for what a bunch of parents think...........(ie: coach Braidic)
they also could care less about a few people showing up at a meeting........you see, it happens a lot here

RM....Its sad that the parents of a community that send their kids to the school don't have more support with these decisions...

[Rocketman]

Well, we keep electing them so it doesn't say much for our intelligence either!