Remembering Ryan and Max

I learned last week that a Louisville highschool football coach was to be endicted in the death of one of his players, Max Gilpin, who collapsed and died three days later last August. I am sad for everyone concerned in this tragic ordeal, but knew that finally, high school football's dirty little secret would finally be brought to light. Healthy young men, whose only fault is that they totally trust their football coaches, die each year, when these coaches demand too much, in too extreme conditions. They forget their job is to teach these youngsters about a game, about sportsmanship, about friendships and teamwork. Instead, they use these young athletes to win games, at any cost, so they can hold up a trophy at season's end.

I was somewhat amused that the Louisville football coach's lawyer stated that his client hadn't done anything different than any other football coach had been doing. That's actually the problem.....these coaches continue to abuse these players through rigorous practices in extreme heat and often use water breaks as incentive for them to work harder. This practice needs to be exposed, addressed and eliminated.

I will continue to pray for those involved and pray for God to use all of this for the good of His people. I will especially pray for my friends, Randy and Marla Owens and their family, as they have been engulfed in this same nightmare since July 19, 2006 when their sixteen year old son, Ryan, collapsed and died after football practice. I believe there still to be ongoing investigations and lawsuits in Henderson regarding this case. Nothing criminal was ever determined, even though Ryan was actually told to put water back when he attempted to hydrate himself during the practice. I will be paying close attention to this recent incident to say the least.

We got a lot of snow last night. I think it was at least four inches. Two of the dogs managed to run through the yard, over the now snow-covered natural barricade out front, across the road and proceeded to bark at and chase the five horses in their field. Those five horses have decided that they will camp right across the street from our house and driveway. I think they enjoy seeing these funny little furballs and just wait for the opportunity to socialize with them. Well, this morning, they were mixing and mingling up a storm. It's difficult to coax Riff and Roy home, especially when I need to nicely talk them into coming back across the road, but also need to give them a spanking for crossing said road. I was just glad to get them back across safely.

Mark was really busy this morning running one of the routes he's covering. No matter what the weather conditions, he can always get the job done. I'm still waiting to see if any deer come for their morning breakfast of corn. All the birds are enjoying the birdseed after it had run out Sunday. I made sure to stock up on corn and birdfood yesterday. I hope you are all stocked up on your necessities, if you're snowed in like me. Keep warm and have a great day, luv, Susan