Just don’t expect Cape to lament the loss of your brain

Kyle White, who played point guard for Sussex Central then Cape Henlopen before going on to Delaware State then Goldey-Beacom, completed his basketball career by being named to the NABC All East team (see story on page 94). Back in 1983 I coached the older Kyle, a temperamental track talent with extraordinary gifts who broke 4:30 in the mile when he was just a sophomore, but at least he did it on absolutely no training base. Kyle the dad has remained in good shape - the benefit of no vices - and if he felt like it could clean up on the local road racing circuit.

Back in the day, I talked Cape lacrosse guy Aaron Hood, a retro hippie sort of fella, into a 5K. He showed up by bike. I “comped” his entry fee (spell checker prefers that I “chomped” it) and Aaron ran a 17:30 saying, “Thank you, that was fun, but what’s the point?”

THE INTELLECTUAL ELITE - There is no brain drain of students away from Cape Henlopen although self-anointed brilliant families sometimes elect other malls of matriculation, which is way cool, just don’t expect Cape to lament the loss of your brain. What is this, Young Frankenstein the sequel? Vikings Sarah Stokes, Josh Sharp, Kate McPike, Maren Ford and Karen Maull all went to Princeton. Erica Waples graduated from Yale. Kevin Bartley and Cherish Drain attend Harvard. Bryan Stevenson graduated Harvard Law; his brother Howard is a professor at Penn. Chad and Craig Epifanio have PhDs. Cheryl Wiggins also has a doctorate while brother Matt has a medical degree. Pete Coveleski and Jose Saez are also doctors. Mike Todd and Stephen Fitzgerald are West Point men while Priscilla Futcher, Marti Shue and Sean Mock chose the Naval Academy. Jen Purnell, Cornell; Kriste Betts, Bobby Maull, Anthony Burton, Jimmy Gill, Swarthmore; Susan Clark, Notre Dame; Jen Hicks, Ph.D., Stanford. I could keep writing for days and never scratch the surface of the successful students who came out of Cape and quickly gave credit back. Do lawyers count? And plenty of engineers, but where are all the trains?

Find me a college kid who blames his lack of productivity on high school preparation and I’ll show you an emerging adult poised for a long life of setting up scapegoats to deflect personal responsibility away from himself.

PROOF OF INSURANCE - Eligibility for scholastic sports has always required a physical, parent permission and proof of insurance. There was once upon a time an animal called “school insurance” which covered football players, the most likely athletes to suffer a major injury, although we know now soccer is a more dangerous sport as heads without helmets and unpadded knees often impact other protective bony body parts at full speed going in opposite directions.

I’d like to go to the state track championships and require every athlete to produce an insurance card before entry into an event. Maybe healthcare reform has taken care of all that but more likely it’s something that was never thought about.

SNIPPETS - Cape Vikings Pop Warner will hold its 2010 season signups at 8 a.m., Saturday, April 10, at Shields Elementary School in Lewes.

The league will have four football and four cheer teams. More info is available at leaguelineup.com/capevikingspw. This is the 10th season for the organization.

All boys and girls from age 7 to 15 are eligible to sign up. Pop Warner requires that all of its athletes maintain at least a 2.0 GPA to play.

The Delaware Tech mens lacrosse team has won five straight games improving to 6-3 on the season. The Hawks’ next home game is at 8 p.m., Tuesday, March 30, at Caesar Rodney High School against Jefferson, one of the top 10 teams in the country.

Thursday night past I was the shirt and tie and black shoes guy at the Delaware Sportswriters banquet as the presenter of the Team of the Year Award to the Cape Henlopen girls lacrosse team.

My shoes are so seldom worn that I squeak like a Motel Six box spring when I walk. Shiny, slippery, slimy, sweaty, dark dress socks are just not my style. And I learned in Catholic school if you wear a tie every day someone will eventually try to hang you just for fun. Now I’m done.