John Lydgate said, "You can please some of the people all of the time, you can please all of the people some of the time, but you can’t please all the people all of the time."
That phrase will no doubt echo the feelings around the state after the Illinois High School Association released the schedule high school sports for the remainder of the 2020-21 academic year in Illinois.
The Board of Directors issued the following statement:
"Unprecedented circumstances create extraordinary decisions. The IHSA Board of Directors faced one of the most difficult decisions in the Association’s 100-plus year history today. Please know that we did so with great diligence, empathy, and understanding. There were an immense number of factors that went into today’s decisions. We knew there would be obstacles no matter what we decided. Whether those hurdles included overlapping seasons for multi-sport athletes, equity between sports, preseason acclimatization guidelines, the prioritization of spring sports, facility conflicts for schools, officiating, and that is just naming a few. Please know that each potential roadblock was recognized and given consideration. The IHSA membership, like our state, is incredibly large and diverse. Each Board member brought different concerns to the table that impacted their own school or region differently. There was never going to be a one-size fits all solution to playing 25 sports seasons in a little over four months. What did occur was collaboration and camaraderie. Each Board member may not have been able to have all of their specific concerns addressed, but we worked together to produce a schedule and plan that we believe will work for our student-athletes."
In case you haven't seen it yet, here is the list of the sports along with their start and finish dates.
"We understood the high level of anticipation surrounding today’s announcement, along with the scrutiny that will accompany it," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. "Ultimately, the Board adhered to its stated goals throughout the pandemic: providing an opportunity for every IHSA student-athlete to compete safely this year and maximizing opportunities for traditional IHSA spring sports after they lost their entire season a year ago."
Anderson added that "many schools and coaches could likely offer a tweak here or there that would have, in their opinion, made it 'better' for their school or sport". He believe the Boarks decisions are a positive step for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of student-athletes around the state.
"We are excited to channel our energy into creating as many positive experiences for Illinois high school students as we can between now and the end of this extraordinary school year."
Every sport listed above, except football, requires athletes to attend seven practices on seven different days prior to competing. Two-a-day practices still count as one practice. In regards to football, participants must practice on 12 different days before playing their first game. Players transitioning from basketball or boys swimming & diving into football catch a break and are only required to complete 10 different days prior to their first contest.
The other key outcome from the meeting is IHSA guidelines will require all student-athletes and coaches to participate in masks. They will not be required for swimming & diving events, gymnasts on an apparatus or at outdoor events where social distancing can occur. All game personnel not participating in the contest must also masked and social distance as much as possible.
Americans can expect more immigrants to enter our country in the months and years ahead. Most Americans aren't opposed to more citizens. Many of us are not favorable to undocumented foreigners roaming about our country.
I've been to Mexico and a few other countries. I've always had to show my passport and answer questions when entering another country or coming back to America. It only takes a few minutes.
Many years ago, my sons and I stood in a line of about a hundred people coming back to San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico. We showed our Driver's license back then and came on back into the country. No one even asked for identification when we crossed into Mexico.
I'm happy to see documented immigrants come to America. They will come and they will work. In our area of the country we have a growing population of Hispanic farmers working our farmland. There are Hispanic restaurants popping up in every town. Asian restaurants, nail salons and more are on the increase. The best little food joint in our community is owned by a Hispanic immigrant and his family. They are the hardest working restaurant people I've ever seen.
Immigrants who document and come the legal way to America are coming here for a better life.
They are not coming to sit on their backsides and collect our food stamps, welfare and whatever minimal amount of income they can obtain. Most of them come to help their families, send money back home and to achieve the American dream. They don't come to be poor Americans. Many of these immigrants who are business owners often struggle and pay the price with many hours of hard work to stay open. For most of them, paying their workers $15 an hour will mean less hired labor and more hours of labor for the owners to try to keep their businesses open.
Steve Geis, from our town had this to say recently about his documented grandfather coming to America:
"Over 100 years ago my grandfather immigrated to the U.S. from Germany. He came here via Ellis Island where it was documented where he came from as well as the destination he was going to. He said, "We know the name of the ship he was on, and names of all of its passengers. He and the many others did what was required of them to become legal citizens. Locally, we found copies of his naturalization process. He and most other immigrants did it correctly!"
He added, "I would say welcome to anybody who would follow the procedure and become a fellow citizen of our great country."
America is not opposed to legal immigrants. Most of us are opposed to undocumented people crossing our border illegally. We are opposed to anyone from any nation who might come with any intent to harm our country.
Let's continue to keep America a beautiful country for legal immigrants and a safe, free place for all.