People are just as likely to say “living in the past” as they are to say, “hello how are you?”
We think TV was better when we were kids as opposed to the drivel that’s on TV now. We think music was better when we were kids than the nonsense that’s played today. Our parents think music and TV was better in their time.
And, for the sake of balance, today’s kids will probably see their kids’ music and TV shows as a bunch of tomfoolery. At age 45, I am still young relatively speaking but with three youngsters between the ages of 9-11, I find myself having “old man yells at cloud” moments.
Heck, we think sports was better back in the day.
Without further adieu, how about starting a Justin-Siena High Athletic Hall of Fame?
Here in the Napa Valley, Napa High established one in 1998. Vintage and St. Helena joined the fray in 2013. I believe Justin should start one in the not too distant future. Granted, the school has been dealing with much bigger issues such as the dismissal of former principal John Bordelon which days later led to the resignation of president Robert Jordan amid the uproar of Bordelon’s ousting. Br. Chris Brady has since become Justin’s new principal. He previously served as Dean of Students along with teaching history and religion at Justin from 1979-1983. He also held leadership roles at Sacred Heart Cathedral (san Francisco), De La Salle (Concord and La Salle High (Pasadena).
Between, Justin and Napa, it’s a photo finish on which school is a bigger hot mess in terms of administrative turmoil but I digress.
As for the possibility of a Justin-Siena High Athletic Hall of Fame, I was lucky enough to be a sports reporter on the Upvalley beat. I watched first-hand how the late Jim Hunt spearheaded efforts to establish the St. Helena High athletic Hall of Fame. Hunt graduated from St. Helena in 1962, where he starred in three sports before playing college football at California-Berkeley. He also coached Calistoga High from 1978-1985. Watching Hunt lead the charge to form the SHHS Athletic Hall of Fame was a thing of beauty.
I graduated from Justin in 1991, competing in both football and track & field. Though I have little connection to the school now, I have thought about how there would be many deserving names.
The task would be a large undertaking, but it’s fun to think about even if it never comes to fruition. But goodness sakes alive, wouldn’t it be great if it did? Picture Frank Defilippis, Nyrene Clark or Marcus Armstrong-Brown just to name a few on a plaque. We could think of several others but in the interest of time, I’ll allow you to think of others.
In my limited discussions with people, the biggest question of getting the ball rolling is how does one establish a Hall of Fame?
For starters, you’d have to find someone to spearhead the project who has time to do it, especially because there’s really no strategy to follow in the beginning. Not that I can think of anyone specific, but someone who is self-employed or retired would be ideal because they would have a flexible enough schedule to devote the time and interest to the project.
The sticking point, however, is that the person should not be a spotlight hound because the focus is about the inductees — not the inductors.
Then, once that person is appointed, he or she must find a committee. Then just like appointing a jury in court (even though there’s no legal ramifications here), the purpose is to get a good cross section of people.
Former athletes certainly have the in-depth knowledge of sports, but if you make the board purely ex-jocks you’ll get a combination of compelling stories but arguments with a high noise level. That’s fine within reason but not so much so to where very little gets done.
The ages of the selected committee should have variety as well and should ideally consist of those residing in Napa County or any surrounding county.
Since Justin is a private school that draws from three counties (Napa, Solano and Sonoma), finding someone that lives in Napa would be preferable because chances are they would be in tune with recent times. Living in Napa, however, should not be a prequisite.
Most importantly, there should be a sound standard with little variation. Do you want to factor in academic achievements? Some athletes might have been high achievers in that arena but were not long on academics.
What about criminal records of any kind (felonies or misdemeanors)? What was the athlete’s character like during and after their career?
How many years would one need to be out of school to be eligible for induction? Three years? Five years? Ten years? I’d say no more than 10.
The other question is, do you limit induction to just athletes and coaches? After all, there’s plenty of behind-the-scenes people that don’t get recognition but deserve such. How about boosters? How about administrators? How about teachers?
The next task would be raising funds for plaques, places for the induction dinner, selling tickets and covering various costs. One would think finding sponsors wouldn’t be difficult since small town businesses tend to be responsive. Then, there’s the whole matter of finding a place big enough to accommodate those attending the ceremony.
And we haven’t mentioned trying to find the inductees themselves. Well, those still in town are easy, but outside the area is another matter. Keep in mind, the inductee usually has a presenter. Then there’s the whole matter of how many inductees per year? Five would seem fair because any more than that would make the ceremony too long for people to stomach. After all, you don’t want a five-hour ceremony.
The voting part might seem easy but there’s several generations to take into account.
The important thing is to make the first one a smashing success to ensure future success. Let’s face it, if the first one stinks, you’re in trouble.
The question is, who would be willing to step forward with this undertaking?
It’s a huge job, but one worth entertaining.
No comments:
Post a Comment