DMN: But where will the evacuees be playing football this fall?

[crispini]

For some reason I found this article totally typical of the Texas obsession with high school football, wonderful, funny, and sad, all at the same time.

Madison takes in 22 evacuees; some may play football

11:53 PM CDT on Tuesday, September 6, 2005

By TIM MacMAHON / The Dallas Morning News

Madison High's influx of Hurricane Katrina evacuees includes 22 boys who indicated a desire to play football.

Coach Ronald Johnson welcomed the boys to his program Tuesday afternoon. They are scheduled to undergo physical examinations this morning and could begin practicing as soon as this afternoon.

The football players are part of a group of 50 hurricane evacuees who were placed at Madison by the Dallas ISD. They are staying at Reunion Arena and the Dallas Convention Center.

"I can take all the stresses I've had out on the football field," said Urian Duncan, a sophomore who played tight end at New Orleans McDonogh No. 35. "All the problems I've been going through, I have somewhere to lay it all out now."

more...
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/highschools/topstories/stories/090705dnspohsmadison.123c32f8.html

I guess I'm glad those young men will be getting back to a semblance of normal life and be able to do something they love, but I found this article kind of funny. It's so typical of Texas. Tens of thousands still need to find housing -- but what impact will this have on High School Football? :rofl:

[derby378]

1. After too many stories of out-of-control athletes...

...I'm glad that at least these kids will have an opportunity to get part of their lives back to normal.

[WolverineDG]

2. I spoke w/one evacuee on the phone today

(the organization I work for has a disaster response team & we're gearing up to help Katrina victims battle FEMA & other agencies, as well as helping folks get some sort of court orders on kids that aren't theirs but because of the emergency, they ended up caring for)

these folks are tired. they want normal. they don't want to sleep in massive shelters on a cot or have their meals served cafeteria style. i think it's great some kid whose life got turned upside-down will at least get to play football, even in texas where high school football is the second-largest religion.....

dg

[crispini]

3. Oh yeah, it's great.

It's just funny. Welcome to Texas, ya'll. :P

[WolverineDG]

4. sorry, i meant to add a funny face

after the religion comment. i grew up in the valley, where high school football is the #1 religion. ;)

dg

[crispini]

5. Oh, yeah, you're not kidding about that!

How you doin' girl? I *finally* am getting some downtime. This is the first day I've had in about two weeks that has been remotely approaching "normal," whatever that is. I think I'll even get to be in the live thread tonight, yippee!

[WolverineDG]

6. YAY!!

and NUTZ!!! I have a meeting to go to tonight at 7 so I'll have to tape it. ::pout::

Glad to hear you finally have some time to yourself!! You deserve it after all the good stuff you've pounded away at this past week!!!!!

dg

[babylonsister]

7. HS football in Houston:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3336024

Coaches warned about recruiting storm victims
UIL worried that evacuees may seek out top programs
By DAVID BARRON
Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

Coaches and administrators across Greater Houston expressed confidence Thursday that all will work in concert for the benefit of displaced high school athletes who will try to play football in Texas this fall.

But for those rogue coaches who might try to take advantage of the ongoing aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Charles Briethaupt, the athletic director of the University Interscholastic League, offered a vividly worded warning.

"If we find a coach who is out there actively pursuing kids and trying to convince them to come to their school, we're going to treat them like they're looters," Breithaupt said. more...

[crispini]

8. LOL!

"If we find a coach who is out there actively pursuing kids and trying to convince them to come to their school, we're going to treat them like they're looters,"

:rofl: that's just wack. kind of inappropriate in that "coach" way, but very, very funny.

[WolverineDG]

9. Sad part of that is

there probably ARE coaches out there doing just that.....well, if it gives the kids some semblance of normalcy, i'm ok w/it in just this one instance.

dg

[tammywammy]

10. So am I

These kids have just been moved to a new state. They're at new schools making new friends. Normalcy is so important to them and if that means football, band, choir, or basketball, so be it. And I hope that all schools that are taking in these children, are making room for them in all the extracurricular activities.

[WolverineDG]

11. This must be a disease

since the SA paper had a similar article in today's rag....


dg

[freesqueeze]

12. Good for Madison!

They haven't won much lately so it should be for the best for them. Madison in an inner city school in Dallas. Are these other teams that are looking to improve with flood victim athletes in the inner city?

I wonder?