That's the Way That the World Goes 'Round

I've talked about John Prine and his great song writing. The incredible part is so many fine artist sing his music. One of those artist is a young person named Macyn Taylor. The commercial stations have not found her yet. She travels a few days a year and she posts on YouTube. She is a talent to be reckoned with.

The Battle of Moscow

In the years from 1994-1996 we took Girls basketball teams from Eastern Iowa to Russia. The team we took in 1994 was the first women’s’ basketball team to go in from the U.S. after the Soviet Union fell. Some of the players that went the first year included Emily Bailey and Lori Hopkins from Gladbrook-Reinbeck, and Heather Bickert and Heather Bierschmit from Jesup. Coaches included Virgil Hovden and Nick Donlea, what a super trip that was. What an honor it is to represent your country in basketball internationally.

All three years we were sponsored by the Trinta Basketball School in Moscow. They were part of the engine of the old Soviet sports makeup. In the Soviet days what they would do for sports like basketball, is go to primary schools looking for the best athletes for certain sports and put them into schools that specialized in that sport. Trinta was one of those schools.

Trinta was a boarding school so they had dorms and a kitchen to put us up in. It was located in the heart of Moscow. It had an asylum on one side, a crematorium on one side, and a refrigerator plant on one side. They cremated bodies during the night on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That smell will stay with me the rest of my life. There was a pond on the grounds of the asylum where people would go swimming, some of the sights we saw there were quite unique as well.

The superintendent at the school was a woman and one of the coaches at the school. Her husband cooked for us when we stayed at the Trinta School. He had also cooked for Fidel Castro in Cuba at one point of his life. The car he drove was given to him by Castro. Part of our breakfast every morning included porridge. Although the Russians went out of the way to see that we ate well, we always tried to work in a lunch at McDonald’s and a supper at Pizza Hut. There Pizza Hut supreme pizza included corn on it.

We always went in August of each year so that anyone who played high school softball in the summer here in Iowa could go. Sometimes because of that they struggled to get us games because players and their families would leave Moscow for vacation in August. Now that I think about it that is similar to here.

One day  the second year we went the Superintendant came to me and said the team we were supposed to play could not get enough players together, she asked if it was alright if they put together a group of players to play us. I said sure we just wanted games. She scheduled us to play that day at one.

As our athletes were warming up, players started to arrive. One lady that walked in had a three year old by the hand. Another lady that walked in had a five year old and a baby in a stroller. Both of the ladies laced up shoes and started to warm-up, they had about five other high school age girls on their team.

What proceeded to occur was the largest beating, any team I ever coach took. The final score was 119-19, the mother that came in with the two children had 53 points and 27 rebounds, the other mother only had 28 points. They were open to shoot when they crossed the half-court line, absolutely amazing. That night at supper, the superintendant told me that they both had played on the Soviet Olympic team.

At least Napoleon had the excuse that he had got his army caught in Moscow in the winter.

Parachute Pants

Sometimes I think I need to wear parachute pants so I have enough pockets to keep the money in I need to carry. The reason being we have so many fundraisers in school and community wide. No complaints, because as an educator, I have been part of many over my years of coaching and teaching.

I know that in our community we have several fundraisers presently happening, two of the main ones being for an all-weather track, and the other being for a Buchanan County Humane Society(Animal Rescue).Because of all of these fundraisers I think we should use tax money to build a recreation department.

I have spoken and received emails from many people who see this as being something that would be very positive for our community. There are many people who are stronger then I am when it comes to how much money this would cost our community, and/or would be able to figure out what this would cost our tax base.

I know that I myself am willing to see a bump in my taxes for a project like this for our community.

Hard Times

As I have said before, I would rather listen to goat rope music more than anything else. Yet, there is a video on YouTube that keeps me going back. It is a song that is over 150 years old that is sung by Mavis Staples. Stephen Foster wrote it, the name is “Hard Times Come Again No More”.


Many people have done this song over the years, but Staples version is the most moving version I have ever heard. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Boot Camp

The town of Jesup is a wonderful place; I work in a great school where both the students and the faculty care. There is not much the faculty wouldn’t do for the students or the town or vice-versa. We are blessed.

With that said, Jesup needs a recreational department. The school has tried to provide much of what a community recreational department does, but it has limited funds and limited facilities. Parents also step to the plate to provide their children with opportunities, community businesses have opened to try and provide chances for the community as well. Still our community is limited without a recreation department.

Our community is large enough and wealthy enough to support a rec department staff with a facility. The City Council would have to step forward and begin this process. It is important our city also cares for the young people as well.

There is no doubt a small group would fight the program because of the cost. Yet, think of the opportunities, a bike path or walking path could be made, a recreation center with a gymnasium, weight room, place to hit golf balls, places to play handball, volleyball , and a indoor track (very small) among other things.

As a community we must step up now. It would be better for our community’s population health wise as well. It is proven that people that exercise live longer, healthier and more productive lives. I doubt that this one post can do much, but if enough people read it, pass it on, and promote it, to paraphrase the movie “ Field of Dreams”, “If you build it, they will come.”

Wounded In Action

Hugh DeBerg has given me his book about Northern State basketball Coach Don Meyer to read. It is incredibly moving. On Monday as I was reading it in seminar, I found myself in tears, if my students saw me crying they did not say anything.

Here is an article about him from ESPN.com, I hope you enjoy it.

Don Meyers's Long Journey

Hummie

Paul Humeston passed away recently of cancer. Hummie taught English and drama here at our school for over thirty years. I doubt that there was a kinder gentler man then Hummie. He lived in a giant old house down on Hawley Street here in Jesup and that house was just as unique and valuable as Paul.

Hummie was a true renaissance man, he gardened, acted, wrote, made whine, canned, cooked, wrote, fished, and truly loved his family. I have multiple stories of Paul; they are full of fun, laughter, and camaraderie. Maybe what was special about Paul was that I could show up at his and Caroline’s house at any time of the day or night and they would offer me something to eat or drink.

Paul sold me his and Jerry Donlea’s Cabin on the Wapsie. It was heaven on earth. He even let me keep his canoe down there and use it. One spring day Paul came to the cabin worried about me because the river was flooding. He talked me into taking the canoe to Cutshaw with him and putting it in the water, the access was about three miles above my cabin. The water was so high we could put in the ditch to get to the river. We paddled about thirty yards and the flooded river had us. We were going through timber and over logs and I was scared to death and Paul was sitting in the back of the canoe giggling the entire way. We did that three mile trip in a half-hour. I promised to myself I would never do that again.

Paul played the part of the Norman in a local presentation of “On Golden Pond”. He was full of happiness and fun. I can still see him doing a cartwheel in his room one of the last years he taught here at Jesup. His interest were so diverse.

My condolences go out to Caroline and the rest of the family. He made people’s life and our school better.