Do the math: it's sure not about money
Pub Date: 11/1/2006
By Ronda Carpenter-Wiggers
Montana Coin Machine Operators Association
Being the mother of three teen-aged kids, I get to sit through a lot of sporting events. You know the kind: the coaches are only good if they are playing my kid AND winning'; and most of the dad s are better at officiating than those clowns in stripes out on the field.
My eldest son s team is winning this season (they have great coaches). His complaints are limited to the starting rotation and whose name is appearing on the sports page.
He commented recently that one of his buddies really over-reacts when he isn t in on the first play of the game. It turns out his dad is pretty hard on him when he spends too much time on the side-lines. I have to wonder how coaches keep track of all the family issues that the kids bring to the field every day.
My youngest is in the learning stage of girl s basketball. It makes you truly appreciate that the Montana High School Association eliminated the jump ball rule years ago.
I truly can t tell you their win/loss record. I just know the games are long and the parents usually aren t happy with the officiating. I have called a few grade school games and know it is fairly tough to balance teaching the game, keeping the kids in control and letting them play a little.
No one seems to notice that these games are played at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and 9 a.m. on Saturdays and that the refs are generally leaving their paying jobs (and taking time from their day off) to run up and down the court so our kids can play.
The coaches are the problem with our middle child. Although they were undefeated city champs, most were sure that the coaches were a bit...well, unorthodox. They weren t running the plays that the high school coaches use, they ran the same play too often (it usually resulted in a TD) or they weren t substituting the second string soon enough.
I believe someone told me that the coaches make $500 for a middle-school football season. I did the math. That s less than minimum wage. They must truly love the kids and the sport, to not only give their time, but to also put up with the parents who are part of the package.
In between games, I am assisting in the waning weeks of a few campaigns, while also preparing for the upcoming legislative session. I find a few similarities between the two.
By the time this goes to print, the election will be at hand. I don t know who will win or lose, and that really isn t the point.
Over 250 Montanans set aside their personal lives and signed on the dotted line to become a candidate. They are playing the best they know how. Some of them are making choices that I don t agree with, but then, my name is not on those signs out in the yard.
Many of them attend practice every day, play hard and play by the rules. But when the final buzzer sounds, they won't be in the lead.
Their efforts are not in vain. They brought ideas and people into the process that may not otherwise have been heard. They held incumbents responsible for their voting record. They are giving voters a choice in their representation. They are participating.
I m hopeful that besides opening Christmas gifts and packing for Helena, that something else will happen between now and the first day of the 2007 session. I m hoping that everyone will realize that the campaign is over. In many cases, this has been an extremely hostile campaign season. This needs to be put behind us. Hostility is no way to govern.
The 150 Montanans that head to Helena in January all have one thing in common. They care enough about the state and it s future to give up their personal time, and leave their jobs and their families for four months. It isn t about the money. I did the math.
The list of legislative proposals is growing day by day. Some of the ideas floating out there are interesting. Some might even be called unorthodox. Every legislator brings their own personal experiences with them and it is definitely reflected in the legislation that they request.
Everyone is not going to agree on all the issues. They aren t supposed to agree on everything. Every legislator, every lobbyist and every individual who testifies is representing a different idea and a different group of Montanans. Everyone has something to offer the debate.
We can spend a lot of time arguing over who gets playing time, whose name should be in the paper, what defense to run and how bad the calls by the refs are, but in the end, I m grateful for the people who donate their time for my kids' ball games and I m grateful for the people who donate their time at the legislature for my kids' futures.
[i]Source: The Montana Tavern Times, Nov., 2006, published monthly by Continental Communications, 125 W. Granite St., Suite 102, Butte, MT 59701.