Scoring Points: Saving Spring Sports
Just For Fun April 5, 2020
(Although Kemp has since closed schools for the remainder of the year. FYN Sunday Edition is still running this opinion in its original form to highlight some Georgia student athletes and their efforts for Spring Sports this year.)
With Georgia Governor Brian Kemp extending order for schools to remain closed until April 24th, April 27th is the new date that everyone should have circled on their calendars. That is the date that schools will reopen and high school sports should resume, however the threat of Covid-19 cancelling the rest of the spring season still lingers. Georgia High School Student-Athletes are starting to voice their concerns about the cancellation of their season. In an effort to perhaps calm some of those fears, GHSA Executive Director Dr. Robin Hines said Friday that Georgia still hopes to have some sort of spring sports this year.
Hines told a reporter of the Oconee Enterprise, “We would do everything that we could do to have some sort of abbreviated season and abbreviated championships. That would be our first goal that we would like to see happen. That goes on down to it being after the school year ends where it’s safe to do things again to allow schools to play games and have a senior night. The worst case scenario would be to cancel the spring season. But here at the Georgia School Association I’m not prepared to do that now.”
That worst case scenario is exactly what Georgia High School athletes are worried about. Georgia athlete Daniel Martin started a petition on Change.org that can be found here, a petition that already has over 30,000 signatures that is simply titled, Do Not Cancel Spring High School Sports. Many athletes all across North Georgia and the rest of the state have signed this petition in an effort to perhaps have one last couple of practices and games together with their squad. For some kids, they are facing the reality that they may never get to throw another pitch again or run in another meet. A reality that some might not be able to come to terms with yet and maybe they won’t have to. With as much support as this petition is getting and with as many athletes that are speaking their minds on social media across the state it is going to be a really tough decision that the state is going to have to make, in regards to a full cancellation of the season.
One positive thing that can be taken away from all this is it’s good to see the kids standing up for themselves and saying that they understand that this is a situation that can’t be dealt with lightly, but they also need us to understand where they are coming from. Hopefully Dr. Robin Hines is a man of his word and will do everything in his power to do right by these kids.
Ask Alex : Am I in too deep?
Lifestyle March 29, 2020
Hey Alex,
I have an addiction, but it is not drugs or alcohol or anything illegal. It is a huge part of my life, and I feel great when I am doing this hobby. I am not a very social person, and I have a small group of friends that join me regularly in this hobby. It is not ruining my life, I have a job and all, but I have had a relationship or two ruined over the years because I am so dedicated to this hobby. Am I really in too deep, or am I just overreacting?
Sincerely,
Need Direction
Hey Direction,
This is an issue that so many people deal with and everyone at some point has to decide to what extent they want to continue with their passion. I don’t feel that you are overreacting or that you are in too deep, but merely at a point of self reflection.
Your hobby isn’t ruining your life based on your own account, but it is ruining an aspect of your life that you feel like you need. You are going to need to find balance to have both, and this balance is going to come in one of two ways.
The first would be to start limiting your time with your hobby before looking for a relationship. Get into a pattern of “OK, I am only going to devote this much time to my interest in a week”. Be upfront with a potential significant other about the time you set aside for yourself, and stick to it. This way there are no expectations that aren’t being met down the road; your new love will know going into the relationship that “this is their hobby time”.
The other option of course is to find someone that is as passionate about your hobby as you are. In this day and age, with the use of the internet, our world is a lot larger, and finding someone with your interests is easier than ever. Perhaps if this person is out there, you wouldn’t have to modify at all, and grow a relationship based on mutual interests.
Sincerely,
Alex
Click Here to read last week’s Ask Alex : When did I cross the line?
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Scoring Points: Recruiting amid the shutdown
Just For Fun March 29, 2020
With all NCAA sports being shut down for the rest of the school year and with all high school sports in North Georgia and the surrounding area being axed for the foreseeable future, what does that mean for college recruiting?
The two biggest issues for recruiting as of now are how the NCAA, NAIA and NJCAA handle the extra year of eligibility that the current spring semester college athletes will be given. The NCAA has announced that they will be giving this year of eligibility back to those athletes if they want it, but what has not been announced and what I don’t think anyone in the aforementioned establishments even knows, is how the scholarships are going to work. Extending scholarships to these athletes coming back could really cut into the scholarship dollars that current high school seniors and juniors might be expecting. I would think that the only logical thing that the NCAA could do is to say “if there are 4 seniors on your team we’ll give you 4 extra scholarships to offer,” and just give and exception to being over the scholarship limit for the upcoming year.
This scholarship exception would answer the first problem at hand, but perhaps an even bigger problem is how can spring high school athletes gain exposure when there are no games to produce anything that colleges can scout?
In high school, I think most would agree that junior year is the year that most young athletes flourish and pop up on college recruits radars. In the area that we live in and enjoy, I know first hand that most athletes have wanting to compete in a conference or state championship at the forefront of their mind over college recruiting, but with the spring semester of sports being taken away and with no chance at being able to do either of those, most are switching their focus to how this is going to impact them long term.
Speaking to some scouts from local schools and colleges the answer that most had for fringe highschool athletes without any offers or much exposure to recruits, was to put together an email that explains why you think you’d be a good fit at the school you’re interested in. Tell them in detail what you bring to the table athletically and academically, along with your transcripts and any tape that you might have that could set you apart from the rest of the other 8 million high school athletes in the US.
In this day and age with social media and the internet at everyone’s fingertips, good players always surface. If you have a high school athlete at home or you’re a kid reading this worried about what your future holds, maybe the best thing you can do is take a breath. Go get up some shots in your driveway and put in some work at home. We’re in a situation that nobody has ever been in before. It’s more of the unknown that worries a lot of people, so control the things that you can and stay in shape and get to emailing those coaches.
Ask Alex : When did I cross the line
Lifestyle March 22, 2020
Hey Alex,
I am a huge extrovert and I have a need for attention. It may be a flaw, but it is who I am. However, I can’t really read people and I don’t know when I am overdoing it. How do normal people regulate themselves to know when they are being fun or funny, and when they just become obnoxious?
Sincerely,
I am who I am
Hey I am who I am,
First, I would address why do you really need this attention? Usually when a person over compensates in one aspect of their life, they are trying to make up for something that is lacking in another area. So before just sticking to the claim “it is who I am”, see if there is something that you are missing specifically that would be able to fill this need for attention. We are all constantly growing and changing after all, and it never hurts to look inward.
Next, I’m assuming that you are writing to me because your need for attention has stepped on a few toes and you have received a few negative reactions to your behavior. I applaud you for seeing that this is something on your end and not just everyone else’s problem.
The truth is there is no set social cues and there are no normal people. Yes, some are better at reading body language and vibes than others, but we all, at some point, will cross that line to obnoxious. The difference is whether you yourself are willing to make changes to correct the obnoxious behavior.
When you get a negative response because of your behavior take note, whether mentally or writing it down. See if there is a pattern to what is that you are doing that is bothering people and then self-reflect. Is that behavior or trait an important enough piece of your personality to hang on to it?
We are all maturing and never stop. Don’t accept “it’s just who I am”. We can all be better versions of ourselves.
Sincerely,
Alex
Ask Alex: Stressed by my Mother-In-Law
Lifestyle March 15, 2020
Hey Alex,
I’m stressed and trying to cope with my mother-in-law coming to live with me and my wife. It’s been rough because she wants to be a good daughter, but her mother is very needy and stressful. She constantly tells us what we’re doing wrong, but is physically unable to really help or contribute. How do I tell my wife that her mother is straining and hurting our relationship without causing more damage myself?
Sincerely,
Stressed
Hey Stressed,
Do you remember the vows of your wedding, for better or for worse? Well, welcome to worse, and I can assure you that throughout your marriage there will be many other ‘worses’, and they will quite possibly be worse than your current situation.
With that being said, you need to take some responsibility over these circumstances. Your mother-in-law might be adding stress, but she is not straining or hurting your relationship. How you internalize and react to the situation is what can cause the damage.
Your wife obviously feels love or obligation towards her mom or your mother-in-law would not be staying with you during a time of need. I am also assuming from your words that the mother-in-law is facing an issue that leaves her physically unable to live on her own. We can only hope that someone will be there to care for us when we inevitably face the time that we can no longer care for ourselves.
Your wife is probably already well aware of the stress that you are feeling, but you need to look at this from her point of view. She loves you both and she not only wants to be a “good daughter” but also a good wife. Don’t put her in a situation where she feels torn between you and her mother.
Approach your wife with solutions, not with the problem. You could possibly say, “Hey. I can tell this situation is adding some stress on the both of us. Why don’t we make plans to get out of the house once a week, just the two of us?”
She will appreciate that you aren’t just thinking of yourself, but thinking of the two of you as a team.
Sincerely,
Alex