RichlandsAlum

The announcer you reference would be the ubiquitous Paul "Slick" Cook -- local legend and former Mayor of Richlands. And although I can understand the consternation of opposing fans, I have nothing but love for the man. He even gave me a public shout out during the 2005 playoff game between Richlands and Liberty -- gained me a bit of grief from my Bedford neighbors, but I still appreciate the gesture. Oh, and I was present back in 1978 for Marion's victory over the Blues (along with Ernie Hicks and a few thousand other folks). I was all of seven years old, but I remember the shared sense of community disappointment in yet another 3 win season. Bright spots were few and far between for Richlands football back then. Truly these are the "good old days."

I'll participate here. 1979 Tijuana Brass vs. Phenix Horns (of Earth, Wind, & Fire) circa 1981. Who ya got? I'd put money on the support group for EWF, but I do think Herb Alpert's boys would fight dirty.

Right now might be an excellent time to declare allegiance to Virginia Tech -- if only because no one could accuse you of being a bandwagon fan. Now I know how Clark Griswold felt when he didn't get his Christmas bonus.

Uhh.... I'm an alumnus of the Polytechnic Institute (Class of 1993) and I care about college soccer. I also continue to revel in our 2007 bass fishing national championship. But don't let me get in the way of a good internet scrum. Carry on.

Staunton River fires head coach two weeks into the season. Poor folks in Moneta apparently aren't familiar with the term anomaly. (As in, "Your performance during the last two seasons under Poston was an anomaly. You can go back to sucking pretty badly now.") Fear the Wing -- or the Principal and AD (as the case may be)

In almost a photo negative way (compared to Richlands), I seem to recall Marion using blue as an accent color pretty frequently. And on one occasion Sonny Hagy outfitted his team with blue jerseys -- which they changed into after pregame warm-ups. I have always thought it cool that Graham has separate official colors for academics and athletics. That doesn't alter the fact that I hate Graham (in a loving Christian way, of course).

It's a pay site, but the preview at the link below shows the light blue "alternate" jerseys. Guessing the pants in the photo were plain white -- and probably practice pants because I don't remember those jerseys being worn without light blue pants in a game situation. https://newspaperarchive.com/bluefield-daily-telegraph-aug-31-1975-p-58/

I think Coach Heldreth is the first person to officially "standardize" Navy Blue upon his arrival as football coach/AD in 1979. Prior to that, there was a real hodgepodge of various shades of blue. In football, Coach Hammond seemed to generally prefer Navy Blue with red trim -- although there was a light blue "alternate" with red trim that was also used. His tenure was roughly from the late '60s to 1978 for the sake of reference. Beginning approximately the time of the switch to polymer helmets in the early 1950's, Coach Hicks outfitted his teams in silver helmets and light blue jerseys. (Very similar to the uniforms worn by the Detroit Lions -- who were extremely successful at that time and possibly influenced the RHS outfit). This was pretty much a constant throughout the remainder of his tenure (which ended in 1964). Light blue (in various forms and shades) was the primary color worn by basketball teams from about 1950 until the adoption of Navy Blue and white for the 1980-81 season. Jack Lyons introduced red trim to those uniforms when he took over the helm in the mid 1970's. When baseball was reintroduced in the late 1970s, the color scheme was primarily Navy Blue and white with red trim. There was also a single random grey stripe on the home white jersey (sandwiched between a red stripe and a blue stripe). Coach Altizer introduced road greys with Navy trim and home whites with Navy pinstripes in the early 1980s. I've basically heard that the only official stance in terms of color prior to 1979 was simply "blue." In any event, some of the variants (like letterman's jackets and cheerleader uniforms) were pretty dismal looking. A lot of red started to appear in the mid 1970's. I would guess that there might be some association between that and the observance of the Bicentennial -- or the gear salesmen were just told to push that particular color. Either way, my opinion is that the formal designation of Navy was a great -- and overdue -- improvement. I wore some of the old light blue garb as a middle school player (it was simply handed down and re-used until it was pretty much worn out). And although I appreciated the history associated with it, I wasn't upset to see it ultimately phased out.

It wasn't too bad, actually. Helmets were white - some variation there with blue and red stripes and the aforementioned red 'R' from year to year. Home jerseys were solid navy blue. No stripes. But numbers were white and sleeve cuffs were red. White jerseys were similar (blue numbers and red cuffs). Two sets of pants. White pants had red/blue/red stripes. Navy pants had white/red/white stripes. There was also what I guess amounts to an "alternate" uniform, which was primarily light blue with red trim. Light blue jerseys with red numerals and white sleeve cuffs. Light blue pants with red/white/red stripes. These were the uniforms I remember seeing as a really young kid going to games. I'd peg the date range for them from about 1974 through 1978. Highly unlikely that there are any color photographs showing these uniforms. But there are definitely some random black and white shots from the Bluefield Daily Telegraph (particularly the football season preview editions from those years). Messing around a bit with a template and Microsoft Paint I created the attached example. Occasionally Richlands would also wear the blue pants at home (which was a pretty sharp looking combination, IMO).

Pretty sure that Tazewell's official colors are simply Kelly Green and White. So anything beyond that is subject to the whim of any individual coach. I thought the early '80s kit with the yellow trim and grey pants was pretty sharp. Similar issue in Richlands. Officially Navy and White are the colors (and Navy has only been the designated shade since 1980 or thereabouts). But it's not unusual to see that paired with silver/grey. And the basketball coaches favored light blue as an accent during the mid '80s there.

We wound up getting really involved in England's run in the World Cup. My wife and son happened to be in the UK last week and watched the semifinal game in a South Bank London pub. Although the outcome wasn't what we had hoped, that was a really great and unique experience for the two of them. And even if England had been able to resolve Croatia's aggressive style of play, I think France would've pounded them mercilessly in the final.

Don't know when I'll make it to Audi, but I'm looking forward to it. As much nostalgia as I have for RFK, watching the game in a facility specifically designed for soccer has to be a superior experience.

That seems to be a good summary of the situation that Tazewell and other SW Virginia localities are facing. Although I'm an expenditure wonk by nature, this would appear to be a revenue-driven issue. Unless someone really brilliant can pull a rabbit out of a hat, only resolution I see is a combination of consolidation, increased taxes for residents, and debt.

Oh wow.... I just assumed Mooresville because I know that they are building some new schools there and the population figure seemed about right. I'm sure that the leadership of Cornelius had its reasons, and I have no basis for criticism, but I don't know why any locality within Mecklenburg would try to do something like that on a public school basis. Then again, I know that particular community has a longstanding affinity for big ticket capital items. I thought Davidson had stepped in it with regard to their decision to enter the cable business. But that looks much worse. Not that it matters, but Mooresville is on pretty solid footing and it's not far up the road -- unless your brother is seriously enamored with Cornelius, of course.

Not trying to pick a fight or be a major smart a--, but this does seem to be a good time to interject an observation about public debt. If the functionality of the proposed schools is maintained for as long as our great-great-grandchildren will be alive, why is it unreasonable to finance the construction of those facilities in such a manner that they will share in the cost of them? Of course, from a literal standpoint that isn't likely to happen -- most traditional issues have a limit of 30 years for repayment. In terms of scale, I don't know how far out of whack that $2 billion dollars is for a market of the size and nature of Charlotte-Mecklenburg. Don't get me wrong. I'm not a fan of debt (and I'm currently on track to make my own organization debt free by 2026). But for major capital improvements, there are many facets to that discussion. And if a community truly values public education, debt for schools is a concrete political example of "putting your money where your mouth is." Reading between the lines, I assume that sixcat's brother lives in Mooresville. I've been gone from that area for a while but based on my understanding of that community's demographics and economic trends, I don't think an additional debt load of $245 million is going to place a huge financial burden on Mooresville.

Liverpool supporter here. (And the less said about the Champions League final, the better. Thank you very much.) Got tickets for the ICC match next month in Charlotte against Dortmund and we are looking forward to seeing the Reds live. Of all teams at any level, this is probably my strongest allegiance in soccer (and my kids would probably say the same) -- even though the primary reason behind our support is pretty dumb, to be honest. In terms of MLS, I follow DC United primarily because they're the closest franchise to my residence (and we have gone to more than a few matches at RFK over the years). Oldest son pulls for LA Galaxy, which makes things a bit interesting in our house. If San Diego is ever granted a franchise, I would have a strong inclination to follow them (mainly to aggravate the eldest boy). We also watch La Liga primarily for the quality of play. But just to stir controversy there, two of my sons support Real Madrid, one declares for Barcelona, and I pull for Atletico. And our travel club has some formal connections to Swansea (EPL) and Rangers (Scottish Premiership), so I have some interest in them. Really enjoy international competition, but I think USA soccer still has a way to go in terms of being truly competitive. Since USMNT failed to qualify for the World Cup, I find myself guided by ancestry in terms of a rooting interest this summer. Strongest personal ties are to England, so I'll be following Three Lions for as long as they are in the running.

Another fun dynamic within the Augusta County footprint is the adjacency/presence of two independent city school systems (Waynesboro and Staunton) and a number of private schools with full athletic programs that are within reasonable commuting distance. The allegations of recruiting by certain SW Virginia football programs (*ahem*) pale in comparison to the outright solicitation and marketing of players and programs that takes place there. My sister lives within the city limits of Waynesboro but was a faculty member at Stuarts Draft for many years. My nephew started high school at Draft, was strongly "encouraged" for his entire four years to stay at Waynesboro, and ultimately graduated from a nearby private school in Charlottesville (where he had accepted a scholarship to play basketball). And during that entire time Robert E. Lee and a couple of other public schools were whispering in his ear. So yeah, I can definitely believe that the Augusta school system has a policy directive which places value on its schools' ability to compete on a state level.

Still a fantastic run by the Lady Blues and a memorable season. Congrats to Coach Lindsey and her charges.

I'm not sure how much of LCA's agreement with the VHSL is public -- mainly because it was a settlement reached as a result of threatened litigation. To start with, I find it extremely hard to believe that they've lost 74 students since 2015. I suppose it's possible in the wake of their decision not to pair enrollment at LCA with guaranteed admission/reduced tuition at LU. But I'd still love to know how the VHSL is vetting their reported numbers. Another alleged detail of their deal was that all of their participants will have to be drawn from the attendance area of the Lynchburg City School district within a certain period of time. Not many people in this area trust them to stick with that -- and the perceived administrative costs and difficulty associated with enforcement seem to be pretty significant as well. And if it were enforced, one would think that this would actually reduce their numbers for classification purposes -- even with the multiplier in effect. Not sure why the VHSL didn't test this in court (although I have my own theories about that).

Couple of thoughts.... 1. There are at least one (and probably two) too many classifications within the VHSL. One for the smallest schools and one for the largest with two in between should be completely sufficient to ensure some level of competitive equity. The current system of six -- with its constant bouncing up and down for most schools from 2A to 4A -- completely wrecks any aims or notions of scheduling consistency (which in itself is a hardship, IMO). 2. Admittedly I'm no fan of Liberty Christian Academy competing in the VHSL at all, but their ADM numbers bear extremely close scrutiny. You guys in 2A are not going to be happy about playing their semi-professional/international teams if and when they drop down to that level.

Offense sells tickets. Defense wins championships.

Varsity season is over for us now. After winning the first regional playoff game in school history, LHS bowed to perennial power Western Albemarle in the Region 3C semifinals. Son averaged about 20 minutes per game and did score a goal. Not a bad outing for a sophomore. But sitting the bench was very, very hard for him and it really had an impact upon his level of enthusiasm for the game. He's accepted an invitation to take a different direction in terms of travel soccer this fall, which could have some really great benefits for him if he wants to pursue them -- but he seems ambivalent about that at best. On the academic side, he is enrolling in the early college option this fall -- which means that he should graduate in 2020 with both his high school diploma and an associate's degree. He is appropriately focused on the challenges associated with that (he will be taking the highest offering of Calculus available -- roughly equivalent to what Engineering and Architecture majors have to complete in their freshman year at Virginia Tech). He's also broadening his consideration of college choices. He now says he wants to stay in Virginia, but he's open to all options. And on a recent visit to another school, he commented favorably on the fact that it is considerably smaller in size than Virginia Tech. He continues to get a lot of correspondence from college soccer coaches -- but the most persistent ones are either outside of the Commonwealth or they are smaller colleges that don't really rate at the top of his list in terms of academics right now. If he changes his mind and decides that he is really serious about soccer, I think he might still have a shot (a low percentage one at that) of being offered a spot on the roster of a Division II or very low tier Division I school. But I don't see his worldview changing. And I am perfectly fine with that. Meanwhile I'm observing a couple of other kids who have expressed an interest in playing college soccer, and I'm perplexed by their experiences. The really talented player I mentioned previously has gone to the effort of putting himself out there and setting up the online profiles -- and he is getting very little response. My hypothesis is that it's because he doesn't stand out in terms of size and speed -- he's small and quick, just like most stereotypical forward players. Another local kid who is very talented looks like a lock to play Division III ball but is getting no attention at all beyond that level. So at least in soccer, here's what I think I'm learning about the college recruiting process: 1. The top programs (Division I and perennial powers) already have their own talent acquisition process in place -- and it skews rather heavily toward international players and the most elite level of travel ball players within the country. 2. The rest do the same thing. But are satisfied enough in taking the leftover talent that is not culled by the top programs and/or taking the best travel players on a descending scale and a more regional (or state) basis. 3. Most programs beyond the top tier have algorithms in place to identify and invite outliers at an early age (based on whatever data or combination of factors that they have identified as having value). These are invited to camps where they likely compete for the spots on the roster that are not occupied by players at the two previous levels described above. Depending on the level of the program, I'd guess that players in this tier have a 25% or lower chance of ultimately being invited to play -- and there is little or no possibility of receiving a scholarship offer. 4. It also appears that a lot of Division III schools will often harbor one or two spots for the very best regional players in their particular area -- probably in an effort to generate or maintain some level of local interest. So from a Virginia perspective, unless you are a player on a Champions League level travel team, you hit one or more of the data points established by a program's search algorithm, or you're a major producer for a travel team that plays in a Top 6 league (as defined by VYSA), college soccer is a long shot with a probability somewhere less than 5% for even the most talented players. I do think that players who fit in my category #3 above would be compelling to follow, but my operating theory right now is that (like my son) they tend to weed themselves out of the process. If/when I see anything different, I will share it.

Of course it was going into Bluefield's "general budget." The City owned it and operated it as a General Fund activity. From the 2016-2017 audit, the City of Bluefield received line item revenues of $332,350 for "Rents, Royalties, and Concessions," $506,773 listed as "Contributions from Other Entities," and $655,490 designated as "Parks and Recreation." Impossible to tell exactly which revenues were tied to the stadium, but a quick overview suggests these as likely sources related to the operation. Compared with $1,815,320 in expenditures for "Parks and Recreation" it appears that the facility was not generating nearly enough revenue to cover its operating, capital, and/or maintenance expenses, the schools and colleges weren't contributing enough to offset those costs, and the taxpayers of Bluefield were making up the difference. I'd like to be able to dig deeper into the line items themselves, but it appears that the City Manager made a good recommendation in terms of pure business analysis. Financial information for WV cities can be viewed online at https://www.wvsao.gov/LocalGovernment/Default

Again, I don't know a lot of the local specifics, but the City of Bristol has made some perplexing decisions in its efforts to chase revenue -- first entering the cable business and now chasing retail development. Somebody ought to introduce reversion to Town status as a matter for serious consideration. (Same is true for all Independent Cities under 20,000 population -- particularly for those south and/or west of Salem.)

If I'm reading the facts correctly (and it's possible that I am missing something), the school system will be receiving an additional $940,000 from the Commonwealth of Virginia. If the City reduces its contribution by $545,000 then the school system would still be ahead by almost $300,000 compared to the current fiscal year. How does this qualify as a "cut" in overall funding? EDIT: I did see that there is $500,000 of federal money on the table that is likely to be withdrawn from the budget, so that does put the school system in a $200,000 hole (all other things being equal). I don't know a lot about assessed values in Bristol, but if the folks there want the City to make up that difference it could probably be done for a nickle increase in the real estate tax rate. Seems that everybody expects an enhanced level of service, but nobody wants to pay for the cost of that enhancement. Local government is fun.