Where It All Went Downhill

My kids all ran cross country. The strangest phenomenon ever took place on the middle school course. The loudest cheers of the meet weren’t for the 3rd, 2nd or 1st place runners, nah. They were for that underachiever that didn’t put the same effort in, at practice or at the meet. Many minutes (seemed like hours) after all the others were done you’d start to hear a dull roar. I’d cringe and think to myself “Here comes last place!”
Suddenly this kid would muster up some energy mixed with heavy theatrics. The crowd (minus myself of course, I wanted to boo.) and the rest of the team( faked by my kids of course) went wild as this kid crossed the line. I know they were jockeying for last place after observing this time and time again. Shortly thereafter America went downhill.
Disclaimer: I coached youth sports for many years. Soccer,(sorry) baseball, basketball, wrestling and Judo. Physically challenged kids tugged at the old heart strings. This wasn’t that. It was celebrating underachieving plain and simple. At least that’s how I saw it.

 

Maybe I’m wrong. It seems like around this same time was when this “Pay it Forward” nonsense started. It’s much easier if everyone just pays for their own latte in line, in fact the whole system breaks down otherwise.

 

This?

 

It all went downhill when they outlawed dodgeball.

 

I have always thought, that first one has to learn how to lose before one can learn how to win.

What I mean is that losing has value in itself. It is a strong motivator to try harder, teaching persistence, tenacity, how to achieve one dreams and the sweet taste winning after all the hard effort, the 'blood, sweat and tears'. Learning to lose is a guide to life. You either learn from it or you roll over and become a worthless sack of bones and blood.

Why would some be so evil as to take that from their own children...well, I've no idea. It is part of being human and growing into adulthood. I truly cannot understand that...I guess they hate their kids but, more likely, hate themselves.

 

and Jarts

 

Lawn dart dodge ball,Now that was a hoot.
You had to be fast fast.
Kinda like playing mumble peg or chicken with a knife.

 

ROTF-LMAO

Film at 11?

 

We played a version called "German Dodge Ball", which had nothing to do with Germans and no clue why we called it that. When you got hit, instead of going to sit on the bench, you moved to a line behind the opposing team. Then, if the ball came across that line, you could get it and pelt them from behind, while remaining immune from being hit yourself.

No wrenches though.

 

I went to my daughter’s field day, once. Everyone got a ribbon. Even if you threw the softball backwards. I remember ours well. One kid in my grade could beat me in the premier event, the 30 yard dash. Tommy Royce. See, it had meaning. If you sucked you knew earlier in life. You could play with dolls and later become a politician perhaps.

 

You need to go back further than the "creation" of participation trophies to find the time uncontrolled downhill runs got started. More like the soft headed thinking in the field of education, promote them regardless, let the work place sort them out. That would be when the hippies let their kids loose on the world.

 

or

3 out of 4 of these buckaroos are from Texas.

How can I tell? Check the buckles....

 

They stopped giving swats in schools.

 

I was perhaps too competitive when raising/coaching my kids but thank the Lord they’ve all turned out good. They even still talk to me. They knew if they were in it it was to win it no doubt. Be humble though and have class.

 

Something else that’s relevant albeit painful. Mostly to George but a few of us were together for 4 years, one goal in mind.
1979. The city Little League championship. In those days that was a really big deal. Hundreds of people attending.
Bottom of the 6th inning, 2 outs and we hold a 3 to 1 lead. The opponent has runners on first and second when a pop fly is hit in the air to our first baseman. (He’s a 12 year old but a new kid to town) I’m at shortstop ready to throw my glove into the air in celebration but something told me “hold on Meat, it’s George.” My girls could have caught that ball 99 out of 100 by the age of 7, no problem but.....George dropped the ball. 2 runs scored and tied the game. In the scramble the batter ended up on 2nd. The next batter(Mark) hit a ball to the fence, game over. George never lived that down obviously and they moved out of town two years later, perfect. Winners and losers in this world, it’s been that way since the beginning of time. I turned out ok right? Lol.

 

My Mistakes have not taken lives , all else is just all flap and no thrust !!
You did fine , as many do . CCR has a song , teach them well.
Sloth

 

My seven year old cousin played little league baseball and one of his teammates started crying when he was not given the first base position. When I say crying, I mean whining voice and tears/snot flowing. He had not shown any aptitude or enthusiasm, and missed at least a third of the practices (which his mother complained earlier that she couldn't drag him away from his computer to attend practice). My cousin played outfield and always show excitement and team spirit at every practice and game even though he was regulated to the outfield. He pantomimed boohooing to the other kid to show his distain and was promptly pulled from the game and warned that such behavior would result in him being kicked of the team. This while the crybaby points, laughs, and flips him the bird sneakily while the coach isn't watching him but everyone else can see. The crybaby is coddled and told he'll play first base the next inning and my cousin rides the bench (which is a real punishment for him).
It killed any joy of sports for him and quit after a couple more games in disgust of having to put up with losers who should not have even made the team in the first place. Luckily, he seems to really enjoy Scouting and his mother and grandfather are involved with it.

 

This is exactly why we are having so much trouble in this country. These kids grow up thinking if they cry and scream and carry on long enough their irresponsible parents will give into them and they do. These parents are responsible for creating this generation of spoiled/entitled leftist adults who have taken it to the next level if they don't get what they want from the government or society they riot. "Spare the rod spoil the child"

 

^^^^Yup. My “Time Outs” involved pain. Ouch!