MACA girls fall 1-3 to Minnewaska Area

Oh no, fortunes have not been good for the MACA volleyball team of late. Ever since the 3-0 win over Montevideo on Sept. 17, the situation has been grim. It's the opposite of how the MACA football Tigers have been faring. 

The MACA girls have two matches remaining to try to reverse course. One of these is against Montevideo which might promise success. The other is against Benson. Benson stands to be a fairly easy foe too, but you never know of course. 

Perhaps Benson should be working harder on upgrading its sports programs and backing off on the school nickname/mascot matter. Benson should have foreseen that problem a long time ago. We can come up with one obvious theory: Benson wants to hold back until the state opens up its coffers with the $. I'm sure Benson is striving to get every penny that it can in the bargain. That's how human nature is. 

A comparable situation exists here in Morris where the school board realizes that referendums are pretty easy to push through. Although, not so easy or routine the last time around. But it passed. As long as these things are passing, you can expect the school to regularly come forward and say they "need" things. I didn't come into town on a turnip truck. 

So, parking congestion is now an issue at the football field? Name me a problem and I'd figure there is a resolution available if the public can cough up the $. So, maybe a proposed new parking lot east of the stadium? Run it up a flagpole and see if anyone salutes it?

But maybe one of these days the local residents will get weary of these demands and just say "no" and tell the district "you'll just have to make do with what you have." First we have to vote "no" sometime. I'm old enough to remember the 1960s when referendums were a totally uphill climb in Morris. 

 

Keep an eye on ND

In North Dakota there's a proposal to eliminate the property tax! It's called "Measure 4." How would y'all like to not get a property tax bill each year? Oh but the various government entities would have to raise taxes in other ways? Well, then I say "just make them." Make them feel some pressure to cut out the largesse. I'd be thrilled to see that. 

Let's eliminate all public employee unions like even for schoolteachers. Maybe especially for schoolteachers. I have hated teacher unions more than I have hated anything in my whole life. 

Do we really need public libraries any more? In the digital age where you can call up anything to read for your enrichment on your "screen?" I never read anything "on paper" any more. Some people are hesitant to admit they are like me for fear of being seen as shallow or ignorant. Hell I'll proclaim from the rooftop. I'll proclaim as someone who developed most of his literacy from reading comic books, backs of baseball cards and "Hardy Boys" mysteries. 

Library employees are unionized too. A pox on them. 

If Measure 4 passes and government gets its back truly against the wall, let's see an unrelenting push for eliminating the public employee unions, teachers first on the list. Is there still a requirement of a four-year college degree for teachers? Ridiculous. Let's eliminate it. Teachers have become mostly caretakers now. Am I saying it's an easy job? Not saying that at all but it's a "job" like any other job. It should be easier if teachers are not expected to impart knowledge so much. 

I believe the highest priorities of our public schools today should be co-curricular like with the school musical and all such stuff. I include band/choir. Let the kids have fun and feel excitement. Do I really have to argue this?

 

Volleyball: 'Waska 3, Tigers 1

The MACA volleyball Tigers lost Tuesday night at Minnewaska Area. We're 5-15-1. Maybe a coaching shakeup after this year? We're 1-2-1 in section, 2-10 in conference, 2-6 on the road, 2-3-1 neutral and an abysmal 1-6 in front of the home fans. Downer. 

So the Tigers were on the short end 1-3. The West Central Tribune of Willmar has "stats not available" for MACA. Why in hell are we in Morris allowing the Willlmar paper to just blow us off? The WC Trib website has thorough match stats on the 'Waska Lakers. All this makes us look bad. 

I enjoy writing about prep sports so I'll report on the Lakers. I have not been able to type the name of an MACA volleyball player all season. I used to be able to do so much better. I'm sad. 

Scores Tuesday with MACA numbers first: 22-25, 25-17, 14-25 and 20-25. 'Waska upped its conference record to 9-3. Here we go with the Lakers and congrats to them: Emma Poegel had three serving aces followed by Berlynn Green and Eliana Marthaler with two each. Then we see Brooklyn Noyes and Haillie Schulz with one each. 

The Lakers turned to Schulz in setting where she achieved 33 assists. In hitting it was Dacia Fleury setting the pace with 19 kills. Schulz and Mya Vanluik each had seven kills. Addyson Kath came through with four, then we see Avery Lewison with three, Emma Hellermann with two and Marthaler with one. 

Ace blocks! Here we see Lewison standing out for the Lakers with 3 1/2. Schulz went up to perform 1 1/2. The list continues with Kath, Green and VanLuik having one each. Green worked hard to get the team-best 21 digs. Here's the rest of that list: Fleury 18, Poegel 17, Noyes 16, Marthaler 11, Schulz 7, VanLuik 7 and Lewison 5. 

How bad is Benson volleyball? They have lost five straight all by SWEEP. I don't think Native Americans would even want to be associated with that.

 

Addendum: Did I see correctly that the "MATA" is sponsoring a school board candidate forum? Does that stand for "Morris Area Teachers Association?" The union? I thought the school board members answered to us the public and not to the teachers/employees. We have to put a stop to this: deferring to the special interest teachers so much.

 

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com