Values skewed as athletics are burying academics

Awakenings - I was on the academic spectrum as a college student and athlete. I was as smart as I wanted to be but rarely dialed it in. My goals and values weren’t mistakenly skewed toward sports; they weren’t skewed at all. I had no clue. I was just a gifted-with-fitness young guy rotating with the planet at 1,000 mph. And then a professor here and there awakened my curiosity and I grew tired of playing the fool like the guy at the end of the bench, who got jokes to cover up his low self-esteem for not playing meaningful minutes. And so I’m the last guy and the best guy to lament that universities are selling out academic rigor in favor of athletic performance, from the one-and-done Division I basketball athlete to 72-year-old coach Bill Belichick promising to run the University of North Carolina football program like an NFL training program. A.J. Dybantsa, a 6-foot-9 wing player and No. 1 prospect in the country, signed with BYU and made it clear he would be there for one year only. Athletics are devouring academics, diluting the talent pool of future leaders. Grand Mom Rose: “Just because a person speaks in complete sentences doesn't mean what they say makes any sense.” We need a global return to the Enlightenment period before a return to the Dark Ages at 1,000 mph where the smartest guy in the village was the best babbler. I’ve thought of jumping into the portal, but I’m afraid of getting stuck in the window. 

Purity of sports - I have been a part of Cape track culture for 50 years. An informal tri-meet started at 2 p.m., Dec. 10, on a 60-degree December day featuring host Cape versus Milford and Sussex Central. The athletes are kicked back and socializing for three hours, but when their race is called, they compete like demons. I take photos for practice and to share. Track is not a prime-time spectator sport, and it's not that they are jonesing for attention, but everyone loves a good action photo, especially if they are in it. The boys’ 800 meters at the start was just crazy, and Drew Radka of Cape held off teammate Jason Baker. I was shocked Drew ran 2:03, with Jason on his shoulder at 2:04. Those are incredibly fast times for December. This spring, Cape’s 4-by-800 team will have a chance to break the school record of 7:59, set in 1983 by a team I coached, comprising Darren Purcell, Hank Stack, James Johnson and Danny Harmon. God willing, I will be there taking photos. Does coach Fred want them to break the record? Sports coaches and athletes are always gracious when records are broken, and I'll do the same, but I kinda like holding onto something that has endured 41 seasons.

Time sensitive - I call Ultra Marathon Man Mike Wardian CCR, not for Creedence Clearwater Revival, but for Congenial Crazy Runner. Mike is always running and racing against time over distance, yet the former Michigan State lacrosse player is now an avid pickleballer and has time for everyone. Mike never comes off as self-absorbed. He is an anomaly that just doesn't fit, which speaks to his uniqueness. Mike ran the Rehoboth marathon Dec. 7, but not really. He had extra distance certified so that the 42.1-kilometer marathon was extended to 50 kilometers, which is 31.06 miles. Mike wanted to break the 50-54 age-group record, but he ran overtime. Mike ran 3:21.24, which isa 6:29 mile pace, slower than the American record of 3:13:07. 

Chip timing - Chip Davis, a retired mailman, and longtime baseball and softball coach, walked the half-marathon in memory of his friend Mary Bragg, who was born Dec. 7, 1953. Mary and Bill Bragg shared a friendship with Chip and Joan Davis going back 50 years. Billy now lives in Florida. 

Snippets - The Eagles are a five-point favorite over the Steelers, according to Las Vegas odds makers. If you follow the odds makers, you still have to pick a winner – to cover or not. Bailey Fletcher, graduated Cape pole vaulter, is on the track roster at Ohio State. Under personal on the roster page are plans to attend medical school and become a pediatric surgeon after college. Next on the list is “raises, shows and sells sheep outside of track.” I ain’t even chasing that ball of yarn. Go on now, git!