I can't seem to link the local paper here in the Kawarthas but let this suffice: teapots are trembling about Peterborough, Ontario. Members of a national movement called the Fair Play Movement are letting it be known they want all kids in organized sport to be given a bigger piece of the pie- or the ball or the puck or the stick. Seems some incensed parents have watched their budding athletic geniuses cool their hinies too long on the bench during season games and they want coaches put on a leash. A figure in play at the moment is five minutes: every player must receive five minutes on the ice or on the field or whatever per game. As a guaranteed minimum. No doubt gangs of clock watchers will see that such rules are applied.
The local response has not been mixed. Most writers insist coaches have the final call and it is only they that can be aware of all the variables before a game starts.
Regulation madness. This is what democracies degenerate into. Last week it was the province announcing it intended to expand its bike helmet program. Everyone will soon be required to wear one. On it goes. Once a rule is applied it gets sticky. And augmentation digs in its hoary root.
Is it the purpose of a democracy to control the lives of its citizens?
As a Father of two boys on Lacrosse teams, I can understand your position. My boys get plenty of play time, but Lacrosse has always had a slightly more aggresive rotation then hockey.
I have noticed however, on my youngest' team, there a few young ones that are not as quick on the field or sharp with their handling, and they tend to get passed over once or twice a game, in the rotations.
I'm a competative guy, I'm driven to succeed, but these are kids. All of ten years old or around there. How are they going to get any better if they get passed over some many times per game. These teams are semi publicly funded, then in that case, ALL particapants should have equal oportunity to participate. It is only fair. As Ten Penny mentioned, once you hit the leagues that require "Try outs", then we are in a whole new situation. There is a level of competion and a proven need to validate the effort by taking titles. As a competitive guy, drive to succeed, I can whole heartedly agree with strategic rotations. I'm already seeing it in my oldest boys league.
Interesting reply! It's intriguing, given the way civic duties and legislative responsibilities divide, to witness the progress of certain initiatives across Canada. It seems once the candle's lit you can't put it out. Given the time spent on teleconferencing and its sisters, it's likely no legislative movement now operates in isolation. (Which must be an alluring beacon to those who think all standards should be nationalized.)
Peterborough is one of sport's jewels in Canada. Probably supporting the growth of more top level hockey players than any similar region and sure to be a contestant in lacrosse and baseball. The local populace seems furious that a special interest group is trying to co-op coaches at all levels and diminish the role various volunteer helpers play in building teams. Dunno.
Regulation is pushy business. On another note Ontario continues to build on its anti-smoking legislation. It's a little hypocritical given the large hole for underage users. On the front page of the Examiner today is the picture of a cigarette puffing 17 year old interviewed about NY resolutions. If i was to have given him this cigarette I'd be charged and liable to a hefty fine, if a store had sold it to him no less than a $4000 fine would be levied and yet underage smoking itself isn't a crime. Now that's a head scratcher. And one for the regulators to explain.
These concerns are a symptom of the liberal nanny state mentality. Vote conservative. They're like Buckley's, it tastes like shyte, but it works, lol.
I could go into the demographics of the Peterborough region and point a chubby finger at the woodsy outdoorsmen, mentality of the suburbanites that inhabit the area,as primer, to the crop of quality athletes. But that would just be hypocritical of me. But I argue that in Newmarket, there is a very good crop of players making headlong strides to stardom.
You can't fault regulation on the job front. Without it, government services departments would soon be depopulated. Canada, like its fellows today, relies on incremental control of all political and educational and social functions in its jurisdiction. Regulation is huge business. That's why a boom in studies and consultants has emerged in the last quarter century. That's why panels are omnipresent that tinker with existing rules and codes. The web gets stickier year by year. The spider bigger.
Once again, vote away from the creators and ferilizers of the nanny state, if it so infuriates you. The ndp and liberal regimes are a sure bet on increasing the burgenning welfare program, known as government waste and largess.