Jay, who has lived in the Waukesha area for nearly 20 years, is an active volunteer who serves on numerous local boards and committees. He’s married to Colleen with three kids having gone through the Waukesha schools. He is the VP of a local distribution company and currently serves on several area Boards.
“The times – they are a’changin’…”
That title from Bob Dylan’s 1964 album rang through my head this weekend as the Town of Brookfield (TOB) initiated its’ 2007 Park & Recreation Summer program enrollment. Reflecting back to the early ‘90’s when Sheila, Roger, Mike, Art and I were re-inventing the TOB recreational opportunities, I was struck by both the changes and similarities between then and now.
Parents, mostly moms, used to line-up and flood the “Early Bird” Saturday registration to ensure their kids were guaranteed a spot alongside their buddies on specific baseball team rosters. “First-Come/First Serve” was the order of the day. Kids trailing along were anxiously speculating on how their team would do back in the days of the Waukesha County Land’O’Lakes league. There was an abundance of volunteer coaches and everyone looked ahead to a Waukesha Summer battling the bruisers from Vernon, Mukwonago, Eagle, Genesee, Wales and North Prairie.
Schedules by age and gender were set, and refs hired by the County. The “Puddles, Dewdrops, and Raindrops” teams criss-crossed the County playing a modest (by today’s standards) number of baseball and soccer games, 1-2 per week. Kids of all abilities were encouraged to join in the fun of recreational, inter-Community sports. Standings were kept by the County and trophies presented at the end of each season. Many the slow-to-develop “last kid picked” were found to eventually mature into future high school all-stars. Their early interest was kept alive by the County’s rules which insisted all kids played regardless of ability. Hundreds of kids from Brookfield were the beneficiaries of these programs.
Today, opportunities for children’s’ participation still exists in instructional and T-Ball as well as the Land’O’Leagues (LOL) framework. Similar to the old, now disbanded (for budget reasons) Land’O’Lakes league, the new LOL still maintains that “recreational” feel to it. Unfortunately the local enrollment numbers are down as more parents now direct their kids to “select teams”. These are teams where the caliber of play and instruction are at a higher competitive level and where the youth athletes play 80 or more games in a season. Don’t get me wrong - These “Select Teams” exist, and are indeed flourishing, because of demand. Parents and students want and receive more in the way of instruction, competition, and practice. The student athletes become better at an earlier age.
Maybe it’s sentimentality. Maybe it’s the desire to turn the clock back. And maybe it’s the unsettling feeling that today’s “Select Team” kids will be adults in just a few short years. And maybe it’s because we know they will be competing at a high plane for the rest of their professional careers. One could argue “Select Teams” prepare the children for the competitiveness of the “Real World”. But is it wrong to suggest that they are kids once, and for a very short time at that? “Select” obviously works for many, but the old Land’O’Lakes seemed to strike a balance which offered more time for other child-like experiences.
Today’s young parents want the best for their kids just like we did 10-15 years ago. These kids will make it through just like we did many years ago. And who knows, maybe this hyper-competitive model will provide benefits far beyond anything I can foresee right now. After all, “The times are a’changin…”, and the TOB Park and Recreation Program will continue to evolve with the changes.
…But a large part of me longs for what now seems to be a kinder, gentler of times…
