Netters:
I suppose enough has already been written about the Rytan Deak
matter, but I would like to put in my two cents anyway
There is no more positive person I know than Joe Clark. But when his
two girls (and boy) were running at Columbia HS, he was the perfect parent,
supportive, never intrusive. of course, Joetta. JJ and Hazel had the benefit
of working under one of the best HS coaches NJ has ever known and that does
make a lot of difference.
The underlying problem in all of this is the distorted coverage (at
least in our area and I think more even elsewhere) of teenage athletics. The
school competition get inordinateb attention in many ways; any competition
outside school is virtually ignored. That's why such sports as hockey,
swimming, soccer, etc., which have such vital competition on the club level
from childhood are forced into the high school programs. The parents want
their kids to get the same attention as football and basketball players do.
Ed Grant
