Those who know me, know I like history. I not only think it is important to the future but at times it is just downright fascinating to me.
Monday marked an important anniversary date in history for our country. September 11 or as many say 9/11. It’s a date that needs no explanation.
That date, along with December 7, are dates that tell us not all important dates are good dates. Now, I wasn’t around in 1941 but I very much remember that September day in 2001.
I was here in Great Bend trying to keep abreast of what was happening on the television it was pure chaos. I could not even begin to imagine what it was like on Manhattan Island or in Washington, DC. It was truly mesmerizing.
It, like December 7, changed the world. I am witnessing the importance of the bombing of Pearl Harbor diminishing. That’s a sad thing. Hopefully, we as Americans will not let the date of September 11 slip from our memory anytime soon.
Prep Thoughts
What a big week for area teams during the second week of football.
Great Bend did what it needed to do, beat rival Hays. The Panthers are now off to a 2-0 start, which they needed to do to be a relevant player in Class 5A. Now it’s time to see just how good this team is. A trip to the No. 1 ranked team in 5A will let them know. Understand, it’s just week three, but Wichita Northwest is a beast. If Great Bend can compete, it would be a sign the Panthers are legit.
Central Plains scored a big win in a match-up of No. 2 and No. 3 in the state in Eight-Man I. The Oilers were in control the entire way in a 32-8 win over Victoria. I know Coach Steiner was and is saying how concerned he is about replacing much of his line, but I think they will be just fine.
Take a deep breath if you are a Hoisington fan. Things are going to be okay. After a week one to forget about, the Cardinals showed it was not time to panic just yet. They bounced back with an impressive 28-14 win over Nickerson and suddenly 7-2 or so looks very doable once again.
It was also a good week to be an Elllinwood Eagle. The team picked up its first win since returning to 11-man this year with a 46-0 blanking of Sublette. On the road to boot. A 0-2 Ellis team is next up.
To the west, Larned nearly picked up its first win as well, losing by a touchdown to perennial power Hesston. The schedule is not an easy one for the Indians, which now gets to run the gamut of Hoisington, Pratt, and Holcomb. Friday is Homecoming in Larned so if you’re looking for something to do, slip over and watch the Indians and Cardinals do battle.
Former Barton
Athlete/Coach update
The Cougar family lost a Hall of Famer with the passing of Pat Bauman this week. Pat did a lot of things at the college. She coached a highly successful women’s tennis team from 1969-81 and lasted even longer as the cheerleading coach, 1969-94.
She spent some time as the men’s tennis coach, assistant track coach, Psychology and Physical Education teacher, Social Science Division Chair, Director of the Isbell Wesley Assessment, Learning and Writing Center and so on and so on. She was at the college in a coaching or educator capacity from more than 25 years until she moved in 1995.
I personally never met Pat, but those around campus who did speak highly of her. Very highly. Pat was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Barton in 2012. Condolences to friends and family.
Referee House
Three weeks into the season and we are surviving as a crew. Our white hat has a slight tear of his MCL. Our line judge is out on the verge of pneumonia. But, as one of my favorite sayings goes ‘deal with it.’
Jon’s MCL should heal itself in a couple of weeks. And let’s face it, he isn’t that fast anyway. As far as Myrick, hopefully he will be back by week four. This will be his second week out. Until then, get healthy and stay away from the rest of us.
Ty, Steve and myself are all healthy (fingers crossed). It seems like every year at least one of us if not more has a nagging injury we ‘play’ through. We are a crew of Icy Hot and ice bags. That’s must be why we have a cooler full of ice on every trip.
And Finally
I couldn’t imagine riding out a hurricane. There are many who will do just that very, very soon with Florence. One guy I heard talking about it is ready. He has a friend with a backhoe. Whatever that means, he felt confident.
Don’t get me wrong, I like to watch the weather. I spent many days on the dam at Waconda Lake watching storms move in from the southwest. I always felt safe with the big body of water between myself and storm.
Once in college at Fort Hays, my roommate Rod and I went over to Ellis to golf and ended up at the high school watching a tornado head toward town. It was a great view point. We actually stayed in town a little longer that we should have but, hey, all turned out okay.
Maybe it might be interesting to hang out through a tropical storm. That is if I am in a solid brick building on high ground. Oh, and with a generator.
But a hurricane?, Man, I don’t know about that. For one, I’ve seen the pictures. Tornadoes are scary, but they don’t last long and have a very narrow path. Hurricanes can go on for hours over a hundreds of miles. I’ve seen people standing on their rooftops or rowing down a city street in a homemade raft.
Second, my television would probably go out before the storm actually hit. I’m sure electricity is among the first things to go. That would mean I could not see the idiots on TV reporting live from the brunt of the storm. Wind blowing them off balance, water pelting them in the face, the hoods of their raincoats blowing off, and trash dumpsters tumbling by in the back ground. You can’t hardly understand them, but you keep watching.
And finally, I would have to use tranquilizer dart on my wife.
Crystal absolutely HATES storms. She gets geared up for the POTENTIAL of bad weather like three days ahead of when it MIGHT happen. I could not begin to fathom her preparing for a hurricane. There is just no other way around it, I would have to use a tranquilizer gun.
Actually..., well, no. I’m gonna stick with no. Riding out a hurricane is not something on the bucket list despite the whole tranquilizer scenario.
Mike Marzolf is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune and his views don’t necessarily reflect those of the paper. He can be reached at MarzolfM@bartonccc.edu.
